I STARED OUT the window as I wound the yarn in a ball.
“It’s a new pattern I’m trying for my granddaughter.”
“Oh, I love it, Beth!”
Glancing to my right, I watched as Lou and Beth oohed and aahed over a new blanket pattern Beth had bought.
Beth looked up and showed me the pattern. Smiling, I nodded. “It’s precious! She’s going to love it.” The look of pure happiness on Beth’s face made my heart fill with happiness as I let out a soft sigh and went back to my busywork. I loved coming to knitting club. It always relaxed me and made me think of my grandmother. She was the one who had taught me to knit, and being with these women reminded me of a happier time.
My eyes scanned the mountains out the window. One of these days I’d build up the courage to hike up one of them. My somewhat fear of heights kept me from venturing out to them. Until then, I would sit in a room with four other women who were significantly older than me, and knit.
Lou gasped as Beth showed her the yarn she was using for her future grandbaby. She insisted it was a girl, even though her daughter and son-in-law decided not to find out what the gender was.
“That pink is perfect!” Lou gushed.
Beth held it up for the rest of us to see.
“Beautiful!” Karen said.
“Love that pink!” Nancy added.
With a smile, I said, “Lovely.”
Everyone turned to Charity. My best friend, roommate, and business partner. She was sulking in the corner like she did every week when we came to knitting club.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Char?”
She snapped her head and lifted her thumb up. “Great.”
Beth seemed disappointed by Charity’s response. I wasn’t sure why, it was pretty darn clear Charity was not here of her own free will. She lost a bet. I won. That meant knitting club for both of us.
Beeping from across the room caused Charity to jump out of her seat and cry out, “Times up!”
Lou and Nancy let out a yelp and covered their hearts.
“You scared the fright out of me, Charity,” Nancy said.
Charity grinned. “I scared the piss out of you, Nancy. Just say it.”
With red cheeks, Nancy waved her hand to dismiss Charity as she giggled and said, “You’re such a bad girl. It’s a good thing I’m not your mother, young lady.”
Charity glared at me then fake laughed while turning back to Nancy. “Oh, you know I’m kidding. Enjoy your day, ladies.”
She was out the door and to her red BMW faster than I could say knit one, purl two.
Slipping into the front seat, I waited for her to start her weekly bitch session.
Right on cue she went for it. Dropping her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes and groaned. With a quick snap of her head up, she turned and glared at me. “I cannot believe I let you drag me to this thing called hell.”
My lips pressed together tightly to keep from laughing.
“Honestly, Gabi. The damn club is called Knitters are Purls. That should have been your first clue!”
This time I did laugh. “Oh, come on it’s not that bad. You’re not even trying.”
Her mouth dropped. “You want me to socialize with women who are old enough to be my mother. Did you know Karen tried to set me up with her son! She told him I was a virgin! Why in the hell would she think I was a virgin?”
I covered my mouth in an attempt not to laugh harder. Shrugging, I said, “Maybe cause you’re in a knitting club?”
“Exactly my point! Ugh! I hate you so hard right now.”
My phone buzzed in my purse. Reaching in, I read the text from Max.
“Dang it, Max has an issue.”
Charity pulled out onto the main road and punched the gas. “Max always has an issue. What’s it this time?”
“He said Ms. Loft is in and wants to know why I didn’t make zeppoles.”
“Fuck Ms. Loft.”
Gasping, I cried out, “Charity!”
“What? The lady is crazy. She comes in everyday and buys your desserts and then pawns them off as her own for her rich boyfriend. I hope she gets caught one of these days.”
“That still wasn’t nice.”
Charity came to a stop and turned to me. “Just say it. You know you want to say it.”
I looked into her feisty hazel eyes. “I don’t want to say it.”
“You do. I know you don’t like her.”
It was true. I loathed the woman, but I’d never call her names. Only under my breath.
“She’s a customer. I love all of my customers.”
Charity hit the gas, causing my head to hit the headrest.
“Bullshit. One of these days you’ll say it. The woman will push you too far and you’ll crack.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’ve worked too hard to be where I am. I will not call our customers names. I leave that to you.”
“And like I said, she is a fucking bitch.”
I rolled my eyes and groaned. This was my payback for dragging her to knitting club.
Ten minutes later, we were parking in the garage of the building we lived in. My bakery was located on the first floor. Four years ago when I came through Colorado Springs, I never thought I would fall in love with it. But one drive through Old Colorado City and I was hooked. As I walked around the shops, I came to the bakery that was for sale. I instantly knew it was a sign this was where I belonged. After spending two years jumping from town to town, I finally felt safe enough to settle in one place.
At least until my past caught up with me, if it ever did. As long as I stuck to the original plan my brother and father set up, I’d be safe.
