The Blizzard Bluff Series

Chapter 2

Beckett

"How's it going, working with Merry?" Holly asks as I help her to her SUV.

"It's going." I shrug. "What's surprising to me is that all the older women in town are giving me tips. It makes me feel awful. Merry goes above and beyond for almost anyone who asks it of her and they aren't giving her tips. They're asking her if they can get money off their orders. Meanwhile, here I am, getting crazy tips just for being there."

"I know her and, trust me, she's not keeping tabs."

"I don't think she is," I assure Holly. "But I wish I could give her a little something of what she's given me. Thanks to the tips and steady paycheck, I'm going to have what I need to finish the down payment for the property and house I wanna buy. If it hadn't been for her letting me do this, I wouldn't be there right now."

"Maybe just tell her that," she suggests. "Or is there a little more going on here?"

If there's anything I hate, it's when others can see what I'm trying to hide and Holly is extremely good at doing just that. "I admire her."

"But do you also find yourself attracted to her? Merry is my friend and she's beautiful. You'd have to be crazy not to see it."

"I'd have to be blind not to be attracted to her, but she's my boss. It's probably not the best idea."

Holly crooks her finger, bringing me closer to her. "I say give it a shot. You might be surprised in what Merry has to bring to the table."

She puts Frankie into the car seat and then gets into the SUV. I wait, watching for the two of them to pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road. When she eases into the small line of traffic, I turn back toward the bakery and quickly walk back in. Merry is starting to break down the cases. "Closing early today?"

"We may as well. That breakfast rush almost wiped us out. I'll take what's left over to the after-school program for them to have snacks. If you wanna go ahead and clock out, I'll finish closing up."

These are the moments when it's as if I'm dismissed. Where we could get to know one another better if we could speak freely, but we don't. Neither one of us ever asks the questions. The ones that would help us get to know one another better. The hard ones. Not like what our favorite colors are, but why we're both here.

Neither one of us is from Blizzard Bluff and, from what I've heard, her story isn't one of happiness, nor is mine. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to other than Holly and Luke, who have the love story of the century. "Can I help?"

Her dark eyes look back at me over her shoulder. A fantasy flows through my mind. One where I'm behind her, burying myself deep inside, watching as she's overcome with ecstasy and I'm the one giving it to her. It's the dirtiest secret I've been harboring since I began working here. The scene has taken different forms, this one being the steamiest.

"You okay?" She questions. "You're flushed."

"It's kinda hot in here." I reach for my shirt, pulling it out from my chest and pretending to fan my body when what I really need is to wrap a hand around my hard c**k for a session.

"Yeah, I turned off the fans since we're closing early. You can help me take all this out to my SUV."

"I can help you unload it too, if you want." Dude, shut your mouth. You sound fuckin' desperate. The truth is, I am. I don't have many friends in town and most of the workers have moved on to better weather for the season. The winter months are extremely lonely for men like me. I need a cat or something.

"Okay." She grins. "If you really want to, I'd appreciate it. Let's get this loaded and I'll close up. You know where the after-school program is?"

"No, I've never been over there."

"You can follow me. It's not far."

Given a task to do, I feel better than I have in a while. "You lead the way."

* * *

She has a taillight out. I wonder if anyone's told her. All I can see when she stops at red lights and four ways in front of me is the non-existent light. It's dumb, but all I can imagine in my mind is someone not seeing her stopping (although there's one light working perfectly fine) and rear-ending her. Who would come to her aid?

These are the types of questions that keep me up at night, because I couldn't keep someone in my life safe when they needed it the most. Those nightmares prevent me from sleeping too, but no one knows about them. I don't share and never have with anyone here in Blizzard Bluff. They're my little secret.

Coming to a stop at the light in front of the elementary school, I look around this place I've started to call home. In the background, the mountains rise up over the horizon. They're snow-capped and dark against the blue sky. Ugly snow is stacked up alongside the road where the plows have come through. I much prefer the pristine, untouched walkway.

When the light turns green, I pull into the school behind Merry. She parks over to the side and I take the spot beside her.

"I called on my way over," she says. "They're opening the cafeteria door for us so we can take it in. They're in boxes and bags so they should be easy to carry."

She opens the back of her SUV. Together, we empty the back and I follow her to the doors. There's a worker coming toward us, waving.

"Hey Merry," the guy greets her. "Thanks for bringing this stuff over."

"It's no problem, John." She smiles back at him.

Part of me wishes I was on the other end of her smile. She's never given me this type of smile. Let's be honest. She normally just grins at me. The pit in my stomach widens slightly and I don't know where this jealousy came from so easily.

"I don't know if you heard, but our budget for the after-school program got cut in half. We're barely affording to keep the school open late enough for the kids to be here. If it weren't for what you're doing right now, we wouldn't have snacks to give them."

"I hate to hear that, John. I had no idea it was so bad."

I didn't either, but I don't know this man or these kids to be able to comment on it.

"It is. We appreciate this more than you know. Here." He motions. "You can put the other stuff right on the table."

Finally able to get rid of what's in my hands, I do as he's asked.

"Well, anytime we have some extra food, I'll bring it over," she promises.

"You do and we'll get you information so that you can write it off as a charity donation. With some of these kids, this is the only time they get to eat and they're going to get some very special treats with what you've brought over today."

We talk to him for a few minutes before we head out. Once we're outside, she turns to me. "I wish there was something else I could do to help these kids."

"You're doing way more than you have to and more than most of these kids have probably seen before. You and I both know none of their parents can afford to come to the bakery and buy anything they want. This is a great treat to them, especially with Christmas coming up," I remind her.

"You're right. It's a small thing, but at least I can do something." She sighs.

"Merry, trust me when I say this. Nothing you do is small."