A Recipe for Reunion

She waved a hand, but not as vigorously as her protest might have warranted. “I just don’t want you worrying over me. You have a life in Boston.”

“It was time for a change.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Besides, it’s worth coming home for your baking.” He grinned as he broke the bran muffin and bit into the warm, moist pastry. People had laughed when at ten years old he’d declared bran muffins were his favorite thing Gran made. He hadn’t been into sugary treats, which apparently was heresy for the grandson of a baker.

Gran had understood. Aaron was simply more practical when it came to his diet. He was practical when it came to everything, and moving home to take care of Georgette was the best and most practical solution to her long-term care. He would never abandon her to a facility full of strangers. She’d taken him in and raised him after his parents’ deaths. He owed her, and he was happy to do whatever necessary to make her happy and comfortable.

For however long she had.

He washed the suddenly dry bite of muffin down with a sip of coffee. “So how’s the bakery doing?” he asked, bracing for a fight. Gran had lived and breathed that bakery for years. She and Grandpa had opened it right after they’d married, and she’d kept it running since his death more than twenty-five years ago.

“The bakery’s fine,” Georgette replied. “I have help these days, and I’m delegating more responsibility. Otherwise, I’d be there right now.”

Gran had always been a bit of a control freak and workaholic. For her to give up any part of the business was major. Aaron put down his mug and leaned forward. “Financially speaking, how are you doing?”

His grandmother’s eyes flicked around the room like a trapped bird searching for an escape. It was a moment before she responded. “We had a good Christmas season. Valentine’s was a little slower this year, but...” She shrugged.

Aaron sighed. He would have to look at the books himself. Gran rarely shared her problems with him. He hadn’t realized until high school how tight things had been, and then he’d done whatever he’d been able to help get the business out of the red. After he’d finished college he’d learned the reason for all that debt had been that his grandmother had been putting aside everything she could for tuition.

“Really, I am happy to see you.” Georgette touched his arm. “But I feel terribly guilty for taking you away from your life. What are you going to do for a job in Everville? I’m not sure there’s much call for real-estate lawyers here.”

“Well, I did say I was ready for a change.” Which wasn’t far from the truth. He was good at what he did, and probably would’ve slaved away at his firm for the rest of his life had that phone call from the hospital not come. But the moment it had, he’d been prepared. Part of him had always been prepared with a plan B, an exit strategy.

Things happened all the time. You had to be ready for them. That was how he’d known what he would do the moment he had to return to Everville.

He set his coffee down. “I’m thinking of opening a bookstore.”

Georgette blinked. “Really? Here?”

“I’ve always wanted to. A well-stocked bookshop is exactly what the town needs, and attaching it to the bakery will make it a destination. See, I was thinking of renovating the bakeshop’s dining room. It hardly gets used, and it’s such a big space. We could minimize the eating area with just a few café tables, then add a patio for the warmer months. Most of your eat-in business comes in during the summer anyhow.”

“So...you’re staying in Everville?”

“Of course I am. How will I take care of you otherwise?” He didn’t see why Gran should be so astonished. “I’ve been thinking about this for years. Did all my research and everything.” He had a binder in the truck with all the information he needed to put his plan into action. He’d started it the day he’d realized Gran was getting older. “I was just waiting for the right opportunity to jump in.”

Georgette’s eyes grew wet, and her smile crimped in at the edges. She squeezed his arm. “You didn’t go to school so you could stay here. You always wanted to get away.”

True. But that had only been for a handful of reasons, and those reasons were gone now. “Things change. I want to be here. With you.” A sudden thought occurred to him. “I mean, if you want to keep the dining room at the bakery, I can work something else out, and I can get my own place if you want your privacy, but I can’t take care of you if—”

“Nonsense. You’ll stay here, of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She leaned forward. “Now, about this bookshop.”

He outlined his business plan for her, with his vision for the store itself. He had his own seed money, but he’d also be taking out a small loan to do the renovations. The more he talked about it, the more excited he became.

He was about to get the binder with his notes from the truck when the doorbell rang.

“That will be the moving team,” Georgette said, rising slowly.

