only endangering her, Maddox. Stay away before someone gets hurt.”
I took the envelope. “I’m staying to make sure she’s safe.”
“From who?”
“Take a wild fucking guess.” I kicked the car door open. “If I see you hanging around her, you’re a dead man.”
“Payment upon completion of the job.”
“I remember.”
Nolan pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. He tucked them on and surveyed his town.
“And as always, we both exercise complete discretion. The town doesn’t find out.” He nodded to me. “And I won’t tell Josie that you’re bloodying your knuckles for her enemy.”
I slammed the door. The SUV peeled out and left me where I started.
Not just today, but a year ago.
A job in my pocket, money from the wrong people, and no way to provide for a woman who deserved that sugar-sprinkled life.
It’d change. I’d change.
Josie would be mine. I’d earn back my spot in her heart. I’d have her for my own, and I’d make all her dreams come true.
First, I’d find the bastard who framed me and bleed him for my revenge.
Then, Josie would give me the only thing I want.
A family.
Chapter Five - Josie
Maddox was the only man who tempted me to do something very naughty with my buttercream icing. That made him the wrong man for me. He was the tablespoon of salt in my recipe—the accident that didn’t ruin the dish but made it that much harder.
I recovered from his visit . At least, my body did. My heart? Kinda forgot to hop on board. I wasn’t ready to confront those feelings, it wasn’t safe to admit those feelings, so I buried myself in cake flour and filled every available space in my apartment with ten different types of cookies.
Chocolate chip mended broken hearts.
Macadamia nut were good for forgetting.
The multi-colored meringue cookies helped to focus my concentration, especially when Maddox turned my thoughts from sugar and spice to everything naughty…but nice.
I double-plastic wrapped the more fragile lattice-sugar cookies and tinned the rest in pretty bundles with my shop’s decals. I didn’t have enough to decorate all the packages, but everyone would know where the treats came from.
And one day, they’d line up at my store again to buy their own dozen.
Hopefully.
I loaded my car to the brim with more cookies than I had space in my little Ford. I counted the batches and sighed. I hadn’t tried to sleep after Maddox left on Friday night. Instead I baked straight through Saturday into Sunday and finally dozed off on a batch of oatmeal raisins. I caught the cookies before they burned, but not before I realized I was in trouble.
Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined my apartment door slamming shut again. Part of me hated myself for letting Maddox stay the night. The other part was listening too intently for his return. I told him to leave, but when did Maddox ever listen to anyone?
How was he released from prison so soon?
What was I supposed to do to save him now?
It was too early to head to Nolan’s rally. Fortunately, the event was close to Granddad. I detoured to Willowbend Health Center to check on him…even if Granddad hadn’t been in the greatest of moods for visits.
He hated the home . I wished he hadn’t called it that—especially since the assisted care facility was one of the best and most expensive in the state. I spent every last cent of the insurance money on a room for him, planning for him to bounce back from the injuries so we could rebuild and start fresh together.
That was before I learned about his debts. Then the doctors warned his prognosis was poor.
I didn’t know what we’d do, especially since Granddad wasn’t…himself anymore. He cursed the nurses, refused his treatments, and complained about the butterscotch pudding. I didn’t like that it came from a box either, but at least he was alive to complain about it.
I buttered up the nurses he exasperated with enough cookies to earn their patience. Poor Larry
I took the envelope. “I’m staying to make sure she’s safe.”
“From who?”
“Take a wild fucking guess.” I kicked the car door open. “If I see you hanging around her, you’re a dead man.”
“Payment upon completion of the job.”
“I remember.”
Nolan pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. He tucked them on and surveyed his town.
“And as always, we both exercise complete discretion. The town doesn’t find out.” He nodded to me. “And I won’t tell Josie that you’re bloodying your knuckles for her enemy.”
I slammed the door. The SUV peeled out and left me where I started.
Not just today, but a year ago.
A job in my pocket, money from the wrong people, and no way to provide for a woman who deserved that sugar-sprinkled life.
It’d change. I’d change.
Josie would be mine. I’d earn back my spot in her heart. I’d have her for my own, and I’d make all her dreams come true.
First, I’d find the bastard who framed me and bleed him for my revenge.
Then, Josie would give me the only thing I want.
A family.
Chapter Five - Josie
Maddox was the only man who tempted me to do something very naughty with my buttercream icing. That made him the wrong man for me. He was the tablespoon of salt in my recipe—the accident that didn’t ruin the dish but made it that much harder.
I recovered from his visit . At least, my body did. My heart? Kinda forgot to hop on board. I wasn’t ready to confront those feelings, it wasn’t safe to admit those feelings, so I buried myself in cake flour and filled every available space in my apartment with ten different types of cookies.
Chocolate chip mended broken hearts.
Macadamia nut were good for forgetting.
The multi-colored meringue cookies helped to focus my concentration, especially when Maddox turned my thoughts from sugar and spice to everything naughty…but nice.
I double-plastic wrapped the more fragile lattice-sugar cookies and tinned the rest in pretty bundles with my shop’s decals. I didn’t have enough to decorate all the packages, but everyone would know where the treats came from.
And one day, they’d line up at my store again to buy their own dozen.
Hopefully.
I loaded my car to the brim with more cookies than I had space in my little Ford. I counted the batches and sighed. I hadn’t tried to sleep after Maddox left on Friday night. Instead I baked straight through Saturday into Sunday and finally dozed off on a batch of oatmeal raisins. I caught the cookies before they burned, but not before I realized I was in trouble.
Every time I closed my eyes, I imagined my apartment door slamming shut again. Part of me hated myself for letting Maddox stay the night. The other part was listening too intently for his return. I told him to leave, but when did Maddox ever listen to anyone?
How was he released from prison so soon?
What was I supposed to do to save him now?
It was too early to head to Nolan’s rally. Fortunately, the event was close to Granddad. I detoured to Willowbend Health Center to check on him…even if Granddad hadn’t been in the greatest of moods for visits.
He hated the home . I wished he hadn’t called it that—especially since the assisted care facility was one of the best and most expensive in the state. I spent every last cent of the insurance money on a room for him, planning for him to bounce back from the injuries so we could rebuild and start fresh together.
That was before I learned about his debts. Then the doctors warned his prognosis was poor.
I didn’t know what we’d do, especially since Granddad wasn’t…himself anymore. He cursed the nurses, refused his treatments, and complained about the butterscotch pudding. I didn’t like that it came from a box either, but at least he was alive to complain about it.
I buttered up the nurses he exasperated with enough cookies to earn their patience. Poor Larry
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