“You okay? You seem like you’re in another world?” Charity asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yep. I’m heading to the bakery to see what’s going on.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right. Max and his emergency. I’m going to pour myself a hard drink to forget the last two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.”
With a chuckle, I shook my head and bounced down the stairwell. Charity swore Max had a thing for me. I disagreed. Besides, I was almost positive he had a girlfriend.
Unlocking the back door, I stepped into the hallway. One side housed the restrooms, storage room, and cleaning closet. The other side was my office. I’d converted the two existing offices into one when I bought the bakery. It was where I lived for the first six months after I bought the place. It was convenient when I had to get up at three in the morning to start baking.
Stepping into my office, I grabbed my apron, tied it on and took in a deep breath. Glancing around the space, I grinned. I love this place. I still couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to get the second and third floors when they became available.
The top floor was my apartment. Two bedrooms and two and a half baths. The remodel took forever, but it was worth it. That’s when I met Charity. We instantly hit it off and when I learned she loved to bake, we became business partners.
“Hey, what are you doing here on your day off?”
I jumped when Liza spoke. “Shit! You scared me,” I said as Liza stood there staring at me with a smile on her face. Liza worked at the bakery part-time while she went to culinary school.
“Thank God you’re here!” Max cried out.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“That woman! I want to hit her in the face so hard she won’t remember her name for a month!”
My eyes widened as Liza laughed. “Oh yeah. Ms. Loft. She’s still here.”
“What?” I gasped.
“I’m telling you, Gabi. You need to ban her. Ban. Her,” Max said as he pushed his hand through his short brown hair.
With a moan, I replied, “All right, let’s go get this taken care of.”
Pulling my long, blonde hair up into a ponytail, I cracked my neck, popped my knuckles and got ready to deal with the worst customer on the planet. If she was in New Jersey, she probably would have been taken out by a friend who knew a friend.
I walked into the main area of the bakery. With a smile, I glanced around at the handful of people who filled the tables. I mainly served dessert, with a few options for salads and cold sandwiches, so it made my heart happy to know my creations were bringing people in. For years I was told I needed to add wine to the menu. It hadn’t been announced yet, but the second floor was being turned into an upscale wine bar. A dream of my father’s that I was making my own reality.
“Well, it’s about time you showed up.”
Ms. Loft jumped up and made her way over to me. “Where are the zeppoles?”
I was about to answer her when the bell on the front door chimed, I glanced that way, strangely drawn to see who was coming in. Everything stood still, as if time had ceased for a few brief moments. Opening my mouth to talk, I was stunned into silence. A burst of excitement and curiosity for the man who walked in caused tingles throughout my body.
Holy. Crap’ole.
I’d never in my life seen a guy so drop-dead gorgeous. My eyes roamed his perfectly fit body. Dark hair, sun-kissed skin, and stubble. Damn . . . I loved stubble. Then my gaze landed on his shirt.
Colorado SWAT.
Oh yes. A police officer. How I loved a man in uniform.
My eyes took another gander over his body. Black pants, black boots, and a gun strapped to his side.
Hot. As. Hell.
What would it feel like to be under such a guy like that? The thought alone made my panties wet.
Ugh. Stop it, Gabi. What in the hell is wrong with you?
He walked over to the counter where Liza was attempting to wipe the drool from her mouth. There was something about this guy that kept my attention drawn to him. I’d seen plenty of good-looking men, but this guy. He seemed . . . different. So very different.
That broad chest. Those delicious arms. I bet he could pick a girl up and fu . . .
“Did you hear what I said, Gabi?”
Ms. Loft’s voice pulled me from my naughty thoughts. Good lord. What is the matter with me?
“Is it hot in here?” I asked as I fanned myself and looked around. “Do we need to turn the AC on in here?”
Ms. Loft’s expression hardened. “What? Stop changing the subject.”
I really didn’t want to be dealing with crazy lady right now. I wanted to walk away, push Liza to the ground and finish helping Officer Dreamy.
Liza laughed and my eyes swung back to the counter. I was instantly jealous that Liza was talking to him.
Bitch.
Putting my fingers to my temple, I groaned. “What in the hell?” I mumbled.
“What was that?”
I lifted my head and glared at Ms. Loft. “I didn’t make zeppoles today. I don’t guarantee certain things to be made every single day.”
“But my Henry wanted zeppoles today! I need zeppoles!”
She raised her voice, causing the patrons in the bakery to look over at her. Including Officer Dreamy.
Great. That’s all I need is for crazy to draw the police’s attention to me. It’s one thing to look and dream about a police officer, but to actually draw his attention to me . . . not so much.
“You’re not listening to me! My man wants zeppoles! Gabi, I need you to make me zeppoles. Now!”
