For Love and Donuts Page 5

  “That doesn’t surprise me. That Michael guy was a piece of work. Did you see his rap sheet?”

  “I opted not to. I didn’t need more reason to kill that guy.”

  “Good point.” Karina pulled the car over in front of Cherry Blossoms Bakery.

  I got out of the car and headed inside. I hoped Cherry was ready to give it a shot. When the door closed behind me, I stopped cold in my tracks.

  At the counter was Cherry’s ex-boyfriend, Michael. It was as if he’d showed up to ruin any chance I’d ever have with Cherry. I stayed back, not wanting to interfere, but I wasn’t going to leave until he did—unless it looked like Cherry was going to get back together with him.

  God, I hoped she didn’t want to get back together with him.

  I’d wondered after our conversation if she’d been thinking about it. Did she want to forgive him and fall back into his arms? I didn’t want to think people couldn’t change, but I didn’t want Michael to become someone she could love.

  Did I want to be that guy? Did I want to be the man Cherry Maraschino fell in love with?

  A few people left the bakery, and the noise level dropped enough, I could hear him at that the counter.

  “Cherry, please. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Cherry shook her head. “Michael, I don’t think that’s a good idea. In fact, I think it would be best if you left all together please.”

  Michael leaned further in over the counter, and I took a step closer. “This isn’t fair. Why won’t you give me another chance?”

  “Because I don’t want to be with you.”

  “It was one bad night.”

  “It was several bad nights. The night it was terrible was the night I broke up with you.” She was holding her ground like a pro. “If you need forgiveness, I’ll probably be able to give that to you. But I can’t give you anything more than that. I don’t want you in my life.”

  “Are you already spreading your legs for someone else?” he snarled.

  I took a few more steps closer, wanting to punch him in the face until he was unrecognizable. I didn’t want to bust in to protect Cherry when she clearly didn’t need it.

  But I really hated this guy.

  “It doesn’t matter if I’m seeing someone or not. I don’t want to be with you. There is absolutely no chance you and I will ever be together again. And I don’t want to be friends. I think you and I shouldn’t be in each other’s lives. You know it too. You don’t like me, you just don’t like I called it off first.”

  “This is bullshit, Cherry.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but that’s the way it is.”

  She didn’t even flinch. I was proud of her. I knew it wasn’t easy to hold your ground. Women were taught to apologize for everything, but I hadn’t heard her apologize for anything other than his own feelings.

  He slammed his fist down on the counter.

  And I was done standing on the sidelines.

  I wanted him to leave. I jerked forward until I was in line, right behind him. So close, I could’ve easily reached out and slammed his head into the counter.

  Cherry’s gaze flickered over to me. When she did a doubletake, Michael turned and looked back at me.

  “Fuck. Where the fuck did you come from?” He turned his attention back to Cherry, and his voice dropped a little more, getting into darker territory. “Do you have a silent alarm or something now?”

  “I’m just here for a donut. Did you get one? They’re delicious.”

  “A fucking pig eating a donut, there’s a shocker.”

  I almost wanted to laugh. Michael wasn’t in bad shape by any means, but certainly not in as good as shape as me, and I took extra pride in towering over him.

  “I know. I’m a walking cliché.” I lifted up my uniform shirt to show off my six-pack. I didn’t give a fuck what this fucker thought of me, but I didn’t want to give him any reason to doubt I could take him.

  “I’ll come back when we can have some alone time.” He glanced at Cherry, but his sneer was directed at me.

  “Don’t do that, Michael. We’re done talking.”

  “No, we’re not.” His voice was almost a growl, and I could see his hands balled into tight fists. If he tried to hit her, even raised his hand, I’d take him down. Fast.

  “I’d listen to the lady, Michael.”

  He growled and muttered a bunch of incoherent words as he stormed out of the bakery.

  I watched him go, climbing into a red SUV across the street. I hoped Karina caught sight of him. Knowing her, she was probably already running his plates.

  Cherry sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. I wondered if she was mad, scared, or upset—maybe all the above. Or maybe some other emotion I couldn’t coin for her. I just wanted her to know she wasn’t alone and that I wouldn’t like that guy hurt her again.

  She finally opened her eyes and looked over at me. “Officer Langley, your timing is terrible and fortunate, at the same time.”

  “I’m getting that,” I said, knowing this was going to lead to her saying ‘no’ to the date. I didn’t want that. “But I’ll tell you what. I’ll just take a coffee and a Boston Cream to go. Nothing else.” I hoped she understood she didn’t need to give me an answer.

  “I appreciate you not wanting to put any pressure on me, but we can’t go out together. This is just too weird. I don’t want you to feel like I need a knight in shining armor all the time. I can handle myself.”

  “I have no doubt that is one hundred percent true. You’re a badass, Cherry, and I don’t want to be your knight. But I will protect you if I have to. I would expect you to protect me if you were in the position to do so.”

  “This just isn’t going to work. I’m too much of a mess to go out with you. You don’t want to date someone like me.” She shook her head. “And you, you have your history. You need someone who is going to understand you better. I don’t know what to think about anyone right now.”

  Ouch. That one hurt. She cut to the bone.

