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  I sigh and push the thought away, focusing on my cake batter.

  CHAPTER 10

  HUNTER

  I hate waiting to talk to Vi. I’ve been by her place at the bakery twice now, and she wasn’t there either time. Last night I waited there for hours. She never showed, and I was pissed. If I’m honest with myself, I was worried, too.

  She had to have been staying somewhere else and the thought that she was with Slade is a real possibility. When I finally dragged my ass back home, I saw her car in her parents' driveway. I almost stormed over there, but I stopped myself, thinking I should wait till it wasn’t the middle of the night and I wasn’t making an ass of myself, acting on jealousy.

  This morning she wasn’t there and she wasn’t at the bakery either. The note said she was doing deliveries. I’ve been gone for years, and now that I’m back I can’t get one fucking minute with her. Figures.

  My pops drops the wrench on the floor of the garage with a loud bang, startling me from my thoughts. He’s digging through his old toolbox taking an inventory of what he’s got.

  “Careful, old man,” I joke with him. He looks up at me with a raised brow before bending over with a loud sigh and picking it up.

  “Careful yourself, son,” he says as he sets the wrench down on the steel bench.

  “So what’d ya think?” I walk over to him and lean against the steel counter, looking at the old junk of a VW buggy in the garage. It was supposed to be my sister’s car, but we never got around to fixing it. I brace my hands on the bench and look over to him as I say, “I could be a mechanic, I think.” Ever since Jared planted the seed, the idea has been growing and giving me an outlet to focus on. I think I’d fucking love it.

  “Sure you could,” he says, but he doesn’t look me in the eyes as he adds, “It’ll cost a pretty penny to get it up and running though.”

  I nod my head; I know it will, but I’ve got the cash flow to get it started. I never really spent a dime in the Navy. I didn’t have to. So I’ve got enough to get it started. I’ve already looked into it. I’ve got more than enough.

  “I’m not sure the bank is gonna go out on a limb for you without you having any income right now, but-”

  I cut my pops off right there. “I don’t need the Whites' money for this.” My voice is louder than it should be. I look past him and stare at the tools hanging from the pegboard on the back wall. “It’s not a matter of getting money.”

  My words still come out a little harsher than I mean for them to. I push off the bench and stalk to the buggy to calm my ass down. Pops doesn’t need my anger. No one does. I just don’t like seeing Slade’s hands on my girl. I don’t like the way his father talked to her either. Vi doesn’t deserve that, she’s better than both of them. The Whites can go fuck themselves.

  “Something wrong with the Whites?” Pops asks me as he closes the toolbox and leans against the buggy, eyeing me like he doesn’t know what’s going on.

  “I don’t care for either of them, Slade or his father, to be honest.” I turn my head to look him in the eyes. “I don’t like Slade and Violet together.”

  “You’re wound up over a girl you have no claim to.” It pisses me off that he has the balls to say that, but then he keeps going, “And to make matters worse, you’re giving that girl a bad name.”

  I temper my anger slightly as I ask, “Oh yeah, how’s that?”

  “That she’s fooling around with you again.” He shakes his head and says, “She doesn’t need that, Hunter. You gotta let it go.”

  “I’m not letting it go. I’m not losing her again.”

  He looks exasperated. “It’s not losing when you haven’t got anything to lose!”

  My voice is hard and I hold his angry gaze. “She’s mine. She’s always been mine, and she’ll always be mine.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Hunter,” he scoffs at me, pissing me off. “She’s moved on, and you need to lay that puppy dog love to bed where it belongs.”

  I push off the car and take a step closer to my father. I’ve never been so fucking angry at this man. I’ve always looked up to him. Always taken his advice. But right now, all I wanna do is beat the shit out of him. “I never should’ve let her go.”

  “Is that the son I raised?” He kicks off the car and meets me chest to chest as he adds, “A selfish prick who’d make a woman wait on him?”

