The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice Page 11

  Bree nodded again and let her grandmother’s wisdom sink in. She didn’t want to rush her time with Caleb. She was in no hurry to get to the day he would need to leave, or the decisions that they would have to make when that day finally arrived. “What was my sense of urgency about, though?” she asked, thinking back to how she’d felt that night. “He wasn’t in danger, he wasn’t ill or hurt.”

  “He wasn’t the one in danger, mimma,” Sofia told her softly. “You were. Or perhaps you both were. In danger of losing each other for good. You said he’d just come to the conclusion that maybe he’d be better off leaving Castellanos closed up and head back to Philadelphia. That’s why the urgency didn’t leave until you’d actually gone up to see him.”

  Bree smiled as the final pieces fell into place. “Giving fate another little nudge.”

  Sofia nodded and slid off her stool, carrying both of their cups to the sink. She paused beside Bree to press a kiss to her cheek. “You will feel things more strongly, mimma,” she said, so softly that the words just reached Bree’s ear. “Sense things. See things that others will miss. This gift will stand you in good stead.” She shifted back enough to make direct eye contact. “You’ll learn how to manage it, and you’ll be able to look after those who matter to you just a little bit better. Yes?”

  Bree nodded, taking in a steadying breath and releasing it, but with a tentative smile on her face. “Ready, set, here I go.”

  Sofia nodded, looking satisfied. She pressed another kiss to Bree’s cheek, then took their tea cups to the sink.

  Bree tried to sort through all the dozens of thoughts and feelings that were filtering through her. It was a lot to take in. “Do I tell him?” she asked. She thought about her father, and her grandfather, who hadn’t passed until she was a teenager. They’d never spoken directly about the magic, and her mother and grandmother never spoke directly to them about it, but Bree felt they’d always known. They had to know, didn’t they? She couldn’t imagine keeping something that was such a special part of who she was, of her heritage, a secret from Caleb much longer. It already felt wrong, not telling him. She just didn’t know how without his thinking she was crazy.

  Sofia turned then. “You won’t have to find the words. Just be yourself and be open to things, and to him. He’ll come to know. It will just be one more special thing about you for him to love.”

  Bree nodded, relieved, but left wondering if she’d start reading minds herself now, because she was becoming more convinced that Sofia had a much broader range of magic than she’d shared with her only granddaughter. “Yet,” Bree whispered, then smiled to herself.

  Feeling more optimistic than she had since she’d made the decision to stay with Caleb last night, she stood and went to get her apron. Taking the morning off to be with Caleb and Cassi had put her far behind in baking stock for the day and prepping for tomorrow. She and Sofia fell into their rhythms naturally and easily, each one lost in her own thoughts.

  Bree didn’t want to think about how she would be able to pursue a future with Caleb, what choices she would be willing to make, but it was impossible not to start considering what their choices might be, and what each of them might be willing to do in order to be together. And that led her to another question, possibly the most important one of all.

  “Nonna,” she said, when Sofia bustled into the back an hour later.

  Sofia arranged the cupcakes Bree had just finished on the two-tiered glass stand she’d carried into the kitchen. “What is it, bella?”

  “What would you have done if I’d turned out more like mom? If I’d wanted to wander the globe with them rather than stay in one place, stay here and bake? What would have become of Bellaluna’s?”

  Sofia took the question in stride; in fact, it seemed as if she’d been waiting for it. She finished arranging the cupcakes just so before looking at her granddaughter. “I don’t know,” she said, simply. “I don’t worry about such things.” She smiled. “Given time, mimma, and an open mind, solutions always present themselves. That is when you make your decisions.” With that, she lifted the display and headed back out front, where Bree could hear the shop was doing a brisk business.

  Bree nodded, not sure if she felt better for Sofia’s reassurances or more concerned. For her part, whatever else happened, when it was decision-making time, Bree knew that the bakeshop’s future had to remain secure. But what if my decision ends up being heading to Philadelphia? What solution will there be for Bellaluna’s then, Nonna?

  Chapter 8

  It was ridiculous to be nervous now. Yes, it was finally time. He and Abriana were going to have their night. The whole night. Together. He was excited to spend time with her, away from their respective jobs and families, just the two of them. So why are your palms sweating?

  Perhaps it was the other thing he planned to do. Before leaving with Bree, Caleb had made arrangements to see her grandmother first. Alone. Sofia had made it quite clear over the past month that she was very pleased with where things were headed between him and her only grandchild. But it was one thing for Bree’s nonna to be happy that her granddaughter was dating. Quite another for her to entertain a young man who was planning to declare his intentions.

  Caleb worried that Sofia would think it was too soon, but things had never moved slowly for him and Abriana, and with all that had happened since he’d decided to stay on in Moonbright for the full six weeks to help get Castellanos back up and running again, that pace had only accelerated.

  Right after they’d found out the news about his aunt, Caleb and Cassi had officially called in the troops. Their mission was to get Castellanos back open for business and help George get back on his financial feet. There were other debts he and Cassi hadn’t found, so it was going to take some doing to get the restaurant back in the black. In the weeks since then, Caleb and Abriana had spent as much time together as possible, but they had rarely, if ever, been alone.