  She turned away from me and started working on my order. I didn’t know what to say. I certainly didn’t want to pressure her like Michael was doing or in any other way. If she didn’t want to go out with me, that was that. I had no right to ask anymore.

  But damn, it was disappointing. I really wanted to get to know her better. I wanted a lot of things where she was concerned, but I couldn’t force her into anything.

  I paid my bill, grabbed my breakfast, and headed back out to Karina. Slumping down into the seat, I didn’t even look in the donut bag. I had no desire to eat now.

  “Her ex fucked it up, didn’t he?”

  “To say the least.”

  “I ran his plates. He’s got a few unpaid parking tickets, and there have been a couple more complaints on him. He got questioned on domestic violence a few months ago, but the charges were dropped. Honestly, I’m surprised he doesn’t have anything more serious outstanding. I’d love to haul him down to the station for a while.”

  “I don’t trust him. He’s a prick. And he’s not going to leave her alone even though she repeatedly told him to.”

  “At least she isn’t waffling.”

  “I suppose. I just don’t trust this Michael prick. She lives alone.”

  “What did she say about your date?”

  “She said that she doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to put a good word in for you? Woman to woman.”

  “It’s a sweet offer, Karina, but I don’t want to be the asshole who can’t take no for an answer.”

  Karina put her hand on my thigh. “You’re a good guy, Damon. And if she doesn’t realize that, someone else will.”

  I didn’t want someone else. I wanted her.

  I didn’t go into the bakery the next day.

  When Karina asked, I claimed it was because we were on storm duty. Her raised eyebrow and pursed lips insi
nuated she didn’t believe it any more than I did.

  Summers always brought out the tornado sirens, and with a few storms moving in on us from different directions, the whole town was on high alert. More often than not, these storms would hit outside of town. In fact, Jubilee hadn’t been hit since 1973, but all that did was let the town grow more complacent than they should have been.

  I’d helped a few people make sure they were able to get into the storm shelter or basement. I’d helped board up a couple of weak spots here and there. I’d even helped one lady take down a tree she was just sure would fall and smash in the side of her house.

  But even with all that going on, I kept driving down Main Street. Most of the shop fronts were glass. If we got hit with a bad storm, it could get really ugly for those places—Cherry Blossoms Bakery included.

  By the time the dark, ominous storm clouds rolled in, it seemed like the whole town had been deserted. Shops were closed down. Cars were parked off the streets. First responders were the only people who dared to be out when the high winds and rain started. Even though the sun hadn’t quite set, the clouds blocked out all the light. Jubilee Falls was in for a long, dark night.

  I made one more pass through Main Street, planning on making sure everything was locked up tight before I headed home to wait out the storm with Barely and a good book.

  That’s when I saw Cherry’s lights were on.

  I pulled over and shut off the police cruiser.

  Cherry could be mad at me all she wanted. But when a storm was predicted to be bad enough anything government related preemptively shut down, I couldn’t sit idly by and not make sure she was safe.

  I tugged on the front door, but it wouldn’t budge. The bakery was way too lit up for Cherry to not be in there though. I ran around to the alley and pounded on the back door, ignoring the thick, heavy raindrops sliding down the back of my uniform collar. Cherry opened it a minute later.

  “Officer Langley?” Her mouth gasped a perfect “O” shape as I pushed by her out of the rain and into her storage room. “What are you doing here?”

  “I saw your light was on.” I tried not to notice the smear of flour over her eyebrow or the way her jeans hugged her curvy hips under the ruffled apron. I was here on police business—nothing more.

  “Is that a crime?”

  “You should be at home or with a friend who has a basement. This storm is supposed to be bad.”

  “My apartment doesn’t have a basement, but the bakery does. I figured I would be safer here tonight. Plus, if something goes wrong, I want to be here to take care of it.”

  “Cherry, it isn’t safe. The front’s all glass.”

  “You’re not my knight, Langley,” she sighed.

  “Maybe not, but I do come with some common sense. Are you throwing that out the window for some reason?”

  “This place is all I have. What am I supposed to do?” The fire I’d admired when she stood her ground with Michael wasn’t as endearing when she was ignoring her safety for the shop.

  “Is there someone you can call to come sit with you?”

  She rolled her eyes and put her hands on those curvy hips of hers.

  “It’s already raining, and you just said it’s dangerous here. Why would I ask someone else to be here with me?”

  “I’m staying.” I couldn’t let her be alone with such a crazy storm raging outside. Someone had to make sure she didn’t get hurt if those windows blew. I tried to tell myself that was the only reason I was staying—tried and failed.

  She opened her mouth to protest, and I crossed my arms over my chest and stared her down. She closed her mouth.

  “Fine. Stay if you want to stay, but you don’t get to order me around. You can help or stay the hell out of my way.”

  “Fine by me. Let’s go see what we can do to secure the front windows.” I charged past her, hoping there would be some extra plywood in the bakery or something we could use to board up the space.

  I heard her hot on my heels as I headed into the café. I examined the large windows. They went all the way up to the twelve-foot ceiling. Boarding them wouldn’t do much good. Even if we had enough boards, it would take too long to cover them all.