  “It was her choice.” I keep my ground. “She wanted to wait on me coming home. If she wanted that, I should’ve given her that. 'Cause I wanted it, too.”

  He huffs a humorless laugh and walks around me. “You’re being a damn fool, Hunter.”

  “I was a fool to listen to you.” I bite out my words, my hands balling into fists. I mean it, too. What we had was real, and it was worth fighting for.

  He flinches at my words, and the hard lines on his face slip for a moment. “Do what you want, Hunter.” His voice is lowered and full of disappointment. “All you’re doing is hurting that poor girl.” With that he opens the garage door and lets it close silently behind him as he goes back inside.

  My chest heaves with anger, and I take a minute to calm myself down. I feel like everyone’s rooting against us, but I don’t give a fuck.

  She’s mine.

  I don’t care where she is. This town is small; I’ll find her. I’m not going to leave her alone until I make it damn clear that I want her back. I just need one chance. Just one.

  CHAPTER 11

  VIOLET

  I heft the trays of cookies for the elementary school Fall Ball, hitching them up on my hip as I walk into the school. I smile at the macaroni art self-portraits and finger-painted families hanging on the wall just inside the double doors.

  I stop to admire the trophies in their display case, and the pictures of grinning teams of children beside them. My picture used to be up there. The memory makes me smile some. It feels good here. I can hear sneakers squeaking across the gym floor, the double doors are open a few classrooms up.

  I look down at the cookies I’m holding, wondering why I’m baking for a living. How much of what I do is just because Mr. Mealey gave me an opportunity to buy the bakery? I was substitute teaching when I came home. I needed to find a job quick, and working a day or two a week, just wasn’t cutting it. Teacher positions are slim in this job market.

  I always dreamed of having a classroom and students of my own, but that’s all it is. A dream. Now I’m living a different life.

  I sigh and move down the hallway, the trays still balanced on my hip. I see a group of students in the gym as I pass, playing some game. Another group of students is going down the hall, all following their teacher like ducklings.

  “Cookie!”

  I turn my head to see Abbi hurrying toward me, Krissy following her. Krissy and I knew each other well in high school, but now we’re just acquaintances.

  Krissy looks elegant, her red wrap dress fitting her thin frame well. I know she married Jared. I remember how jealous I was. I could’ve had that with Hunter. I felt like a horrible human being for being upset with someone else’s happiness. But it was all I could think when I saw their picture in the paper. They’re practically the town sweethearts.

  She catches Abbi just a few feet from me, and scoops her up, making Abbi cry out with a squeal.

  “Hey Violet,” Krissy says, exasperated. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I say, moving closer to say hi to Abbi. “Abbi comes into my shop a lot to get cookies.”

  “Cookie! Cookie!” Abbi insists, tears starting to take over her voice.

  “I’m in charge of the daycare today,” Krissy says, rolling her eyes. “Miss Abigail was supposed to go home an hour ago, but her mom is MIA. I had to call her uncle. Didn’t I, Abbi?”

  “Hunter?” I say.

  “Yep. So he should be here in a minute,” Krissy says to Abbi. “It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay.”

  Abbi is throwing a temper tantrum, but Krissy’s unflappable.

  “Haley is MIA?
No idea where she is?” I ask, shifting the trays to my other hip.

  “No,” Krissy said, shaking her head. “Apparently not.”

  I frown. I heard that Haley’s husband died while in service to the Navy, and I remember how torn up about it she was. She was crying all the time: in the produce section of grocery store, at red lights, in church. My heart went out to her. It still does. I can’t even imagine it. She seems to be dealing with the grief differently now. If the rumor mills are anything to go by, she’s been getting over Chris, by getting under other men. I try to stay out of those conversations. I try not to judge. But it makes my heart hurt for her even more.

  What I remember most was that when Chris passed away, is that I kept thinking, what if it had been Hunter? I couldn’t sleep, especially when I knew they worked together. I try to shake the thoughts as my throat closes with sadness.

  “I’m here,” a masculine voice sounds down the hallway.

