Page 58 of A Cup of Autumn
Only a few crumbs remained on their plates. “I’m not interested in a relationship. Not when my life is so in flux.”
“I told Margot something similar. The question is if she listens.”
“No one is forced to play along. Though I don’t hear Callie or Garrett complaining.”
“Callie wasn’t happy about it before she fell for Brandt. Now, she’s thrilled how everything turned out.”
“Hey.” Brecken approached them. He carried an empty tray at his side. “Hate to kick you out, but it’s closing time.”
“Oh.” Raine folded her napkin and placed it on the table. “I had no idea it had gotten so late.”
“Me, either.” Keaton hadn’t glanced at his phone once. “Sorry to keep you.”
“No worries.” Brecken grinned. “We still have to clean and prep for tomorrow, but Taryn prefers customers to be gone by then even from the patio. She’s a good boss, but a stickler for rules.”
Keaton laughed. “That’s exactly what Garrett needs.”
“Ready to go?” Raine asked.
No. He wasn’t ready for the evening to end, but he didn’t want Brecken and Carl to get in trouble. “Yes.”
Keaton stood, pulled out a five-dollar bill from his wallet, and tossed it on the table.
“Thanks, dude.” Brecken cleared the table.
Raine headed toward the rear door, and Keaton followed her into the bakery.
Behind the counter, Carl cleaned the display cabinet. “Thanks for coming in. Have a good evening.”
She waved. “Everything was delicious.”
“Loved the pie.” Keaton opened the front door for Raine. “After you.”
“Thanks.”
Outside, the temperature was ten or twenty degrees colder than on the patio with the heaters nearby. Raine wore a sweater, but it wasn’t that thick.
“Cold?” he asked.
“No.”
A streetlamp illuminated the sidewalk. The light cast shadows on them.
She glanced through the bakery’s front window. “I can’t believe we closed down the bakery.”
“Practice date for the win.”
Raine laughed.
“They do close earlier on weekdays.” Aclosedsign hung on the door. “But I can’t believe Brecken kicked us out. I’ll make him work extra hard during our next tutoring session for that.”
“He was just doing his job.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on Timmy.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”
A part of Keaton wished she’d say the same thing about him. Maybe by the time the Boo Bash was over she would. He rocked back on his heels. “So how do you think it went?”