  “Let’s get all the tables and chairs moved over to the corner. If the glass does shatter, we don’t want to end up with damaged furniture. Or at least hopefully, we can minimalize it,” I suggested.

  “That’s a good idea.” She immediately started grabbing chairs, hauling them around like their safety was more important than her own.

  I was frustrated with Cherry. I understood wanting to be independent, and maybe there was more to it for her because she was a woman, and her experiences were vastly different from mine. I didn’t have to walk down a street and worry about being attacked. Even in a nice town like Jubilee, there was still plenty of crime. I’d arrested plenty of assholes. But it felt personal like she didn’t want me, specifically, to help her at all.

  I wished she would open up to me and tell me what she was feeling. Maybe I could’ve helped ease her fears some. I had no interest in being her knight in shining armor. I figured mine was too tarnished to really shine, anyway.

  I wanted to be something more than that. I wanted to be able to count on her as much as she could count on me. But she just threw up a wall any time I suggested anything.

  Once we’d finished securing everything in the café area, we headed into the back kitchen. I put on the radio so we would hear any warning coming through. I was pretty sure if the storm got as bad as they were predicting, we would probably lose power in the next couple of hours.

  “Where’s the basement?” I asked. “I should probably make sure we have everything we need as far as provisions are concerned. I have stuff in my car too.” All the cops who were assigned storm duty had cars stocked with extra provisions, and even though I didn’t have a lot left, I still had enough to be useful.

  Cherry took me down the stairs. I couldn’t help but watch her ass as it swayed back and forth. I just wanted to curve my hands around those hips and pull her back against me. I wondered if she had any idea how much she turned me on doing absolutely nothing but being herself.

  Cherry showed me her little alcove. There was a cot, a few blankets, pillows, and another radio. She had a bag stashed in the corner, clearly planning on staying the night.

  “Okay. What about a first aid kit? Water? A flashlight? Candles?”

  “Um, I’m not sure. I’ve never planned for a power outage here.”

  “All right, I’m going to run back out to my car and grab a few things. I’ll be right back.”

  “You should go out the front. It’s closer to your car. There’s so much rain.”

  I nodded, and she followed me back up the stairs to the café, unlocked the door, and let me out. Running out to the car, I grabbed the emergency bag in the back and a couple of other things, then ran back inside. My little stint out in the storm left me drenched.

  “Lock that back up,” I ordered. “We should go down to the basement. It’s getting bad out there, and with the thunder and rain, I’m not sure we’ll hear the actual sirens.”

  As we headed downstairs, she shut off all the lights as we went.

  I unbuttoned my uniform shirt. It was itchy and wet and didn’t feel good against my skin, and since I was no longer on duty, I didn’t need to wear it.

  When I turned around, Cherry’s eyes were on my chest. I glanced down to find my tank top was practically invisible from being completely soaked. I pulled it off as well and hung them both up on spare cooling racks in the corner. When I shimmied out of my pants, Cherry’s eyes widened, and she quickly turned away from me.

  “I’ve got some dry clothes in my bag,” I said, smiling at the pink creeping into her cheeks and all the way down her neck. I didn’t need my police training to know her blush wasn’t from discomfort or embarrassment as much as attraction. Cherry didn’t embarrass easily, and I couldn’t help but wonder, if she stopped thinking so much
about all the possible bad things that could happen, I could get her to open up to the heat between us.

  I took my time rummaging through my bag and gathering the clothes I had. It wasn’t anything special, just a pair of sweats and a V-neck, but at least they were clean and dry. Once I had the sweats on, she glanced back at me.

  The wind howled outside, and we both looked up at the ceiling as if we could see the storm raging outside.

  “We’re going to be okay.”

  Cherry glanced back at me. “You know, my mom left Jubilee when she was eighteen. She didn’t want to live my grandmother’s life, follow in a baker’s footsteps. She moved to Grand Island and fell in love with my dad. It wasn’t long after they moved in together their house got ripped apart by a twister. Dad always used to talk about the night Grand Island got hit by like seven tornados, and the crazy wind that shook the house practically off its foundation.” She tried to keep her voice light and even, but I could hear the fear lacing her tone.

  “It’s not going to happen here tonight.”

  “I don’t want to be this person who worries about her life and everything that could possibly go wrong, but I’m starting to feel like I’m not going to be able to accomplish the things I wanted in my life.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping even as she watched me pull the shirt over my head.

  “Why not? Everyone has setbacks, and plenty of people overcome them and do amazing things with their lives.”

  “Like you?”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”

  “Clearly, you came from a hard childhood, and here you are, doing all these things. I’ve heard plenty about you. People like to tell me things about you.”

  “Okay, you’re going to have fill me in here. Tell you things about me?”

  “Karina, your partner. She came in a while back and told me all the great things you were doing for the less fortunate kids. Then Poppy likes to tell me when she sees you helping an elderly woman across the street or if she sees you eating healthy at the grocery store. Of course, they all seem to think I have a thing for you, and maybe you have a thing for me too, which is why you keep coming into my bakery. That maybe isn’t just the donuts.”