She could see that Ivy and Cleo were deep in conversation with Becket so she ran in the house and grabbed her purse and keys and headed back outside to her car. She could see Garrett now talking to Becket and knew he was probably smiling, not that she could tell from where she was.
She pulled out of the driveway and drove away as Cleo and Ivy waved at her. She was so mad she could spit. It was either leave or throw a temper tantrum. Or kick Garrett.
She drove mindlessly down the road and noticed a bakery.
Belinda’s Bakery
. That was the place Cleo went to all the time. Their brioche was amazing. She prayed they had something sinfully decadent to get her mind off of murder.
She parked and walked up the steps, opening the door and was immediately surrounded by the scents of chocolate and vanilla and everything that went with it. She felt some of her tension ease and she smiled a little as she noticed there were four people in line in front of her. She wandered over to the glass cases and stared at everything as she waited for her turn. It was still morning, and she’d already eaten half a bowl of oatmeal. Okay, she’d put Nutella in it, but there was just enough room for something heavenly. And after the morning she’d had, she deserved it.
By the time she got home, she was going to see her yard without her grandmother’s tree. She glared at the case, not seeing cupcakes now, but seeing Garrett’s determined frown. She’d never met a man so determined to have everything his way. He’d insisted on paying for lunch and so he did. He insisted on taking out her tree and now he was. How in the world had she ever been attracted to Garrett Murphy? The man was a menace.
“You look mad enough to eat a dozen cupcakes. That or stomp on them.”
Rayne whipped her head up and found herself looking at a beautiful young woman with a cute little pregnant tummy. She had gorgeous, long brown hair and bright, warm brown eyes the color of chocolate.
“Oh um, no. I wouldn’t stomp on them. I might throw them at someone, but I wouldn’t stomp on them,” she said, blushing and walking over to the case of éclairs and scones.
The girl laughed and followed her. “You’re very wise. Diffusing anger with chocolate is a time honored tradition here at Belinda’s Bakery. Mrs. Jenson comes in at least once a week. I would swear that our mint brownies have saved her husband’s life many times.”
Rayne found herself smiling at the girl and relaxing. “Well, I’m not married but if you sell me something that will save the life of my landscaper than I’d very much appreciate it. Or he will, not that he’s aware that I’m plotting his death.”
The girl grinned and walked over to a case by the cash register. “We just began making cronuts and today I made a batch with drizzled chocolate.”
Rayne smiled and stared at the puffy looking donut. “It looks like a donut. I don’t think that’s going to stop me from killing a bug.”
The girl shrugged, still smiling. “You doubt me. How about this. It’s time for my break. I’ll give you a sample of our new cronuts and you can sit and talk to me. I’m bored to tears and need to get off my feet. Mandee can watch the counter for me.”
Rayne blinked in surprise, but smiled shyly. She was used to living in a world where her companions and friends were chosen for her. Her social circle was so elite and so small that she always felt lonely. Ivy and Cleo were her only real friends if she was being honest.
“I’d love that.”
The girl picked out two cronuts as she called out to the back room. A large, older woman wearing an apron and a bright red handkerchief over her hair came out and took her place. They walked over to a table by the window and sat down.
Rayne reached for the light donut drizzled with chocolate and grinned. “I should get mad more often. This looks amazing.”
The woman smiled and picked up one too. “You’re going to eat your words. I promise you won’t even feel like stepping on an ant after you’re done.”
Rayne laughed and took a big bite, closing her eyes as the light buttery donut overwhelmed her senses. “Oh my word,” she whispered reverently. “What did you say this was called?”
The woman wiped a smear of chocolate off her lips and smiled. “It’s called a cronut. It’s a donut made out of a croissant. I call it Heaven. I’d have to say the fifteen pounds I just gained are all cronuts.”
Rayne grinned and took another bite. “I’m pretty sure your baby accounts for most of that weight. By the way, I’m Rayne Nyman and I just moved here last week. What’s your name?”
The woman sat back and ran a hand over her stomach. “My name is Jane Matafeo and I’m glad to meet you.”
