With Every Breath (9 page)

Through the lens of the camera, Jaden focused on two men across the street. They sat on a wooden bench in front of the small barber shop, the red, white and blue barber pole mounted near the doorway revolved beside them. One man wore a pair of tan slacks and white button up shirt, a black comb tucked into the front pocket. Merle looked the same as he had the last time she saw him, his dark hair peppered with gray, and a thick mustache over his lips. The paunchy man beside him wearing a pair of worn out denim overalls puffed his pipe and gazed at the passing cars. If she passed within hearing distance, she’d probably catch a conversation about the weather, or crop prices. She snapped their picture—it would look great in black and white.

At the street corner she scanned the business signage up and down the block until her gaze landed on the bakery. The Sweet Treat was tucked between an insurance agency and a gift shop. A deep brown canopy hung over the storefront’s pale yellow siding. She waited at the curb for a beat up old pickup to rumble past, every screw and piece of metal squeaking as it went. Looking both ways, she crossed the street at the intersection, no marked crosswalk as a guide.

The bell above the door gave two soft dings before quieting and she was met with the bold scent of coffee and sweet dough, fruit fillings and a hint of cinnamon. She inhaled and glanced around the bakery for Hillary. There were touches of her friend everywhere, from the walls painted a cheerful cream, to the knickknacks placed around the shop. Only the tables looked out of place, like they’d been stolen from an old diner, the burgundy Formica peeking from beneath mismatched napkin racks. Hillary had been a garage sale fanatic, even as kids, and Jaden knew the racks were handpicked. Her friend had never mentioned she wanted to own her own bakery, but seeing this place now, Jaden had no trouble picturing her here.

A young girl stood behind the counter wearing a peach and white checkered apron. Her name tag read Crystal. She bounced behind the register with a smile. “Welcome to The Sweet Treat.”

“Hello.” Jaden crossed the room to a counter flanked by two glass display cases filled with trays of kolaches. Little handwritten cards were labeled with different fillings and placed in holders in front of the trays. Sweet pastries weren’t Jaden’s weakness, but she’d never been able to turn down a kolache. “Is Hillary here?”

The girl studied Jaden’s face, as if she were trying to figure out who she was. “She’s in the back dropping a rack of kolaches in the oven. Would you like me to get her?”

“I’m an old friend. Do you mind if I step back there to surprise her?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “Sure.” She pointed around the corner. “Door’s that way.”

Only in River Bend would it be okay to send a stranger nosing around.

Before she could take a step, Hillary rounded the corner and stopped short to stare at Jaden. It took a second for her brain to register what she saw, and then Hillary’s pale blue eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

“What the hell?” Her platinum blonde hair was tied up into a pony tail, ending in a short curl at the nape of her neck, and her cheeks were flushed pink from the heat of the kitchen.

Jaden laughed and opened her arms, then stepped to pull Hillary into a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you in years and that’s the way you greet me?”

“Yes, because I can’t believe you’ve taken this long to come back home,” Hillary chastised as she squeezed her. She leaned back to look Jaden over. “You look great, as always. Why didn’t you call me ahead of time?” She smoothed a hand over the bob of her ponytail, oblivious to the dusting of flour on her cheek.

“It was an unplanned visit.” Jaden flipped a wrist at the bakery. “And look at you! This is amazing, Hills.”

“Isn’t it?” Her eyes sparkled with pride. “There was a moment there when I almost gave up. I had this all-out battle with some real estate ass who tried to steal this place right out from under me.”

“I’m always up for a good story, especially since it’s clear you won.” Jaden smiled and squeezed Hillary’s hand.

“I sent my cousin after him.”

“Gavin?”

She shook her head. “Trevor. He’s an attorney now. Have you eaten?”

“Breakfast, not lunch.”

“Good. I have your favorite.”

“Cottage cheese filling?” Hillary nodded and gestured to a table against the wall. “Sit. I’ll feed you. Are you staying with Mia?”

Jaden nodded and rounded a table.

“You’re probably starving over there. She’s got nothing but bird food and microwave dinners in that house.”

“That part is true, but last night she brought home fried food and burgers from Pam’s. Then I woke up this morning to a huge breakfast spread bigger than either of us could finish off. I think she took the leftovers to her brother.”

Hillary’s brows knitted together. “Um, Mia doesn’t cook.”

Jaden lifted her hands, palms up. “I know, right? I couldn’t stop eating those damn hash browns.”

Hillary’s lips twitched amusement. “Were they shredded or country-fried with onions and green peppers?”

“Country-fried.”

“That’s a new special at Pam’s. I bet she even served you wedges of wheat toast and sausage links.”

“And the fluffiest scrambled eggs with a hint of mild cheddar cheese,” Jaden added with a laugh. “She’s really sneaky. I don’t know what she did with the takeout boxes.”

“Recycle bin in the backyard.”

She rubbed her stomach. “I ate my weight in potatoes this morning and almost went into a food coma. Your kolaches are going to send me over the edge.”

“Good. If you’re comatose you can’t leave; you’ll have to stay here with us.” Hillary tapped the table before turning on the balls of her feet. She disappeared through a door at the back of the bakery. “I’ll bring you two,” she called out. “There’s no dieting on this vacation.”

She reappeared with a tray of kolaches and set them behind the counter.

“Do you want these in the display case?” Crystal asked.

“Pack four up for Mrs. Lewis; she’ll be in to pick them up in about fifteen minutes. Put the rest in the case.” Hillary placed two rolls on a baby blue ceramic plate and returned to the table. She set the plate in front of Jaden, then sat down across from her. “So, why the unplanned visit?”

