I close my eyes and force myself to focus on work—my inventory, my orders for the week, recipes to consider for the upcoming holiday season.
Two hours later, I’m going through my inventory spreadsheet in between a few customers, desperately trying to stay focused. As long as I stay focused on what I can control, I’m fine. I’m not thinking of anything but Summerdale Sweets. Truth is, I haven’t thought much about anything else for more than a year, ever since I opened last summer. I haven’t even taken a day off. I have a part-time assistant who bakes early for me a few days a week, but the rest is all me. I never worked harder than when I worked for myself.
The bell jingles, and I close my laptop, standing to greet my customer. My eyes widen in surprise. It’s Audrey and Eli. They’re not usually together. Eli looks rugged and manly in a blue plaid flannel shirt, jeans, and hiking boots, like he’s about to go hiking on this beautiful fall day. My gaze returns to Audrey, smiling widely. An inkling of unease goes through me.
I’m almost afraid to ask. “What’s going on?”
Audrey marches up to me. “You’re officially off duty. Apron, please.”
“What!”
Audrey smiles. “You’re getting a small vacation.”
My brows furrow in confusion. “I have to work.”
Eli crooks his finger at me. I walk around the counter and join him. He’s not smiling. In fact, he looks almost menacing. His eyes gleam, his jaw set.
My breath hitches. “Eli, what’s going on?”
He moves so fast I only catch a glimpse of shiny silver before I’m handcuffed. “I’m kidnapping you.”
7
“What the hell?” I yell.
Audrey claps. “He’s stealing you away like when he used to steal cars. Remember you called it borrowing? Now he’s borrowing you! He promised to bring you back.”
I glare at her and turn back to Eli. “I can’t just leave. I’m the only one here.”
He unties the strings of my apron and takes it off me, handing it to Audrey. “You did agree to let me take you out, away from judging eyes.”
“I said I was tempted!”
He smiles. “Of course you are. Consider this a surprise road trip if it makes you feel better. You were surprised, and I planned a road trip.”
“Oh, he’s good,” Audrey says.
He gives Audrey a roguish grin. “How do you think I made it out of so many scrapes without a mark on me?”
I lift my cuffed wrists. “I think kidnapping is more accurate.”
He gets serious, pulling his shoulders back, in full cop mode. “You’re under arrest for a two-day trip with yours truly, during which you will peep at fall leaves and various other things not to be mentioned in front of Audrey.”
Audrey giggles.
Alarm shoots through me. Two days away just us?
I look wildly between the two of them. “I can’t leave my shop!”
Audrey puts her hands on my shoulders, her eyes intent on mine. “I’m covering for you today, and you’re closed on Tuesdays. Go. You deserve a break.” She lifts my handcuffed hands. “Not like you can work with these on.”
I turn to Eli, still in shock and not a small amount of worry about the outcome of spending so much time together. “I can’t believe you’re kidnapping me.”
“Audrey said it was okay.”
“Audrey said—” That’s as far as I get before he upends me over his shoulder.
The breath whooshes from my lungs. No guy has ever attempted to carry me like this. I’m too tall for that. I try to hold onto my mad. What kind of guy kidnaps you? What kind of friend helps him do that behind your back?
Eli’s already moving toward the door.
I focus on Audrey. “I’m so getting my revenge on you, Aud! You won’t know where or when, but it’s coming!”
She wiggles her fingers at me. “Have fun!”
And then I’m out the door, the sun poking through brilliant leaves just starting to sport yellow, orange, and red colors. We must be heading north if we’re going on a leaf-peeping trip. I did not agree to this. I’m sure Sydney’s going to find out if we’re both out of town for two days. The man is crazy!
Eli sets me down by his Mustang. “Hope you don’t mind I brought along my favorite female for the trip.” He hitches a thumb to the back seat, where a light brown pit bull with white fur on top of her muzzle sits with her head hanging out the window. “Jenna, meet Lucy.”
I’m not even his favorite female. And I’m tied up! Not the dog! Grr…
“Lucy isn’t constrained like I am,” I point out.
“Lucy leaps into my arms whenever I see her. You don’t.” He opens the car door, puts a hand on my head, and tucks me into the front seat like a criminal. I comfort myself with the fact that he didn’t go so far as to handcuff me and shove me into his police car. What would people think? I’d never get any business again. The criminal brownie maker. They’d probably suspect I’d been sneaking pot into my recipes or something like that.
A moment later, he gets in the driver’s side, reaches over, and puts my seatbelt on for me. Then he starts the car and takes off.
I lean my head back on the headrest, my mind bouncing along to what all this means. Obviously the man wants to spend time with me, and he’ll go to great lengths to do it. And he made it easy for me to spend time alone with him. No waffling, no overthinking it, just kidnapped with my friend’s blessing. My stomach flutters. Stupid butterflies.
I’m still mad. He didn’t give me a choice, and as a business owner, I need to plan for time off. Not that I ever do. Ohh, that’s why Audrey made a big order of my bestselling brownies for her book club. She wanted to make sure I had enough inventory for my time off. She is so thoughtful. No, wait, I’m mad at her too. She should’ve told me what he was up to. Or was it her idea?
“Whose idea was this kidnapping?” I ask.
“I guess I’d have to say it was yours. You did offer to let me cuff you at the bar a couple of weeks ago—”
“What! I did not.”
“Oh, yes, you did. I said I might have to arrest you for disorderly conduct, and then you said, and I quote, ‘If you must.’ If baking brownies at five a.m. isn’t disorderly conduct, well, then, I don’t know what is. And let’s not forget that only two days ago, you said you were tempted to go out with me, far away from judging eyes. I connected the dots, and here we are—handcuffed road trip. No judging eyes, just Lucy’s adoring ones. Right, Lucy?”
“There’s no such thing as a handcuffed road trip!”
“Lucy adores you already. Just look at her.”
I shift to the back seat toward Lucy. She looks ecstatic to have my attention and leans forward to sniff me and then licks my chin.
I sit back in my seat. That’s the great thing about dogs—they love everyone. I just met you and I love you!
I glance over at him looking pleased with himself. “You could’ve just asked me on a date like a normal person.”
“Could I, or would you have been so worried about judging eyes that you turn me down despite the fact that you’re into me?”