  I turn around, and there’s Hunter, striding down the hallway. I bite my lip and give him a once-over, looking at his black Nine Inch Nails tee shirt and dark jeans. More specifically, looking at his muscular arms, at the stomach I know is flat and hard beneath that shirt.

  He sees me with Krissy and Abbi, and his brow knits.

  “I have to go,” I say to Krissy, ripping my eyes from Hunter.

  “Sure. See you around,” she says, moving away from me toward Hunter. I turn and halfway run down the hall, at least as well as I can with the trays of cookies in my hands.

  “Vi!” Hunter calls, but I’m already turning the corner.

  I hear the rumble of his voice as he says something to Krissy, but I surge ahead. I don’t have time for him. I don’t have time for anything but the task at hand, and running errands like this one.

  Mrs. Pine is waiting for me when I finally get to the cafeteria. I drop the cookies off in a hurry, and get the hell out of there as fast as I can.

  I purposely exit the building, taking the long way around to get to my car. Better that I don’t run into him.

  But when I get back to my car, he’s leaning against the door, looking smug. I slow as I approach the car, blowing out a breath.

  “Where’s Abbi?” I ask.

  “Playing a video game in my truck.”

  He points to the truck parked two spaces over from mine. The window’s down and I can hear the high-pitched noises from whatever she’s playing. I bite my lip, feeling suddenly shy. My heart starts pounding just being this close to him.

  “Oh. Well…” I say, stopping a foot from Hunter. “Do you think you could move?”

  “That depends. Will you go out with me tonight?” he asks, cocking a brow.

  “I… I can’t,” I say, shaking my head.

  “Why?” he asks, pushing himself off my car.

  “I have to… um… do stuff,” I say lamely.

  “Stuff?” he asks, moving closer, until he’s just an inch away.

  I could move back. I could slap him, for getting too close. But I don’t do either.

  Instead I let my head fall back, looking up at him. I lick my lips, trying not to think of the taste of him, trying to ignore how my body ignites with desire.

  “Bakery stuff,” I say. “Baking. I have to make a cake.” I swallow thickly and try to remember if I really do need to bake something.

  I’m aware that I sound like an idiot. His hand comes out to brush back a strand of my hair and tuck it behind my ear.

  I don’t want to, but I lean into his touch. His hand opens and cups the back of my head. I look up into those emerald green eyes, as hypnotic now as they were the first day I saw him.

  He leans down and brushes his lips over mine, a burning brand. I curl my hand in his hair and kiss him harder, his blatant sensuality catching like tinder.

  I press my lips to his, so lush and firm. I open my mouth almost against my will, needing to taste him. He takes over the kiss, his tongue stroking mine in long, firm sweeps.

  I groan. Nothing has ever felt so good as I feel right now, I swear it. His touch feels so calming, so right, just like he used to, like he never left me.

  He breaks the kiss abruptly, leaning his forehead against mine. He’s breathing a little harshly; now that I think about it, I am, too.

  We stand like that for a few seconds, just breathing each other in.

  “Seven p.m. tonight,” he says, releasing me and stepping back.

  I bring my fingers to my lips, feeling somehow bereft. I nod, feeling completely out of it.

  Hunter grins again, that cocky expression still on his face. Then he winks at me, before heading to his truck. I stand there like a fool, watching him pull out of the parking lot.

  I finally manage to get in my car, still adrift and lean my head back, letting out a slow exhale.

  I have a date tonight. A date with Hunter.

  I don’t even know how to feel. I start my car and pull out of the parking lot, mulling everything over.

  CHAPTER 12

  HUNTER

  I take a look in the rearview mirror, feeling like I need to get more control on this situation. I’m sweating; I’m so damn nervous.

  She makes me nervous.

  I need tonight to go right. I’ve got everything planned out. If Vi’s anything like I remember, she’s going to love every minute of it.

