Page 41 of The Offer

“Thanks, Cal. Congrats on Scoops, by the way. Ron told my dad you’ll be taking over next year.”

Jess blinked at her sister’s casual mention of their father. Conversation continued around her but she couldn’t seem to focus, the ringing sound in her ear distracting her until the feel of a warm, calloused hand at her back roused her to life. The ringing in her ears dimmed.

“Sissy, will you give us a tour?”

“Um, sure.”

Jess went through the motions of showing her sister and Jasper the bakery, explaining the different baked goods on the menu and some of the plans for specials she wanted to serve later that summer. Dakota reached to grab her hand like she did when they were kids, then paused, letting her arm fall flat next to her protruding belly. “This is awesome. I can’t wait to see this place flourish.”

“You have way too much faith in me,” she murmured, wiping at the clean counter with a rag. She wasn’t sure what else to do with her hands.

Dakota exhaled. “They wanted to come, you know.”

Jess ignored her as she kept wiping at the counter.

Getting the message that Jess clearly did not want to talk about this, Jasper chimed in. “How’s Charlie?”

She cocked her head and paused her cleaning. “I don’t know. I left him.”

Neither of them said anything, so she peered up at them. Their expressions were clear enough; they knew.

“How?” Jess asked. “How do you know?”

“I assumed,” Dakota answered, keeping her voice low enough so no one would hear. Not like it mattered, the Scoopers standing a couple of yards away were being rowdy enough for their conversation to be private. Kevin also kept his distance.

“There’s no way you would have allowed yourself to do any of this if you were still with him,” Dakota continued. “Opening a business is a big risk.”

“What does that mean?”

Dakota bristled at her harsh tone. Jasper rubbed Dakota’s back, taking the lead. “It means that you did everything you could to make that relationship work. To open a bakery would mean to choose yourself for once…which, let’s be honest, Jess, was not something you were doing when you were with him.”

She froze, staring at Jasper, too stunned to speak. In a couple of sentences, he was able to clearly articulate what took her years to understand, to pinpoint the long and short of their relationship’s downfall. Jasper really was such a good partner for her sister, and was going to be a great father. She felt a desperate, belly-deep desire to be a part of their lives again. To be a part of her niece or nephew’s life.

Jess glanced at her sister, who was now openly crying. She gave her a watery smile, taking the flowers from her hand. “Are you still up for having that coffee date soon? I want to hear everything about the baby.”

Dakota beamed. “Yes. Next week, maybe?”

Jess nodded. “Mondays are my day off.”

“You’re busy on Mondays!”

Jess scowled at Kevin. “You can’t claim the entire day. You have to give me some semblance of freedom.”

“What’s happening on Mondays?” Dakota asked around a short giggle.

“Kevin is making me, um, complete a summer bucket list,” Jess admitted. “He says if I don’t complete it I’ll get fired.”

The Scoopers yelled at Kevin for that, and he cracked up at their reactions. Dakota’s sweet laugh joined their chorus, but Jess remained silent, her eyes on Jasper.

His gaze was full of unspoken warning. Don’t you break her heart again.

Jess nodded, letting him know she understood what was on the line, even if it was a simple coffee date. Her sister’s bright laughter brought a smile to his face, and he dipped his chin then traced his hand up to rub her neck.

Jasper’s words bounced around her head the rest of the day. As she kneaded dough and shaped scones for the following morning, she concluded that he was right. By running this bakery, she was choosing herself for once. But that also meant protecting her heart, too. She knew deep down that everything between her and her sister—and her parents—wasn’t her fault alone, and it would take a lot more than a simple coffee date to fix it.

Chapter Ten

Jess tapped her fingers on the coffee table as Calvin punched numbers into his phone, watching the crease in his forehead get bigger and bigger.