Meant To Be (Coming Home To The Grove 2)

Finally, I excuse myself from Lacy and walk over to the sheriff’s table.

“Sheriff…”

“Scott. Remember I asked you to call me Scott?” He smiles at me, and I try my best not to stutter. Why does he have to be so good looking?

“Uh, Scott, I can’t help but notice you didn’t get your coffee. Is everything okay?”

He leans across the table, and his manly scent fills my nose. I want to breathe him in, but I know that’s probably not a good idea. Surely he’d notice.

“I like the way you make my coffee. But I wasn’t going to interrupt you. I can wait. I was just sitting here enjoying the view.”

I can feel the heat flush through my face and body. “I’ll get your coffee.”

I walk away, almost running toward the counter. I try to take deep calming breaths while I prepare his drink. Patty could surely fix it the same way I do. I look over my shoulder, and sure enough, he’s still watching me.

I turn back to the coffee pot and finish pouring, adding the extra cinnamon and the homemade French vanilla creamer. I also grab his favorite savory treat, because I know he doesn’t like too many sweets.

I set his coffee and quiche down in front of him, but instead of digging in, he just stares at me.

I feel like he wants to say something, but when he doesn’t, I excuse myself. “I have to get back to my friend.”

I don’t wait for a response. I turn quickly and hightail it back to the table with Lacy. I don’t realize until I sit down that Lacy has watched the whole thing, and my face is lit up like a Christmas tree, I’m sure. “So do you want to tell me what that is about?”

“Shhh, keep it down,” I respond, looking over at the sheriff. Sure enough, he’s still watching me while enjoying his snack and coffee. He smiles even bigger when he catches me looking at him. I turn back toward Lacy with a shrug. “He likes my coffee.”

Lacy purses her lips and looks side to side. “For real, Carrie. He likes more than your coffee.”

The way she starts wiggling her eyebrows, we both burst out laughing. Gosh, it’s good to catch up with her. I’ve definitely missed hanging with my old friend.

Lacy and I visit until the lunch rush starts. We promise to have a girl’s night out soon. I intend to hold Lacy to that promise.

As I pick up our empty coffee cups and leftover snacks, I look over at the table that Scott was sitting in. He’s gone now, but he made sure to stop at the table and tell me bye before he left. He seems interested in me, but I know that can’t be right. He’s the sheriff. He’s older and handsome. And I’m a plus size college dropout. Yep, I’m not going to get my hopes up about Sheriff Scott Jordan.ScottCrawford is the only one that doesn’t seem to get it. The man is dense.

“So we’re just not supposed to flirt with any woman?”

“Not on the job you’re not. And not with Carrie on or off the clock.”

I’m being completely unreasonable and territorial, but I don’t care. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt such strong attraction for a woman, and I’m not just going to let that slip away. Especially not to a dolt like Crawford.

He had his chance yesterday, and she turned him down. Thankfully. I don’t know what I would have done if she’d said yes. I probably would have put the rookie on graveyard shift for the rest of his life.

“So we can flirt with women on our time? But we can never flirt with Carrie from the bakery?” Crawford asks, still confused.

“That’s right. Any other questions?” I ask impatiently. It’s still early, and I plan on going over to the bakery before my shift starts.

All of them shake their head, but I stare Crawford down, wanting to make sure he gets it. When he finally nods his head, I walk out of the station, whistling. Things are starting to look up.8CarriePatty is hovering again as I put the savory creation into the oven to keep it warm. “Why are you only making one?”

I fidget nervously. “It’s an experiment.”

Patty pats me on the back. “Well, I’m excited to taste it.”

“Uh,” I stammer. “It’s for someone specific.”

She looks at me expectantly, and I know I need to explain. “Scott—I mean the sheriff—has been coming in for coffee and well, he doesn’t like sweets, so I’ve been trying out a few different options to see if there’s something else he would like to eat.”

My aunt nods. “I’ve tried too. Don’t waste your time. The man is stubborn.”

I don’t want to agree with her because I don’t think that of Scott. Just because he doesn’t like sweets in the morning doesn’t mean he’s stubborn. But I can see why Patty would think so. She takes it personally if someone doesn’t like her pastries.