Should she have gone to the Bake-Off?
Jillian paced back and forth in her apartment. No, she was fine right here. She didn’t have a vested interest in the final round.
To her surprise, her mother was not happy that Jillian had backed out of going to the Bake-Off. Her mother insisted that if she was staying home she could at least keep Romeo company. Jillian didn’t want company. She longed for the solitude. Yet, it was easier to do as her mother asked than to argue the point.
When her mother inquired about her reason for staying home, Jillian had claimed a headache. It wasn’t exactly a lie. Her head was abuzz with thoughts of Avery. Suzanna had given her a heads-up that he’d planned something special for this evening and he wanted her there. Jillian had no idea what he had planned and Suzanna hadn’t given her any details.
So what was Avery up to?
And what did it have to do with her?
Then a sobering thought hit her. Perhaps he was going to announce at the Bake-Off that he was leaving town. It would be his swan song of sorts where he told the whole town goodbye at once. That must be it.
Still, she felt bad for letting Suzanna down. They’d planned to go to the Bake-Off together. She glanced at the clock. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to go. Saying goodbye to Avery might be the closure she needed—a chance to close this chapter in her life once and for all.
Before she could change her mind, she grabbed her coat. She moved to the door and pulled it open. In that moment, Romeo dashed out the door.
“Romeo! Come back!”
Romeo had been so well behaved lately that she thought he’d gotten past his fascination with the great outdoors. She had obviously been wrong. And so started another round of chasing Romeo through the streets of Marietta.
*
He hadn’t won the Bake-Off.
His plan to win over Jillian had failed.
And yet Avery refused to give up. The truth was he hadn’t failed with Jillian because he hadn’t found her yet to put his plan into action.
And that’s why he was out driving around Marietta after the Bake-Off ended.
He’d checked Tangled Charms and then her apartment. He’d banged on her door but she hadn’t answered. He didn’t know where else she could be. He had no choice but to head home—alone.
He glanced at the two jewelry boxes on the seat next to him in the pickup. He didn’t know what he was going to do with them. Maybe some sleep would help him focus and regroup.
He backed out of Jillian’s driveway. Surely she hadn’t left town. Was she really that upset with him?
He decided to try calling her again. He’d just turned onto his street. Before he could reach for his phone, he spotted her car parked along the curb. Jillian was here?
His spirits buoyed, he wheeled into his driveway and threw the pickup into Park. There could only be one reason she was here—she still cared. His heart swelled in his chest.
He grabbed the jewelry boxes from the seat. He jumped out of the truck and placed the ring box in his jacket pocket. During the time he’d been searching for her, he’d been thinking that he needed more of a lead-up to the big moment. He had to make sure she understood just how much he loved her.
He made his way along the walk to the front porch where he found Jillian sitting on the steps. “Hi.”
She glanced up at him. “Hi. I bet you didn’t expect to see me tonight.”
“Actually, I’ve been looking for you.” And then realizing she must be freezing out here, he said, “Why don’t we go inside?”
Jillian hesitated.
“Is there something wrong?”
She sighed. “It’s Romeo. He escaped again and I was hoping he would come here.”
“It’s all the more reason for you to come inside. I’m sure he’ll show up soon.”
Jillian got to her feet and looked around the darkened yard before her gaze came back to rest on Avery. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”