Chapter Fifteen
Here went nothing.
Or here went everything.
It all depended on how he looked at it.
Avery’s muscles were tense and his gut was wrenched into a nervous knot. He told himself not to let the event get to him. It wasn’t like this was his first time performing in front of people. Every time he stepped in the arena at the rodeo, thousands of people were in attendance. He’d learned how to block them out. So why wasn’t it working now?
Perhaps it was because he didn’t feel confident about his baking skills. And now he had to do it from beginning to end in front of people he’d known all of his life. Talk about pressure.
Most of all, he missed Jillian being next to him. She’d claimed it was because she had to man her stall at the event. He glanced down at the black band on his wrist with Harry’s House printed in white. He had been one of her first customers.
The wristbands were a good idea. He just wished he could trade places with Jillian. He could sell the bands while she did the baking. It would have been for the best, but there was no backing out now.
He wondered if Jillian had arrived already. So many people had arrived early that it surprised him. It appeared it was going to be a sold-out crowd.
After circling the cafeteria for the second time, he neared the doorway to the kitchen. When he heard his name called out, he paused. His heart picked up its pace. Was it possible Jillian had changed her mind and would be close at hand to cheer him on?
He turned, searching for Jillian in the crowd of people. And then he spotted Joanie, Harry’s younger sister, waving at him. He made his way over to her.
“I wanted to wish you good luck.” She smiled. “What are you going to bake for this round?”
“Cowboy cookies with a few personalized modifications.”
“Sounds intriguing. I’m sure you’ll do great.”
“Thanks.” He glanced around, hoping to find Jillian in the crowd, but he didn’t see her anywhere. “I better get inside.”
“Before you run off, do you want to buy some raffle tickets?” She held up the red tickets.
“Sure. Why not?”
“How many would you like?”
He shrugged. He really didn’t care about winning, he just wanted to make a donation. He pulled out his wallet and yanked out a wad of small bills, wishing he had more money on him. He’d make sure he brought more with him for the next round.
After Joanie counted out the money, she tore off the appropriate number of tickets. The tickets were paired, one for the entrant and one for the drawing later that evening. He folded his tickets and tucked them in his back pocket while Joanie placed the matching set of tickets in a box for the drawing.
He scanned the room once more, trying to find Jillian. And then he spotted her. She had set up a small stall with a banner that read: Tangled Charms supports Harry’s House. On one side of the banner was the silhouette of a house and the other side had a saw and hammer crossed. It was just like the design on his wristband.
As though Jillian sensed he was staring at her, she glanced in his direction. Suddenly his worries over tonight’s competition slid to the back of his mind. All he could think about was going to Jillian and making sure things were still all right between them.
He’d taken a step in Jillian’s direction when Jane McCullough stepped in front of him. “Hi. I was wondering where you were.”
“I just arrived.”
“No problem. Your workstation is this way.” She indicated the opposite direction from Jillian’s stall.
“I was just going to step over there.” He motioned to Jillian, who appeared to be watching his exchange with Jane.
“I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. We need to get you in your apron and set up at your station. This competition is set to start shortly.” She took his arm and starting walking.
He had no choice but to follow along unless he wanted to make scene. He glanced over his shoulder, but Jillian was now distracted with some customers.
He grudgingly followed Jane into the kitchen. He hadn’t been back to Marietta High School since his brother and sister had attended. And even though they’d graduated less than a year ago, it still seemed as though a lifetime had passed.
Jane walked very quickly. Luckily, his leg was actually feeling a lot better. But everyone, including his physical therapist, had warned him not to overdo it. Little did they know he was already considering heading back out on the circuit to win some money. He just had to do everything he could to buy the Crooked S like Howard would have wanted.
*
Jillian was more excited than she’d been expecting.
With everyone seated to watch the baking competition, there were no more customers to buy the wristbands; so Jillian had moved toward the front where she could get a good view of the bachelors. There were eight of them in total. She smiled when she realized they all looked as though they would rather be anywhere but standing in front of half of the town.
Just then Mrs. Monroe said, “Okay, bachelors, start your cookies!” Then she rang a little bell.
Everyone cheered and the baking began.
Jillian was so excited for Avery. Even if he didn’t win, she was proud of him. It took a lot for him to get up there in front of everyone. She finally squeezed her way up to the front of the room. She walked by Avery’s station just as he was browning the butter. He glanced her way and smiled. She could tell by the stiff smile and the worry in his eyes that he was nervous about the competition.
One of the contest coordinators stopped to ask him something just as the butter started to bubble. Jillian noticed how Avery stopped stirring. He moved away from the stove to grab a piece of paper. Oh no! She wanted to rush over and continue stirring for him. She knew from experience just how easy it was to burn the butter. But there was nothing she could do. With this being a competition, there could be no interference. But who was to say she couldn’t signal him?
She moved until she was in his line of sight and then, as discreetly as she could, she motioned toward the butter. When he got her message, his eyes opened wide and he rushed back to the stove.
Jillian walked back to the craft stall that she was manning with Suzanna. She could only hope the butter was okay. Because she knew Avery could bake these cookies—she’d sampled one, then another, followed by a few more. After all, it was her job as his mentor to make sure they were tasty.
“Well, how’s it going over there?” Suzanna asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh no. That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s just that Avery got distracted and I’m afraid the butter burned. Hopefully I’m wrong.”
“It’ll be fine. You taught him well.”
Jillian was surprised by how invested she was in this competition. After all, she was just an instructor, albeit a reluctant one at that. But the atmosphere of the townspeople was contagious. They were all excited about the competition and cheering everyone on. Perhaps she would have favored Avery, even if he wasn’t her student.