Jaden lifted a pastry for a bite. “Mia. She sounded stressed on the phone and was very evasive when I asked her about it.”

Hillary sat down across from her. Watching Jaden bite into the roll, she said, “She’s always stressed these days.”

Jaden chewed, her mouth an explosion of nostalgia. She hadn’t had a kolache since high school. “This is amazing. Have they always been this good or has it been too long since I’ve eaten one?”

“If you can’t remember then it’s been too long.” The pride in her face was adorable. “It’s a new dough recipe, but I also Hills-upped my fillings.”

“These are the best I’ve ever had.” She went in for another bite. “Mmm. I’m not exaggerating. Just don’t tell your grandma. She’d throttle me.”

Her eyes warming, she said, “You’re probably right. She’s still the reigning Kolache Queen, but she didn’t enter this year. I’m in the finals.”

“Will it even be a competition with you there?” Jaden licked her fingers and eyed the remaining roll. Of course she’d eat it, who knew when she’d enjoy another one of Hillary’s masterpieces? She picked up the roll. “So will your grandma crown you when you win?”

With a laugh, Hillary placed her hands on the tabletop and stood. “Nothing so glamorous. It’s a ribbon, but she’ll award me with if it if I win.” She glanced over her shoulder, and said, “You should stop by the ceramic shop while you’re here. Grams would love that. She’s always asking about you.”

“Really?” Jaden plucked a napkin from a ceramic basket in the middle of the table. “I should. I always loved going there.” Wiping her hands, she smiled. “Not that I was any good at it.”

“Hey, we still have a shelf dedicated to our ceramics in her shop. You can pick Mia’s ceramics out pretty easily—hers aren’t crappy like ours.”

“Don’t tell her that or she’ll get a big head.”

She turned with a mug of coffee in one hand and a glass of iced water in the other. “So you came all this way—do you still think there’s something wrong with Mia?”

Heaving out a sigh, Jaden tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “She’s overbooked, but I don’t think that’s it. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something going on with her and David.” She leaned back into her seat when Hillary set the coffee cup down. “Or maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know.”

Hillary produced a straw from the front pocket of her apron and handed it to Jaden. “Well, if her and David are fighting, she’d keep that to herself. He’s an ass—we all know it. But Mia loves him. At least, I think she thinks she loves him.” She rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling and sat down. “At least he’s working now.”

“A year—it’s a record.”

“I really don’t know why he waited so long to join his dad’s insurance agency. It’s not as though he had to apply to get hired. Instead, he was unemployed for a year, stayed home and ate cheese puffs and watched the sports network all day.”

“I don’t know why she puts up with him.” It was exasperating. Mia was a strong, self-sufficient woman who took care of an overgrown, spoiled man-child. “He left on a business trip yesterday.”

“He’s a crop adjuster or something to do with farm insurance.” She waved her hand. “I can’t remember.”

Jaden sucked water through the straw and washed down the drink of coffee she’d swallowed. It was stronger than she was used to, and she didn’t normally drink black coffee. “Mia mentioned a night out at the cabin. We should go out there tonight and tell her to meet us. She mentioned the wedding reception she’s at is over with at eleven, so we could have the cabin, snacks and drinks all ready by the time she got there. Drinks, campfire, music.” Ever since Cole mentioned the cabin yesterday, Jaden couldn’t get the place out of her head.

“That’s perfect. We haven’t been out there all summer.” Hillary glanced over her shoulder. “That girl works way too much. I get her to meet me down at The Songbird for drinks every now and then.” She chuckled. “She mostly sits at home like a married person.”

“She is a married person,” Jaden laughed.

“I might be a little jealous.” Hillary measured air with her thumb and pointer finger. “A tiny bit. I’m a little worried I’ll be a spinster. You know, a forty-year-old bitchy hag.”

“If you’re old, then I’m old, and I refuse to be a bitter old spinster.” She’d spent the last year with a one-track mind, on her career. Had there really been no time for romance, or had she pushed it away? If she didn’t start looking for Mr. Right, she might never find him. And then she’d be a spinster. The idea of it made her fidget, and she crossed her legs under the table. “We won’t be spinsters,” she said.

“Maybe not, but if we don’t get married and have babies soon, our woman parts will dry up.” Hillary sat down with the coffee and slid it across the table. “I’m looking; there’s no one interesting in this town.”

“Maybe you’re not giving them a chance?” Jaden suggested.

Hillary was complex—book smart, inquisitive, a political genius, and always questioning life, religion, and anyone who thought inside the box. Even in high school she’d proven to be too much woman for the common boy. What she needed was a challenge, or a man who would challenge her.

She shrugged and her lip curled in confusion. “Maybe I’m too picky, and I’m the reason I haven’t found the one. I’m going to tell myself that at night when I’m lying in bed in ugly sweats and stuffing my face full of popcorn. My sister says if I drop twenty pounds I’d find a husband.”

“Your sister needs to eat more pizza and shut up,” Jaden said, and Hillary laughed.

“I tell her that all the time.”

She took another small sip of coffee. “I have no car, so come pick me up when you’re ready to go out to the cabin. I’ll snag the keys from Mia’s.”

“I don’t have to be in tomorrow morning, I have a gal who opens for me. I can stay all night and get stupid drunk with you.” Her face was rosy with her smile. “It’s good to see you, you know that?”

“It is,” Jaden said, filled with a heaviness of regret. In leaving River Bend, she’d left behind people she’d loved. All because of Ellie. She hadn’t spoken to or seen the woman in years, yet the aftermath of her destruction still haunted Jaden’s life.