Sprinkled with Love

But why hadn’t Jillian called? It wasn’t like her to be forgetful. She was always on top of everything. For a long time, she’d helped keep his life organized.

But now she had Tangled Charms. And it was the opening week. That was it; she’d gotten distracted. Or she was tired of bailing him out. She had been such a good sport over the years—always there to pick up the pieces.

Avery eased his pickup through town, not sure what to do. He definitely couldn’t do this Bachelor Bake-Off without her guidance. Would it be so bad if he were to stop by Tangled Charms?

Deciding a reminder was the best course of action, he turned onto Main Street. He’d stop by and clear this up in no time.

As he was nearing the Java Café, he spotted Jillian. He slowed down, hoping to gain her attention. And then he noticed she wasn’t alone. There was a man with her—someone Avery didn’t recognize. The man was much taller than Jillian and he was well dressed.

They were laughing. It was obvious even from this distance that they were quite familiar with each other. Avery’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He wondered if this was the reason for Jillian’s distraction.

And then the man stepped in front of Jillian and without preamble he leaned forward to kiss her.

Avery’s gut knotted up. He’d seen enough. He turned his gaze away and tramped on the gas a little harder, not wanting to witness any more of Jillian’s life. If that’s what she wanted, who was he to complain?

But what did he do now?

Let his sister and the town down by backing out of the event?

Or give this baking thing a try on his own? After all, how hard could it be?

*

Oh no! No! No!

This can’t be happening.

Jillian jumped back before Glenn’s lips touched hers. She stared up at him. “What are you doing?”

A frown wiped away his smile. “As if you didn’t know. I was trying to kiss you.” He arched a brow. “What are you doing? Trying to play hard to get?”

She wasn’t playing. She had absolutely no interest in him kissing her. Not now. Not ever again. What had she been thinking to even consider him as her escort to the wedding? She would go alone before she would ask him.

She leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Glenn, I think we need to get something straight. I’m not interested in you. Not now. Not in the future.”

For a moment, his mouth gaped. And then he pressed his lips together into a firm line. A tense moment passed. “Enough with this game. I know you weren’t happy about how we ended things, but what choice did I have? You were never around. You were always here in Marietta with that hobby of yours.”

“That hobby you’re referring to is my business. A successful one that has expanded from the internet to a physical store.” She refused to let anyone demean her efforts.

“And now that you’ve gotten it out of your system, I figured you’d come to your senses. That’s why I’m here—to give you another chance.”

Was he serious? The sincere look on his face said that he was. The ego on this guy had no bounds.

“This conversation is over. We are over. Goodbye, Glenn.” She turned and strode down the sidewalk.

“You’ll regret this,” he called out to her back. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You just used me to get exposure for that hobby of yours. I was just a leg up for you. You only care about yourself.”

He was so wrong about her. She did care about others. Just not him.

She didn’t slow down. She kept going. All the while, she hoped that not many people heard his parting words. How dare he shout out those lies?

And then Avery’s face came to mind. She’d never answered him. Was she being selfish about her time? Was that why she was holding back?

Anxious to prove Glenn wrong and assure herself that she hadn’t changed, she pulled her phone out. She selected Avery’s phone number.

It rang once before he answered. “Hello.”

“Hey, Avery, I was wondering if you wanted to get together to go over your game plan for the Bake-Off.” There was a pause as though she’d surprised him with the offer. “Avery? Are you still there?”