  Added to that were all the preparations under way for the town’s big annual Halloween festivities. The holiday brought with it a substantial increase in customer traffic, which affected both the bakeshop and the restaurant in a positive way for business, but made spending personal time together all but impossible. There was a steady influx of tourists in town for the fall colors, the pumpkin picking, and eventually the grand parade. That meant that Bree and her grandmother were every bit as tied to overseeing the bakeshop as he was to commandeering the new crew at Castellanos, most of whom he was related to and who weren’t exactly used to taking orders from him.

  They were lucky to carve out time for a quick lunch at Castellanos, or a kiss over the counter at Bellaluna’s. They’d talked, with increasing frequency as time went on, about finally having their big night together, but Caleb had two cousins bunking in with him now in the tiny apartment over the restaurant, and, frankly, by the time they ended their respective days of chaos, they were fighting yawns more than they were fighting to keep their hands off each other.

  Today, however, that was going to change. He suspected this evening, when they were no longer surrounded by multitudinous, if unintentional chaperones, they would quite gleefully put up no fight at all to keep their hands off each other. He was nervous about that, too. Not about the actual act, but . . . okay, maybe that, too. The long delay had just amped up their expectations. Or, at least that was what he worried might be the case.

  He wanted this to be their moment. For her mostly, but for him, too. He’d begun wishing he hadn’t stopped things that first night. There would never be a time between them that wasn’t special, he knew that now, but because they had taken that extra time, planned or not, they knew each other far better now. How could the wait not raise expectations?

  Phone conversations every morning, every night, often running well into the wee hours, a running day-to-day text conversation, and a few steamy kisses behind her business or his whenever they could sneak them in, might seem like a scattershot way to get to know someone, but though they had lit
tle time together, that continual stream of calls and texts had kept them connected off and on all day, every day.

  Bree knew what was happening in his life as it happened, and vice versa. If either of them saw something, thought something, wanted to know something, or just plain flirt a little, or a lot, they shared it in a quick text. Bigger conversations were reserved for their morning and nighttime phone calls, when they often used face chat so they could see each other while talking, laughing that they needed to do that to despite being just a few blocks apart. Hopefully that was going to change after today. Modern technology was wonderful. “But it doesn’t replace the real thing,” he murmured, as he climbed out of his car and straightened his jacket.

  And the one very real thing he knew, after all this time, was that Abriana was the woman he wanted to take to bed, not just tonight, but every night for the rest of his life.

  Which meant talking to Sofia.

  Caleb looked at the back of Bellaluna’s, thinking about how much his life had changed since he’d first seen the place. Smiling, thinking that sometimes change was pretty damn good, he took the short flight of steps up to the back door of the shop. The same door Sofia had asked him to use when he’d called her after getting to town, to let her know that Alethea had suggested he check in with her when he first arrived, to say hello. He hadn’t used the back door then, thinking it seemed like a private, family entrance. But he did now, and thought that had turned out as it should have, too.

  “Come in, come in,” Sofia said when she opened the door to him.

  He took her hand and gave the back a quick kiss, then leaned in when she pointed to her cheek, and kissed that, too. It had become a little routine with them that he’d started as a joke. He’d swept up her hand and kissed it one day, thanking her with great gallantry for holding down the fort so Abriana could share a quick, surprise picnic lunch at the pumpkin patch with him. Sofia had just been so sweetly charmed by the gesture, he’d made a habit of it ever since.

  “We’ll talk in my office,” she said. “The girls are handling the front, so we have a little time.”

  Caleb knew “the girls” were the high school girls who worked as part-time seasonal help. The kitchen was otherwise empty at the moment, save for the racks and racks of baked goods he knew Abriana had come in early to bake so they could have this extended time off alone together.

  Sofia’s office was a lovely mix of old-world antiques and feminine touches, which perfectly suited its owner. There were two comfortably padded chairs upholstered in lively floral prints facing a delicately scrolled teak desk. They both sat in the padded sitting chairs, leaving the chair behind her desk empty. This was far more up close and personal than Caleb had imagined, but he supposed it was also only right. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. He’d had a whole speech prepared. Not a single word of which he could remember now that Sofia was right there, with a patient, expectant smile on her face.

  “With Bree’s father away for the immediate future, I wanted to talk to you,” he began, then had to pause to clear his throat. Get it together, man. This is everything right here. “Bree thinks so much of you,” he went on. “And in the time I’ve had the pleasure of knowing you, I can see why.” He smiled. “I wish my nonna was still alive. I have a feeling you two would have been marvelous friends.”

  She took his hand in hers. It was warm and soft and went a long way toward relaxing him.

  “What a delightful thing to say,” she told him. “And yes, I am certain of it.” She squeezed his hand. “It is rather dashing and shows you to be a man of character that you chose to sit here with me today.” She smiled. “Your nonna would be proud.” She kept his hand between hers as she spoke. “I like to think I’m a fairly modern woman, but I confess there are some traditions I still find admirable, and this is one of them.” She nodded to him and said, “Proceed.”

  Then added a wink.