“Take it easy, Gran. I’ll get it.” He put on a smile for whoever had volunteered to help with his move, excited to also tell them about the bookstore and get some momentum going.

He opened the door.

And came face-to-face with the second-to-last person he wanted to see.

CHAPTER TWO (#u2f6a7aa6-e58f-5df0-875f-6f6134ee5e06)

“HI, AARON.” STEPHANIE’S voice sounded brighter than she’d intended. Aaron Caruthers had grown up quite a lot and... Well, wow. “Remember me?”

His expression shuttered so quickly, she swore she heard doors slamming. “You’re still here.” His tone was flat, almost angry.

That wasn’t exactly the response she’d been expecting from a guy who used to have a crush on her. “Yup. Still here. And I brought friends.” He stiffened as she introduced the burly men behind her. “This is Devon and Manny. Devon runs the computer shop on Main, and Manny—well, he does everything. They owe me and Georgette a few favors.”

“But we came for the pie,” Manny said, rubbing his hands.

“Is Georgette around?” Steph tried to peer past Aaron.

“I’m right here. Thank you so much for coming.” The elderly woman stood in the kitchen entryway clutching the door frame.

Steph went straight to her, taking her hands. “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” She started to lead her toward the sofa.

“No need to fuss around me in my own home, dear. Just tell me, how have things been at the bakery?”

“Everything’s going smoothly. The new girl, Kira, is working out great.”

“And you’re handling the orders fine?”

“Piece of cake.” She winked. “How are you?”

“Bored.” She sighed. “And I miss all my grandchildren.”

Steph smiled. Georgette called everyone under the age of forty her grandchildren. She’d been Everville’s self-appointed grandmother since before Steph was born.

“She works for you?” Aaron’s strident tone made Steph’s hackles rise.

“Stephanie’s been working at the bakery for... What has it been now?”

“Five years.” She challenged him with the brightest grin she could manage. His face ticked—just like her girlfriends’ had at Christmas. The corners of his mouth turned down.

“How about we start moving stuff in?” Devon suggested.

“Of course.” The two frequent customers had been promised treats in exchange for their help, and in this chilly weather with darkness creeping in at barely five in the evening, she wanted to get this job done quickly, too.

The three men went out to the truck. Aaron unloaded boxes and directed Devon and Manny to carry them to their assigned rooms while Steph ensured no one tripped over anything. She was grateful to be inside, though Aaron’s reception had been colder than the February weather. Not that she’d expected a hug or anything. She just didn’t think he’d be so surprised to see her, considering how long she’d been working for his grandmother. She knew he visited at least once a year at Christmas. Georgette always talked about him and what he’d been up to. Had she not mentioned anything about her longtime employee to him?

Then again, why would she? It wasn’t as if Aaron should care about her after all these years. They’d barely known each other back in high school.

She peeked out the window as the last of the boxes was hauled out. Aaron closed the truck’s door, his long, lean form stretching to reveal a flat stomach and lean hips beneath his sweater. He was still kind of geeky-looking with his tousled brown hair and long limbs, but gone completely was the chubbiness of his high school days. He looked like a young professor, or maybe a grown-up Harry Potter in jeans and loafers. Mercifully, he didn’t have those big wire-framed glasses anymore, though she’d noticed a pair tucked in his breast pocket. A certain type of girl might find that brainy look attractive, she decided.

The guys came in, and Steph helped Georgette set out the coffee and treats. Most of the boxes had been placed inside the empty guest bedroom, which she supposed had once been Aaron’s. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised not to find a trace of him there, though it made little sense for Georgette to keep his room intact after all these years. Packing up everything and leaving home for good was an alien concept to Steph. After she’d moved out just last month, Mom and Dad had promised to keep her room exactly as she’d left it so she wouldn’t have to worry about finding storage space for what couldn’t fit into her tiny apartment. They hadn’t been happy about her leaving the nest, but she’d made it clear they couldn’t stop her. And they hadn’t.

After the coffee and spinach-and-goat-cheese pastries were laid out, Steph went into Aaron’s room and started unpacking. She didn’t feel as though she’d earned a treat yet, considering all she’d done was shuffle boxes around.