At last, Avery pulled a tray of cookies from the oven and replaced it with a new tray. Jillian quietly watched from the sidelines as he set the timer. They’d worked hard to figure out just the right amount of time to bake them, but she’d forgotten to mention that the baking time could fluctuate with a different oven. She hoped Avery would think of that.
And now that the cookies were pulled from the oven, she waited and wondered how he did. When a small smile lifted his lips, she knew they hadn’t burned. She knew he could do it.
“And now while we wait for the cookies to cool,” Mrs. Monroe said, “we’ll pull the ticket for the honeymoon suite at the Graff Hotel. Are you ready?”
There was a murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd. She read off the winning ticket number. Jillian watched as everyone pulled out their tickets. She didn’t have any. She had absolutely no use for a room at the Graff Hotel, much less the honeymoon suite.
Her gaze strayed back to Avery as he moved the cookies from the hot baking sheet to a cooling rack. He looked like a real pro up there. She smiled. Jillian was so happy she’d been able to help him…even if things had gotten a little complicated at times.
“So who is our winner?” Mrs. Monroe scanned the crowd but no one raised their hand. “Come on. Don’t be shy. I know someone here won. Check your numbers again.” She read off the lucky number again.
Still, no one raised their hand.
And then Mrs. Monroe said, “I think I have an idea.” She turned to face the bachelors. “Gentlemen, I know you’re all busy, but if any of you bought raffle tickets, you need to check them now.”
A few men reached into their pockets and pulled out a strip of tickets. Jillian smiled, knowing one of them had won and wondering which one. But when Avery set aside the spatula and reached into his pocket, the smile faded from her face.
Please don’t let it be him.
Her pulse raced. Everyone who was anyone in town was here tonight, including her mother. If he were to win the honeymoon suite, everyone would once again think they were a couple. That at last they had worked things out and they were going to have a happily-ever-after.
But it wasn’t the case. It didn’t matter that when he stared at her, her stomach dipped. And when she was close to him, she couldn’t resist inhaling his manly scent. And that at night, her dreams were filled with him. Because in the end, he’d told her in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want another family. They had no chance for anything more than what they had now—an awkward friendship.
“What was the number again?” Avery asked.
Jillian’s heart sank. She should leave, but her feet were unwilling to move. It was like watching a looming accident and not being able to turn away.
Mrs. Monroe repeated the number and with every digit Avery nodded his head.
“That’s it,” he said, looking pleased that he had the winning ticket.
“Wonderful!” Mrs. Monroe beamed as she rushed over and verified that it was indeed the winning ticket. “Congratulations. I bet Jillian is excited too.”
Oh no! At last jarred from her stupor, she turned and slipped out a side door. She started walking down the long hallway, away from everyone. There was no way she was going to stick around for this.
How could Avery have done this? Didn’t he realize what people were going to say? Anger and embarrassment burned inside her. She headed straight for the back exit. Lucky for her, it was unlocked to let the vendors and suppliers come and go. The cold air felt good against her heated skin.
She wanted to keep going, but she couldn’t. She had to return to the stall unless she found someone to fill in for her.
She reached for her phone and started texting Suzanna:
Jillian: Something came up. Have to leave. Can you watch over the stall?
Suzanna: Are you feeling all right?
Obviously Suzanna had missed the thing with the winning ticket. And then she recalled that they’d sold so many bands that Suzanna had run back to the car to get more.
Jillian: I just got a sudden headache.
It wasn’t far from the truth. Not far at all. Right now her temples pulsed and her stomach churned. She’d be better once she got home. Hopefully by tomorrow the rumors and innuendos would die down. Jillian knew that was as likely to happen as the sun not rising tomorrow.
Suzanna: I’ve got it. Go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Jillian got the t and h of her thank-you message typed when she heard her name being called. She glanced up to see Avery charging toward her.
“Hey, where are you going?” he asked, as though he hadn’t realized what he’d done.
“I’m leaving.” She finished typing the rest of her message to Suzanna before slipping the phone in her pocket.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. Didn’t you see all of those people? Their gazes were going from you to me and back again.”
“So what? You know they get excited about the slightest thing.”
The slightest thing? Is that what he thought about her feelings? That they were a slight thing? Or was he totally oblivious to everything?
Just in case he really didn’t understand what was at stake here, she intended to tell him. “This isn’t some little bit of gossip. They think that you and I are finally a couple.”
“So they’re wrong.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going through this again.”
“Again? What’s that supposed to mean?”
She was just angry enough at that moment not to be embarrassed when she admitted everything to him. “That when I used to work for you—that they all thought—that I thought—things between us were going to turn serious. The whole town was talking about it. That we made a good pair. They would ask me all the time if we were getting married.”
Avery raked his fingers through his hair. “But I don’t understand. You and I, we never even dated.”
“You don’t have to tell me. Obviously they were all wrong. Because no matter what I did, you never noticed me in that way. Even when I asked you to the Christmas Stroll.”
His eyes widened. “But I couldn’t. You worked for me. And—”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“Of course it matters.”
“I’m not doing this. I’m not dealing with the questions and assumptions again. I’m leaving.” She turned and started to walk away as fast as her legs would carry her.
“Jillian, don’t go. I’ll fix this.”
She didn’t even want to know what that meant because there was no way he could fix this. Because she’d been fooling herself when she told herself that she was over him. She wasn’t. Not at all. It’s the reason none of her other relationships had worked out.
She was in love with a man who didn’t want a future with her.