  He smiled at that and gathered himself. “Mrs. Bellaluna,” he began. “You have helped to raise a remarkable woman.” He met her gaze directly and said, “One I’ve come to love more than I thought was possible.” She nodded, looking pleased, and he tried to take that as one small victory. “I know it hasn’t been the longest of courtships,” he went on. “I’ve never been one to leap or to rush into things, but our path hasn’t really been a typical one from the start. I wish I could explain the depth of the connection we’ve found, but you’ve watched us together on many occasions now, and I’m hoping what I can’t put into words is something you’ve been able to witness with your own eyes.” He paused, but when she didn’t say anything, he faltered slightly. “I don’t want to rush us into marriage, and I won’t. We won’t.” He found a smile then, knowing she had to be feeling the slight trembling of his hands. “It may or may not be a long engagement—I honestly don’t know how long we’ll be able to wait. But I do know that we will have to make some big decisions in the next few weeks, and I want Abriana to know that I’m committed to making us work, that I’m serious about wanting her in my life.” He covered Sofia’s hands now and gently squeezed. “I’m hoping for, and I’d be honored to receive, your blessing when I ask your granddaughter to marry me.”

  He held her gaze as steadily as she held his, thinking he might actually be sweating a little now, too, when she didn’t speak right away. She didn’t withdraw her hands, so he waited, respecting the time she seemed to need to formulate whatever it was she wanted to say.

  She glanced down for a moment, and then another, and he thought he saw her shoulders tremble, just the tiniest bit. He was further shocked to see the sheen of tears in her eyes when she lifted her gaze back to his. He honestly hadn’t known what her response would be to his request. He knew she approved of him, but she might not approve of the time frame.

  “Sofia,” he said, concerned now, “if I’ve—”

  She lifted one hand and waved him silent, then slid a hankie from her sleeve and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “One thing I’ve wanted, the only thing I’ve wanted, is for my girls to be happy. I’ve hoped they would lead a good life, do something that fulfills them, and have someone by their side to share it all with. My daughter has found that for herself, much as I did, and I have felt truly blessed on both counts.” She paused again and took a moment. “Abriana is a headstrong girl, with her own ideas about things, and a heart the size of the moon. I didn’t know what would be in store for her. The world is very different now. And yet, here she is, happily tied to this place, to this town, to me, and to her heritage, which means so very much to me, and all of which are things I know you understand all too well.”

  “Yes, I do.” He realized she was afraid he was going to take her granddaughter away from her. “Sofia—”

  She gave a slight shake of her head, and he fell silent. “Even before my daughter fell in love, I knew she had the spirit of a wanderer. And she found a man who would give her the world. It’s not that I’m afraid of losing Abriana,” she said, surprising him by all but reading his thoughts. “I know that couldn’t happen no matter what choices she makes in life, any more than I’ve lost a daughter. I have not. I have gained a wonderful son-in-law who loves my daughter as fully as is possible. What mother could want for more?” She dabbed at her eyes then and looked directly at him again. “These tears are joyful ones, because now I know I’ve had the good blessing to live long enough to see the two people who mean the most to me find the happiness that I once had.” She took his hand. “You will make your choices, the two of you, and whatever they may be, you will have my support and my blessing. Love her, care for her, be loved by her, and you will live a life richer than you can ever imagine.”

  She held his hand when he would have taken hers, his own eyes a bit blurry now. “Put each other first,” she told him. “At the end, that is what you will value most. It isn’t always easy, but find a path that brings you both fulfilment, then take it. Those who truly love you will always champion your choice and support you both.”

&nbs
p; “We will,” he said. He stood then and gently lifted her hand as he helped her to her feet. “I couldn’t ask for a better start for us,” he added, then leaned down and hugged her, kissing her cheek. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I already felt like the luckiest man in the world when your granddaughter smiled at me for the first time. Now I feel twice blessed.” He kissed her cheek again and straightened.

  Sofia took out her hankie again and made a little shooing motion with it. “I have a bit of repair work to do here before I can go out front,” she said, dabbing at her eyes. “And I believe you have a proposal to make.”

  Caleb grinned then, feeling almost shaky with relief. He took Sofia’s free hand in both of his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I won’t let you down,” he said, then let himself out the back door and climbed the stairs to the second floor, so he could claim his bride.

  Chapter 9

  “Where are you taking me?” Bree asked on a laugh, holding up the scarf he’d loosely tied around her head, over her eyes, so it wouldn’t slip back off. She let him lead her around the car by the elbow.

  “Almost there.”

  She’d had the scarf over her eyes since they’d left Bellaluna’s. They hadn’t driven far, but they’d been in his car long enough that she wasn’t sure if they were still in Moonbright or not. She could hear waves in the distance and taste the tang of salt in the air, so they were still near the shore. The cry of the gulls flying overhead pierced the sky and she could feel the sun on her face, though it did little to cut the chill of ever-present breeze.

  “I wanted our first time together to be memorable,” he said, “and maybe a little symbolic.” He helped her up one step, then stopped their forward progress and shifted behind her, pulling her back against him, into his arms. He drew the scarf off and she gasped, then looked back at him.