12
“Well, somebody clearly had a good weekend.”
Without missing a beat, Holt flipped Jonah off and continued to sing along with “Here Comes The Sun” as he spread fresh strawberry jam over the breakfast bars he’d be sliding in the oven shortly.
Still smirking, Jonah came on inside the bakery kitchen and moved to the second set of ovens, setting them to preheat. “Are we really gonna be listening to this tooth-rotting sweet playlist this morning?”
“When you get here first, you can pick the tunes.”
He’d never been more grateful for his training to function on little to no sleep. He and Cayla hadn’t wasted a single moment of their honeymoon staycation weekend, which meant he hadn’t gotten started on his wares for the grand opening until the very wee hours of Monday morning. Absolutely worth it.
Across the room, Jonah tipped out the big plastic bin of bread dough he’d prepped last night, punching it down and dividing the dough up for boules. Holt added the top layer of oat mixture to his breakfast bars and slid them into one of the waiting ovens as The New Beatles rolled into Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”
Brax stepped through the back door and stared. “I’m sorry. Who are you and what have you done with our generally grumpy friend?”
“Apparently, the secret to improving his mood was getting him laid.”
“I mean, he’s breathing and a dude, so that’s hardly a surprise. I’ve certainly got more pep in my step after a very happy send off from my wife this morning.”
“You’re both assholes,” Jonah complained.
“I’d say we’re both happily married men.” Brax set his travel mug of coffee down and headed for the walk-in cooler. “That is what we’re seeing here, right? You’re really happy with Cayla?”
Holt took a long glug from his bottle of water. “I am. I mean, I didn’t expect it to be awful. I like her and Maddie both. But I didn’t expect it to be quite so…”
“Real?” Brax suggested.
“Yeah.”
Jonah put the trays of shaped boules to one side to rise. “You don’t think this is just a product of close proximity and the situation?”
Holt gave the question real consideration. “No. I think the close proximity and situation just got me over whatever reservations I had about getting involved with her on the front end. I suppose, in a weird way, I almost owe her ex a thank you for getting me here.”
“That’s twisted.” Brax began to roll out the brick of puff pastry he’d pulled from the cooler. “Anything new on that front?”
“No. It’s been too quiet.” And he needed to pull his head out of this honeymoon haze and turn his attention back to that problem. The last thing they needed was to get blindsided.
Jonah shrugged. “Maybe your little caveman possessive routine actually worked.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t fit with the personality Cayla’s described for the guy. Feels more like he’s biding his time. For what, I don’t know. If he really is planning on raising a custody suit, it takes time to pull that together, I guess. So we’re just waiting and watching.”
Brax clapped Holt on the shoulder. “No matter how you got here, marriage and family look good on you, man.”
Marriage and family. Two things he hadn’t thought he’d want after how he’d grown up. But he couldn’t imagine going back to life without Cayla or her delightfully impish daughter. He could even see them with another one.
“Why do you suddenly look like you’ve been poleaxed?”
Blinking at Jonah, Holt just shook his head. Another kid was getting way the hell ahead of things. It was just the weekend of stupendous sex talking. Or something. They’d been married for less than three weeks. He hadn’t even convinced Cayla that she wanted forever with him yet. There’d be time enough to discuss the prospect of expanding their family later, when the threat to Maddie was definitively over.
Needing to get his mind on something else, he headed to the cooler for more eggs and milk. There were popovers to be made.
The three of them lost themselves in the familiar rhythm of baking, navigating around each other as if they’d been working together for years. By the time 7:30 rolled around, their glass cases were full and the shelves behind were loaded with fresh bread.
“All right. Let’s do it.” Holt held out a fist to each of them for a bump.
Brax took up position behind the cases, and Holt stood at the register as Jonah threw open the door.
“Good morning, Eden’s Ridge! Come get your carbs on.”
“Don’t mind if we do.”
For a moment, Jonah’s mouth went slack. Then his eyes lit up as Rachel McCleary strode inside, accompanied by a familiar redhead.
“Well, aren’t y’all a sight for sore eyes?”
“No way were we going to miss your grand opening. How are you, Jonah?” Dr. Audrey Graham, the brain behind the therapy program that had saved them all, laughed as he wrapped her in a hug. “I’m guessing that’s good?”
“Absolutely.” His attention shifted to Rachel. “You didn’t tell me you were coming back down.”
The tall, willowy blonde shrugged and offered an unrepentant smile. “Surprise. We had to come offer our support.” She moved in for a hug herself.
Jonah pulled her in, and Holt didn’t miss how he curved around her, his expression softening as he turned his face into her hair.
When the hell was his buddy going to make a move? Holt had been wondering for more than a year. It was obvious Jonah felt something for their widowed teacher. It was equally obvious her affection for him surpassed what she showed the rest of them. Then again, with the distance between Tennessee and where she lived in Syracuse, maybe Jonah had decided against it. Long distance was hell.
Still, this was the second trip Rachel had made down here, and Holt was willing to bet it wouldn’t be her last.
He slipped out from behind the counter to give Audrey a hug himself. “You definitely need a tour. These two jokers can handle the crowd for a minute.”
The overall decibel level had already risen dramatically as people streamed in after the women.
While Rachel slipped behind the counter to greet Brax, Holt took Audrey back, feeling a glow of pride as he showed off their kitchen.
“How long are you two here?”
“Just a couple of days. We have to get back to the program. But we wanted to come support you guys. We’re so proud of all of you.”
“We wouldn’t be here without the two of you. Whatever you want that’s on offer is yours. Your money’s no good here.”
“That’s hardly good business.” But she smiled.
“Jonah and Brax will back me up on this. We’re grateful, Doc.”
Her cheeks pinked with pleasure and pride. “And I understand congratulations are in order. You eloped?”
“Been talking to Rachel, huh?”
She laughed. “Of course.”
Holt knew Jonah had been keeping her up to date on the goings on with the three of them, but he had no idea exactly how much detail he might’ve gone into about the unusual circumstances around Holt’s marriage. “I did. Nearly three weeks ago. Her name is Cayla, and she’s awesome.”
Rachel stuck her head through the wide pass-thru window. “Are we talking about your new bride? I want to know everything. I met her on my last trip down and adored her. She’s got the cutest little girl.”
Audrey’s brows shot up. “Jumping on into fatherhood, huh?” There was no judgment in her tone. She was too good a therapist for that, but Holt still felt weird. She knew all about how he’d had to be the parent growing up, and how he hadn’t ever intended to cross this bridge.