Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,30

stick around to see his reaction, she turned on her heel and fled. She was doing them both a favor, she told herself, scrambling to clamber into her truck and drive away. Aidan would come to his senses soon enough and realize it was a terrible idea to get involved with someone like her.

At least, she hoped he would, because one more kiss like that and she’d forget her own name.

And then where would she be?

7

“Where would you be? Hmm, let me think about that…” Jenny teased. “Having a wild, passionate fling with a handsome, single man?”

They were at the bakery later that week, taking advantage of the mid-morning lull to help Summer decide on her new fall menu. And analyzing Stella’s minor romantic meltdown too, for good measure.

“A handsome, single man who can dance.” Jenny added, amused. “Where did you find this Prince Charming? Your fairy godmother must be looking out for you.”

“You mean a wicked witch,” Stella sighed, “Because Aidan coming to town feels more like a curse.”

“Did someone call for me?” Summer asked, appearing with a platter of baked goods – and a witch’s hat on her head. She struck a pose. “Spells and sugary treats, at your service.”

The whole bakery was already decked out for Halloween, with carved pumpkins on the tables, spooky lanterns, and fake cobweb on the pastry display case. “Now, these are the new scones I’ve been testing,” Summer said, presenting them with a mountain of buttery, crumbling goodness. “I’ve tweaked the cranberry orange since the festival, and amped up the cinnamon. Then there’s pumpkin walnut, and double chocolate nutmeg chunk.”

“Ooh, I want to try those,” Jenny said immediately, reaching to dig in.

“I’m noting these reactions,” Summer said, and she wasn’t even kidding – watching with a pencil and scrap paper at the ready.

“Note away.” Jenny said, through a mouthful of crumb. “Because these pumpkin ones are a fall party in my mouth.”

Stella took a bite. It was delicious, but all the pastries in the world couldn’t distract her from the thought of Aidan, and the look on his face when she’d turned and fled. “I bet he thinks I’m crazy, running hot and cold like this. Which is probably a good thing,” she tried to convince herself. “Now I won’t have to come up with some awkward excuse if he ever asked me out. So, we can just be neighbors. Friends.”

Summer and Jenny exchanged a look.

“Sure,” Jenny said, looking amused. “A friend who shows up at a ballroom dancing class, literally sweeps you off your feet, and then kisses you senseless on a street corner. Real friendly.”

“It was just a kiss.” Stella protested.

Her friends looked at her.

“Well, OK, a soul-shaking, heart-stopping, world-ending kiss,” she corrected herself. “But that doesn’t mean anything—”

Jenny cut her off. “Look, I know you’re rusty, and you have the romantic instincts of a small mammal coming out of hibernation,” she said gently, “But that makes two mind-blowing kisses so far, and you’ve seen the guy naked.”

“That’s more of a committed relationship than most of the men I dated before Grayson,” Summer cracked, but Stella wasn’t in a laughing mood. She groaned, and stuffed another scone in her mouth. “But I don’t want a relationship with him,” she muttered mournfully.

“Really?” her friends looked confused. “But you like the guy,” Summer said, sitting down at the table.

“I never said that.” Stella insisted. “I mean… OK, he’s fine and all.”

Jenny smirked. “Yup. Fiiiine.”

Stella couldn’t help but laugh at the way her friend dragged out the word and waggled her eyebrows. “You know what I mean. He’s attractive enough, and nice, and…”

“Well dressed,” Summer offered.

“And ridiculously wealthy, from what I hear on the Kinsella grapevine.” Jenny added. “Of course, what was I thinking? You would never want to date a man like that!”

“You should invite him to the Halloween Hoedown this weekend,” Summer suggested.

“Ooh yes,” Jenny agreed. “Dress up as something sexy. He won’t be able to resist.”

Stella didn’t reply. Wanting to date Aidan wasn’t the problem. But if there was one thing she’d learned from her checkered history, it was that wanting would lead her nowhere good.

The bell above the bakery door dinged with a new arrival, as Paige burst in, looking queasy. “Bathroom break!” she called, making a beeline for the back of the bakery.

A few moments later, she re-emerged, dabbing at her lips and looking a little less green. She sank down into a seat at the table and groaned. “Between the vomiting, and the hormone swings, I’m still