Because of You

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted honestly. This was a one eighty on how I thought this reunion would go. I looked at the tiled floor, honestly not sure how to respond to all of this. The one person I kept thinking about was Catherine. I lifted my head and looked at my father, saw Rochelle come back into the kitchen a moment later. “Where’s Catherine?” I felt the way the air seemed to shift, how the room became hotter, the tension covering me.

Rochelle and my father looked at each other, the expression they exchanged having me tense. “What’s wrong? Where’s Catherine?”

“Nothing’s wrong, honey,” Rochelle said. “She’s at the newly opened cake shop in town. Has been working there for almost six months.” I could see Rochelle looked nervous. “I think you should go talk to her.”

“Is she okay?” Now more than ever I was worried. They were acting weird as fuck.

“She’s fine.” She walked over to the counter and grabbed a set of keys. “Take these.” She handed them to me. “Take your father’s truck. It’s parked on the side of the house.”

I took the keys. “What the hell is going on?”

“Just go speak with her.” My father was the one to speak now.

“Drive safe—”

I was already turning and heading back out the front door before she even finished talking.

I cut the engine when I pulled up to the curb, staring at the cake shop. My heart was beating a mile a minute, my nerves so fucking high I was surprised I could stay on the ground.

Inside that little mom-and-pop bakery was Catherine, the girl I loved more than anything else, the person I’d pushed away a year ago because I couldn’t stand the thought of her seeing me locked up. Things would be different now though. I’d make sure of it.

I pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the truck, slamming the door and just standing there for a moment. I was honestly surprised my old man had let me borrow this piece of crap truck, something he had owned since I was a little boy. There was rust on the wheels, a crack going straight through the center of the windshield, and the muffler was going out so it sounded like a demolition derby was coming down the road anytime I started at the damn thing.

But it wasn’t like I had anything else at the moment, not yet anyways. I’d get a job, get myself a proper place to stay. And when I had all of that, I’d make sure that I was worthy to have Catherine as mine.

Because if I knew one thing for certain over this past year, it was that I wasn’t walking away from her.

I started making my way around the front of the truck, the sound of people laughing across the street drawing my attention. I looked to my left and stared at the small childcare facility. I could see a couple women holding infants as they stood by the front door, the sound of the babies giggling loud. Although the center of town was fairly small, there were plenty of local businesses set up on this main strip.

Focusing back on the cake shop, I headed onto the sidewalk and made my way toward the front door. I pulled it open, the scent of fresh baked goods immediately filling my nose. A little bell above the door dinged my arrival. The shop was decorated in white and pink, polka dots on the walls, the display case taking up almost one whole side. Pastries and breads, cakes and desserts all lined the inside of the display case. I saw an older woman in the back, the stainless-steel appliances shining, her focus on the dough she kneaded.

“Welcome. Give me a minute and I’ll be right with you.”

I stepped farther into the shop and walked over to the framed picture on the wall. It showed what I assumed were the employees, all five of them smiling and wearing matching aprons. And there she was, the one woman who held my heart, the one person who I’d thought about this whole time, day in and day out.

Catherine.

She looked exactly the same, her smile bright and reaching her eyes. Genuine.

“Hi. Welcome to Oh Dough Good. What can I get for you today?”

I turned and faced the older woman. She had a big grin on her face, flour on her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Her hair was speckled with salt and pepper coloring, piled high on her head and secured under a hairnet. I walked up to her, wanting to just blurt out if she knew where Catherine was, but also not wanting to look like a psycho.

“I’m…” I turned to look back at that framed picture for a second before facing her once more. “I’m actually looking for someone, an employee of yours. Wondering if you know when Catherine will be to work?”