Page 2 of Love and Leashes
“Kel,” I say, but her name comes out hoarse across my lips. She looks at me with that soft, perfect smile that’s just mine. I don’t think about it. I lean in, wrap my hand around the back of her neck, and press my lips to hers. I feel her gasp against my mouth, but then she melts into me, and everything around us ceases to exist.
But apparently, heaven can’t last forever because after a minute of pure bliss, Kelly pulls back. I know what she’s going to say before she even says it.
“Jensen, I… We… You’re my best friend. I kind of need just that for now. Okay?” She looks at me worriedly, and I know it’s on me to reassure her that the kiss didn’t mean anything. That our friendship is fine, even if a part of me is dying at the sense of rejection I’m feeling.
“Of course. We’re fine. I just figured you needed a good kiss after a year of duds, that’s all.” I nudge her with my shoulder and force a wide grin on my face. “Don’t read too much into it, we’re friends, I was doing you a favour.”
The relief on her face is another arrow to my heart. “A favour, huh? Yeah, sure.”
“C’mon. Study period’s almost over and I still don’t know the different tenses for conjugatingcacher.” The irony that the verb I’m stuck on is the French word meaningto hide, just like I’m hiding my feelings for Kelly, isn’t lost on me. But I’m an expert at ignoring those by now. If she needs a friend, then that’s what she’ll get.
Because Kelly is the kind of person who deserves anything and everything in life. And that’s what I want to give her.
Even if I wish she wanted everything with me.
Chapter one
Kelly
“Toffee peanut butter chip and triple chocolate.”
My boss licks her lips. Literally, wiping away drool as I tell her the cookie flavours I plan on baking today.
“I was also thinking of experimenting next week with a play on German chocolate cake. Chocolate cookie with some sort of caramel coconut topping.” I smirk as Mila Monroe’s jaw drops open.
“Are you shitting me, Kelly? Is that… Can you… Seriously?”
Okay, so maybe I’m playing dirty. I happen to know German chocolate cake is Mila’s favourite, just the same way I know her boyfriend, Jackson — who happens to be every woman’s dream as the sexy town vet here in Dogwood Cove — is planning on using one of my cookies to propose to Mila next week.
“I can, and I will. Just need to sort out the topping. Anyway, back to today. How many dozen does the PTA need for their meeting tonight?”
Mila and I get to work figuring out the details for our work day. She’s such a freaking amazing boss; I couldn’t ask for anyone better. The fact that we’re friends? A total bonus. But I also know she needs me, not just as a manager for The Nutty Muffin bakery, but also as the only person she’ll allow to bake the cookies we serve here. The last time Mila tried to make a cookie, our teeth almost cracked on the first bite.
“Alright, spill. What’s new in the big city?” Mila folds her arms across her chest and leans against the freshly cleaned counter after we finally get the first batch of everything in the oven.
“Westport is hardly the big city,” I reply as I wash my hands.
“It’s bigger than Dogwood Cove, and you’re avoiding the question. Had any hot dates lately?”
I snort out a laugh at that. “Please. You know my life revolves around the bakery.”
Mila groans. “Noooo. You need a life, Kell!”
“Why? I learned from the master of all workaholics.” I give her a pointed glare. “Not all of us are lucky enough to fall in love with our dog’s veterinarian.”
“You don’t have a dog. Maybe that’s the problem, you need a dog!”
“I don’t need a dog.” The pout on her face is comical and has me rolling my eyes in return. Ever since Mila adopted Milo and decided to champion the crusade for Dogwood Cove to have its own animal shelter, she’s become obsessed with all of her friends needing pets. Dogs in particular. Because although she likes her boyfriend’s cat just fine, Mila is #teamdog all the way.
“Come on, boss. Back to work.”
“Fine. I’m just going to say one thing. A fabulous woman like yourself shouldn’t be spending every night alone at home. If you don’t want to date, fine, I get that. But maybe come back here sometimes for yoga? Or book club? Now that Paige has had her horizons broadened by Wyatt, her discussion questions are even more entertaining.” Mila waggles her eyebrows suggestively, which makes sense given her comment about her friend Paige. Paige is the super smart owner of the bookstore next door. And up until a few months ago, she was also pretty straightlaced. That changed when she fell in love with Wyatt, her hunky, tattooed boyfriend.
“I’ll think about it.”
Apparently that’s enough for Mila because she finally lets me get back to work. The rest of the morning flies by in a nonstop blur of baking, handling staffing issues, and ordering ingredients for next week. By the time I’m finished with my work day in the early afternoon, I’m exhausted. I never expected to be offered the position of manager at The Nutty Muffin, but when Mila opened Camille’s, the café she named after her mom, she asked if I would be willing to step up. It meant slowing down my custom cookie business to almost nothing, but better benefits and a more steady income was worth the sacrifice.
The trade off, however, is a longer day before I can get a nap. Waking up at four o’clock in the morning to be at the bakery by five wasn’t so bad when I was off before noon, and I could go home and nap before dealing with any custom orders. Now I’m here until at least two in the afternoon, sometimes later, depending on what’s going on.
