Lakeside Hero

While Gabby had fed the fussy ducks, Marla had ventured a glance toward the rambling white house with the dainty scrollwork on the porch posts and the big bay windows on each floor.

And she’d wondered if Alec was in there, working hard at making his dream become a reality. Had he inherited a lot of money? Did he want the responsibility of running a massive charitable foundation? What had made him go from being a soldier to becoming a local businessman? Did he have another dream that he’d put on hold?

So many questions that she wanted to ask and so many questions that she needed to leave alone. Checking on Gabby, she watched her daughter and smiled. Gabby loved riding her bike through the park but she always stopped and waited for Marla if she saw any men approaching. Knowing that her only child was frightened of grown men broke Marla’s heart, but as a mother, she stood between her little girl and any imagined dangers. Gabby was improving, though her therapist had told Marla it might take a while before Gabby got over her fears.

Which meant that Marla couldn’t think about Alec Caldwell in any way other than as an acquaintance.

Because how could she bring together a man with a noticeable scar on his face and a child who had hidden scars that held her back? And how could Marla heal her own scars enough to even get up the courage to try?

She had to think of her child right now, and if that meant she couldn’t go on a friendly date, then so be it.

After all, she wasn’t ready for anything too heavy. She had Gabby and she had her work and she had friends and family to help her through. For now, that would have to be enough.

Chapter Five (#ulink_7c13c215-2029-5569-8383-3fd317d67474)

Marla brushed at her hairnet and checked the fifty cupcakes she had baking for a birthday party out on the lake: twenty-five yellow-cake-flavored and twenty-five chocolate-flavored that she would turn into Suzie Sunflower Lemon and Cocoa Marshmallow Crème for a ten-year-old named Susan, who just happened to love sunflowers, chocolate and marshmallows.

“How we doing?” her assistant, Brandy, asked, her short hair spiked underneath her hairnet and her dangling gold earrings sparkling. “I have the yellow icing ready and I’m working on the chocolate.” She glanced down at the pattern they’d created on the iPad. “Love the flower-shaped icing.”

“About five more minutes,” Marla said in answer to her question. She glanced at the clock. Almost eleven. “Mrs. Fontaine wants these by three since the party starts at five.”

“Piece of cake,” Brandy replied with a red-lipped grin.

That term was a joke around here. Marla laughed and hurried back to the sheet cake she planned to put in the oven next, for an anniversary party Sunday night at the church. White cake with cream-cheese icing and some colorful sparkles. The couple had been married forty-two years and they had five grown children and twelve grandchildren. They wanted the sparkles since they maintained they still had some spark in their marriage.

Marla smiled at that. She loved her job because, for the most part, she was involved in a lot of happy events—weddings, parties, showers and celebrations. Once, she’d even made cupcakes for a funeral—per a woman’s three grown children.

“She loved cupcakes,” one of the sons had explained. “She’d want us to have some at her memorial dinner.”

Happy or sad, family was important. Marla was blessed to have her family nearby, but she did dream of having a special someone. Someone to hold and love, someone to make her laugh. Someone who knew she loved cookies and cupcakes.

When she thought of how those things had been sorely lacking in her own volatile marriage, she pushed away the guilt of not being a better wife and mother and went back to creating marzipan icing for the cupcakes. The mixture of sugar, almond paste and egg whites could be molded and formed into just about any shape or design. When the bell on the front door jingled, she glanced into the pass-through, expecting to see her mother with Gabby. Gabby had spent the night with her parents but was due here any minute to spend the day “helping Mommy.”

But instead of her mother and Gabby, Hattie Marshall breezed in, her short salt-and-pepper curls framing her still-smooth porcelain face. “Hello, Marla,” the older woman called with a chuckle. “It sure smells good in here.”

Marla dropped the bag of powdered sugar she’d been measuring and headed out to greet one of her best customers. Miss Hattie loved to cook but when it came to desserts for big groups, she always ordered from the bakery. Usually over the phone and usually she’d send someone to pick up her orders. Marla only knew her from seeing her at the big farmer’s market outside of town. Marla’s parents used to run a booth out there during peak vegetable season.

“What a nice surprise,” Marla said, glad for this short break. “What can I help you with today?”

Miss Hattie smiled and held a hand to her pearls. “I’m hosting the garden club this month and, since the gardens at Caldwell House are in full bloom, I thought I’d have an afternoon tea in the backyard.”

Caldwell House?

Marla tried to hide her surprise. “Uh...okay. That’s a nice idea but...” Then it hit her. “Oh, I’d completely forgotten that you and Vivian Caldwell are...were...sisters. I was sorry to hear of her passing.”

Hattie nodded, a touch of sadness in her smile. “I know, honey. You’ve been away for a few years now so you wouldn’t know the details. After my sister passed, my nephew Alec invited me to come and live with him at Caldwell House. He claimed he didn’t want me living alone anymore, but just between you and me, I think he was the one who was lonely. Since I’m a master gardener and since I love to cook, I think he also wanted a feminine touch for the gardens and that massive kitchen.” She shrugged. “You know that’s a big old house and, well, he’d just returned from serving our country.” She put a hand over her mouth. “And recovery from his injuries, at that.”

Marla absorbed all of the intimate details as she suddenly understood why Alec needed a friend closer to his age. A doting aunt would be good company some days, but not so much at other times. But she did think it was incredibly sweet of him to ask his aunt to live at Caldwell House. “Yes, I guess I can see the logic of you moving in there with him.”

Marla could also see the rather obvious reason Miss Hattie had come by to place her order in person. Nothing went unnoticed in a small town. Lately, Marla had ignored the local grapevine and focused on her work, but she needed to start paying more attention to the things happening around her.

Especially when this one particular thing seemed to involve her. In an unspoken way, of course.

Hattie Marshall took her time glancing into the glass display case. “I heard you and Alec met at that scandalous Alvanetti wedding.”

“Yes,” Marla said, checking behind her to make sure her small staff wouldn’t hear. She didn’t like gossiping about her clients. “I talked to him briefly after the wedding—”

“And gave him a piece of wedding cake,” Miss Hattie interrupted. “He sure did brag about how good that cake was.”