Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,16

screamed on my nightstand was sounding like a great idea.

I could hear the shower running through our thin walls, which meant Bailey was already awake. Knowing I had no time to waste, I forced myself out of bed and began to get dressed.

We opened at seven, and I still had to get coffee started for the customers. I slid my feet in my fuzzy slippers and trotted downstairs to start the pots. I then had just enough time to do something quick with my hair before it was time to open. I sure didn’t want to scare off the customers with my extreme bed hair. At the moment I had a slight resemblance to Medusa. I had a natural wave to my hair that most girls would kill for. Most of the time, I could just throw it up into a high ponytail and call it a day. After failing to tame the wild beast, I decided this was a messy-bun kind of day. I changed into a pair of sandals and rushed back downstairs, where Bailey was just flipping the Open sign on the front door.

“Day two of our new life,” she said with a wink.

We weren’t even open five minutes before the customers began to filter in. I assumed they were all heading to Sunday services at the church just down the road. Things slowed down around nine and remained that way for close to two hours, probably because church was now in session. This gave us time to refill the displays with fresh-baked muffins, rolls, cookies, and an assortments of other pastries.

I was in the kitchen, removing the last batch of brownies, when the door flew open and a wide-eyed Bailey rushed in.

I stared over the counter at her, waiting for her to explain what was going on.

“Our waiting area is swarming with so much hotness right now, I feel like I have a fever,” she squealed. “Yummy cops, men in suits, and a few in cowboy hats and boots. Men, Amber.” Her eyes grew wide, and she fanned her face. “Lots of lickable men, and I feel like a kid trapped in a candy store with entirely too many flavors of jelly bellies to choose from, my head is spinning. I don’t know where I should start, because damn it, I want to taste-test them all.” She sagged back against the door with a dramatic sigh.

I stood up on my tiptoes, peeking out through the small circular window in the top of the door. She wasn’t lying. Five men were in the lobby, including the one that had been the cause of my insomnia the night before.

“Come on.” She motioned for me to follow her.

“I’m coming. I just need to cut these into serving squares and I’ll be right out,” I assured her.

After she left, I focused my attention back on the hot pan I held. My hands were shaking from the idea of seeing Ryan again. I was always so nervous around him.

Once I had all the brownies placed on a serving tray, I took in one last breath before pushing open the door and entering the front of the bakery. As soon as I walked in, I could feel his eyes on me. It was like the temperature of the room raised and the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall. Acting like I was unaffected by him was almost impossible, but I did my best.

“Damn, those look good.” I looked up just as the guy I thought was Booker leaned over the counter. He was scanning the display and taking in the aroma of the fresh brownies as I slid them on to the dish behind the glass. “With you in town, I think I’m gonna have to visit the gym more than once a day.”

I smiled. “Oh yeah?” I didn’t want to come across as if I didn’t appreciate his compliment, but I honestly had no idea what to say.

“Nothing like a beautiful woman who can bake, and bake well.” He winked and pointed toward the brownies. “I’ll take two of those.”

He hovered over me as I pulled them out and placed them on to a serving dish. “Is that all?” I asked as I slid the glass shut. Turning toward the cash register, I then tapped in his order.

“How about your phone number?” he asked, and I immediately looked up. A grin pulled at the corner of his lips. “I’d love to take you out to dinner or a