  I park the car in front of the bakery. It’s late and the bakery is closed, but the light above the storefront is on. The yellow glow from the window of her apartment spills into the night.

  I’m not sure what I should do. If I should walk up to the bakery door and knock, or call her. Or maybe she’s got a door around back for her apartment; I’m not sure. She doesn’t give me a minute to figure it out though. She pulls the thin curtain back and I can easily make out her silhouette.

  It’s showtime. I get out of the truck and make my way up the paved parking lot with my hands in my pocket. I take slow steps and stop a few feet in front of my truck.

  My heart’s beating fast, waiting for Vi. When she finally steps out into the faint light from my truck, it nearly stops. She’s so fucking beautiful.

  Her long, dark hair spills over her shoulders and just past her breasts. Her cream blouse is unbuttoned, just at the top, so I can make out the soft curves of her figure. Her worn jeans hug every inch of her as she walks to me with a shyness she hasn’t showed me in a long time.

  “Vi,” I say as I take a step closer to her.

  She stops in her path and grips her clutch in both hands.

  “Hunter,” she says with that softness in her voice that I remember from years ago.

  It feels like everything clicks into place. I’ve got a piece of her right now. A piece of our past that she's not denying.

  I walk around to the passenger door and open it for her.

  “Where are we going?” she asks.

  She doesn’t make a move to get in. I can tell she’s still walking a knife’s edge with whether or not to trust me, but I’ll show her she can. I’ll prove to her I’m still the man she once loved. I can be that man again. For her.

  “A late-night picnic on the hill.” It’s where I used to take her. I’m hoping it gets me some brownie points.

  A soft smile plays at her lips, and a beautiful blush rises to her cheeks. “You don’t play fair, Hunter Graves.”

  I let a rough chuckle vibrate through my chest and hold her hand as she steps into the truck. She looks so small in it.

  I carefully shut the door and jog around the front of the truck to get in. As if waiting too long to start driving will give her another chance to run.

  When I get in, she turns up the radio and sits back in her seat, letting out a small yawn. Her hand covers her face, and she looks away with a smile when she feels my eyes on her. The sight of her like this, at ease with me, is everything I’ve wanted. I feel whole again.

  A small bit of guilt weighs down on me for even thinking I can be whole. Chris is still gone because of me. My sister will never have a second
chance. He’s gone, and there’s nothing she can do about it. She can’t go back like I’m trying to do.

  “You okay?” Vi’s voice is laced with concern.

  I put the truck into reverse and try to get my mind back on the present. The guilt is still pushing hard on my chest, but I ignore it. Part of me wants to open up to her, but I want this date to be perfect. I want to win her back.

  “Yeah,” I say absently, paying attention to the road.

  My heart’s beating faster, and I’m trying to push down the anxiety I'm feeling.

  “You’re different.” I hear Vi’s soft words, and I turn to look at her.

  Yeah, I am different. In a lot of ways.

  I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.

  “Yeah, I am.” I look back to the road and then settle a hand on her thigh, rubbing my thumb back and forth against her jeans. “I’m still the man you fell in love with though.”

  She flinches at my words, and I wish I could take them back. Her body tenses and she looks out the window, shoving her thumb in her mouth to bite on her nail.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you.” I take my time driving up to the hill and put it all out there. “I know I did. I know I can’t take it back, but if you’ll let me, I’ll make it right.”

  She looks at me with sad blue eyes. “You can’t make it right, Hunter.”

  I squeeze her thigh as the truck rocks with the uneven road.

  “Just give me a chance, Vi.”

  “I am.” She puts her hand over mine, and it soothes some of my worry and closes a bit of the distance between us. “That’s what this is.”

  I nod, giving her leg another short squeeze and park the car as close to the clearing as I can.

  She gives me a small smile.

  “Are we gonna see shooting stars?” Her voice is so small, and a little sad.

  “I don’t think so, not tonight,” I say. I know what she’s talking about, and I wish I could give her what she wants. If I could make it happen, I would. But some things, I can’t control.