And that’s when it happened. I snapped. There was really no reason why I picked this moment to have had enough. Maybe it was because I was missing out on Officer Dreamy, or that Charity was right. I had wanted to call Ms. Loft a fucking bitch.
“What did you call me?” Ms. Loft asked as her face turned red.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
Max laughed and said, “Yeah, you didn’t think that in your head, darling. You said it out loud.”
Looking over my shoulder to Max, I mouthed, shit. He smiled and said, “It’s about time.”
“You called me a bitch!” Ms. Loft exclaimed.
“I believe she called you a . . . fucking bitch.”
My head snapped over to the customer sitting at a table who had filled in Ms. Loft’s oversight. “I’m sorry, but this lady is rude every time she comes in. It was deserved.”
I lifted my hands as I gestured for everyone to stop. “Wait. Ms. Loft, I’m sorry, it slipped, but you seriously cannot expect me to make something your husband wants on a whim.”
She guffawed. “Boyfriend. Christ, do you even listen when I talk to you? Blonde bimbo.”
Oh no she didn’t. I’m finished with this lady. “If he wants them so bad, you could always . . . I don’t know . . . bake them yourself and stop lying about it.”
At first she stood there glaring at me. Then she started laughing, which made me laugh in a nervous way. Peeking over to the counter, Officer Dreamy was watching what was happening. His stare caught mine and my breath hitched. The way his eyes darkened had my insides flipping all about. I couldn’t help but wonder if his thoughts about me had gone just as naughty.
Don’t be ridiculous, Gabi.
“Listen, cupcake, get your ass back in that kitchen and make me my zeppoles!”
Focusing back on crazy lady, my hands went to my hips as I opened my mouth to tell this bitch off. I’d had enough of her kind of crazy. “Listen here you—”
“Excuse me, is there a problem here?”
Glancing up, he was standing there. Up close he was even more attractive. His muscles more apparent. His voice was smooth as silk and felt like a warm blanket wrapping around my body. I was instantly calmed. And then it happened. Stupid took over.
“Wha . . . ma . . . ba . . . prob . . . um . . .”
I seriously could not form a word to speak after hearing that man talk. He not only looked like a God, he talked like an angel. His hazel eyes sparkled as he tried not to smile. There was a touch of gold specks that seemed to shine a bit brighter.
Crazy lady spun around and went to lay into Officer Dreamy when she noticed he was a cop. She dropped her pointed finger and stared at him.
I know how you feel, lady.
He glared at her before speaking again. “Vivian Loft.”
Huh?
He knows her?
“Um, I was just leaving.”
My eyes darted back and forth between crazy lady and Officer Dreamy.
“I’m sure you were. And I bet you were telling this nice young lady that you won’t be coming back. Ever.”
Her eyes turned black. “You’re a real asshole, Nic Drivas! Ass! Hole! I hate you and I hope you get shot!”
All that could be heard were gasps across the bakery. I was pretty sure my eyes were about to pop out of my head from sheer shock. Not to mention I’d have to scrape my jaw off the floor. How could she say that?
What. A. Bitch.
He laughed as everyone watched Ms. Loft storm out of the bakery. The second the door shut, the entire bakery erupted in cheers. Turning to me, Officer Dreamy smiled.
Lord. I’m for sure going to have to change my panties.
Closing my eyes, I got a grip on myself. This was what happened when you didn’t have sex in forever. I took a deep breath and got my thoughts back in order.
Clean. Thoughts. Only.
My eyes snapped opened as I tried to shake away my wandering thoughts. I smiled as I looked up at the tall, dark, and handsome man standing before me. “I take it you know her?”
Officer Dreamy’s smile faltered a bit as he narrowed his eyes at me and stared at my mouth. When his eyes slowly moved up and caught mine, I held my breath and prayed he didn’t recognize me. There would really be no reason why he would, unless he lived in New Jersey six years ago.
Then his smile grew bigger and my stomach dropped fast and hard.
Lord help me. The man could probably make a woman orgasm simply by smiling at her.
“I wish I could say I didn’t, but unfortunately I do.”
Huh. Interesting. Old girlfriend? Old lover? Either way . . . lucky bitch.
“She’s an old . . . family friend.”
Yep. Old girlfriend.
“That is a roundabout way of not saying she’s an old girlfriend.”
I thought he was going to fall over laughing. “Now that made my day, agapiméni. Vivian and me? No. Not a chance in hell. She’s honestly an old family friend who wanted more with me than I wanted with her.”
Agapee what? I had no idea what he called me, but it made my insides melt and I was pretty sure if he told me to drop to the ground and get ready for him, I’d do it willingly.
Nodding, I lifted my brows. “Ah. I gotcha. Anyway, thank you for stepping in. Dessert is on me. Pick anything you want.”
I didn’t think his smile could get any better, but I was wrong.
Cue the dimples.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I just moaned out loud.