“Hey, who was that just leaving?” Shelly inquired as she moved toward a small bistro table. “I didn’t recognize him.”
“Oh, that was Landon. He is renovating the old bar at the end of the main strip. Pretty much keeps to himself, but he’s really nice, and generous. He orders a dozen pastries every morning even though he’s the only man working at the site.”
“Hm. . .” Shelly murmured. One of the things she liked the most about Carson was that she knew most of the residents. Sure, she knew in two years new people would come and some would leave, but it was comforting and gave her a sense of peace to know who was who.
“Anyway, what can I get you two this morning?”
Abel spoke up first. “I’d like three cinnamon rolls, please.”
“Three?” she and Sydney questioned at the same time, but Abel just shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ll take a blueberry muffin and a coffee, please. Also, I’m meeting my new landlord here; can you tell me anything about him?”
“Oh, Preston?” Sydney said with a hint of mischief in her voice that put Shelly on alert instantly. The baker turned to head behind the counter and gathered their order. “He’s great. And honestly, he works so much I doubt you’ll see much of him.”
“Anything I should be worried about or should know?”
Sydney didn’t answer right away, but as she brought out the cup of coffee and the two plates of baked goods, she said, “Not at all. Honestly, you have nothing to worry about. Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be in the back working on a birthday cake, but my helper Jessica will be in shortly.”
“Thanks.”
The food quickly disappeared and Shelly checked the clock on the wall to see that an hour had elapsed from their meeting time. Abel had been watching videos on her phone and he said no messages had come across.
Just as Shelly was about to get up and head back to Cassidy’s house, a man strutted into the bakery carrying a small beagle puppy in his arms. He glanced around the small space until he noticed them sitting at the table in the corner. His eyes locked with hers and Shelly was struck with the oddest sensation. He had a familiarity about him that made the hairs on her arm stand on end. Her body became hyper-aware of his presence as he stepped closer to where they sat.
“Shelly? I’m Preston. Sorry I’m late; this little one here decided to go exploring this morning,” he said as he gestured to the pup wriggling in his arms.
“That’s okay,” she said as she reached out and rubbed the puppy’s head, the back of her hand brushing against his chest confined in a tight gray shirt. Shelly murmured an apology as she stood from her seat and grabbed her purse. “I’d love to see the rental if you still have time.”
“Of course, my assistant is manning the calls at the office and knows how to reach me if it’s an emergency.”
Nervously Shelly said, “Lead the way,” wondering why her stomach felt like a nest of butterflies had taken flight.
“Bye, guys,” Sydney shouted from her station behind the counter. “Come back and see me soon. You too, Preston.”
Shelly and Abel said their goodbyes to Sydney and headed toward the exit where Preston was holding the door open for them. Her body brushed against his as Abel shoved past and Shelly could feel her body warm from the contact.
The summer heat was in full force as they made their way outside and Shelly wished that she had brought a scarf for her hair. She should have remembered how humid the town could get in the summer. When she gets the chance to unpack, that is the first box she plans to search through.
“Mom, can we get a puppy?” Abel asked as Preston stopped and opened the door to a large pickup truck.
“I’m not sure we can handle a puppy right now, but maybe in a few years, okay?”
Her son stomped his foot against the concrete sidewalk, but Shelly was too distracted by Preston’s backside as he bent over to latch the puppy in a crate to reprimand him.
She knew she was in deep trouble with this immediate attraction she seemed to have formed for her soon to be landlord, so much so that she was willing to give up the rental. Except she had her son to think about and knew she needed to push this crush aside and be the smart and independent woman her mother raised her to be.
Ironically, Shelly’s car was parked just two spaces down from Preston’s and they quickly followed him out of the main town and down a winding road that left her nerves even more shot than before.
She just had to remember that her best friend trusted him, and she was going to have to learn to trust too.
Chapter Four
Preston kept watching the silver luxury sedan in his rear-view mirror as it followed him back home. Shelly was just as beautiful as he remembered, and he wondered if she felt the same spark at their small contact as he had. It felt like an electrode sparking against his skin. But he had to consider that he was the only one affected. Shelly wasn’t someone he should or could pursue. She was in an entire league of her own and Preston was lucky enough to earn a smile from her.
And that little boy with his wide, curious eyes scared the shit out of Preston. He had no idea how to act around children. Sure, his friends had them ranging from kindergarten age to newborn, but he was never around them for more than a few minutes. Abel, he recalled the boy’s name, was the spitting image of his mother. Preston had seen him the few times they had visited Carson in the past, but the boy was small and gangly at a younger age. This boy, though still skinny, was taller and had started to grow into his features.
As he took one last turn on the side road, Preston flicked on the blinker for his truck and signaled that the driveway for his property was up ahead.