They talked about Fircrest and Rayne asked her about running a bakery and heard the fascinating story of how Jane and her sister’s came to inherit Belinda’s.
“So tell me about the life I just saved. I’m curious. You look like such a calm, decent person. Who could possibly drive you to murderous thoughts?”
Rayne glared out the window and blew out a breath. “The most annoying man I’ve ever met in my entire life. He always has to get his way. Granted, he’s gorgeous and tall and strong and has that super male essence that yells authority and all that garbage, but it’s like he doesn’t even hear me. The other day I wanted to pay for lunch and he just bulldozed right over me. Today, I told him I didn’t want him to tear down my grandmother’s tree and what do you think he’s doing? He’s tearing it down.”
Jane’s smile faded as she tilted her head and looked at her. “Wait, so this guy’s a landscaper?
Oh no.
You’re not talking about Garrett Murphy are you?” she asked looking uncomfortable for some reason.
Rayne paused and looked at her in surprise. “Yes! Garrett Murphy. He’s like the man of my dreams except he’s such a macho,
I have to have everything my way kind of guy.”
Jane smiled weakly and picked up her cronut. “I kind of know him.”
Rayne frowned and took another bite. “
Aaaannd
?”
Jane cleared her throat and grimaced. “I dated him for a while but I kind of broke up with him because I was already in love with Tate, the man I ended up marrying. Garrett hates Tate’s guts and he’s not that fond of me now either.”
Rayne’s mouth fell open as she stared at Jane. “Wow. You dated Garrett. This is perfect,” she breathed.
Jane blinked. “
Perfect
?”
Rayne nodded. “You can help me figure him out. Like, what the heck do I do with him?”
Jane snorted and wiped her mouth again. “
Do with him?
I thought you hated him.
Rayne sighed.
“Most of the time I want to walk on the beach with him, have midnight picnics with him and listen to him recite poetry to me. But then there are times like today when I feel like pulling a Solange elevator kick on him.”
Jane held up her hands and shook her head. “No way. Uh uh. You cannot ask me for romantic advice on how to deal with my ex-boyfriend. Way too weird. Really.”
Rayne frowned and slumped in her chair. “Oh. I guess that would be weird for you. But what if I told you I was in desperate need of help? Like what if I was so inexperienced with men, that I was practically helpless? Would that change your mind?”
Jane smiled, her eyes warming slightly. “Rayne, come on, you have to have girlfriends who can help you with this kind of thing.”
Rayne licked some chocolate off her lip and crossed her legs. “I have a sister who has even less experience with men than I do and that’s saying a lot. I have a friend Cleo, but she’s such a confident, take charge person she doesn’t understand people like me who look at a good looking guy like Garrett and can’t talk and end up looking at their shoes or fidgeting or acting like they’re completely uninterested because they don’t know the first thing about flirting.”
Jane groaned and took another bite of her cronut. “You know, you and Garrett have a lot in common. You’re both good at getting what you want.”
Rayne grinned knowing she’d won. “So you’ll help me?”
Jane nodded. “But only if you promise to never ever tell him that I did. Not for my sake.
For yours
.”
Rayne nodded easily. “Of course. My lips are sealed. So what do you suggest?”
Jane sighed loudly and crossed her ankles as she smoothed her apron over her stomach. “You’ve decided you want a cocky Marine and yet you’re a shy inexperienced girl. From what I remember of Garrett, he goes for the quiet, smart, shy girls. Just get to know him. If he’s working on your house, invite him for dinner. Go old school and create situations where you get to know him. That will help you with your shyness as well.”
Rayne nodded her head. “Okay, that sounds good but what do I do about the fact that he always gets his way.”
Jane stood up and grinned. “Stop letting him.”
Rayne laughed lightly and picked up her garbage, throwing it away in the garbage can. “Jane, you are a genius. And for the advice and the introduction to the most amazing donuts in the world, I’d like to buy three dozen cronuts.”
Jane’s eyebrows shot up. “Three dozen?”
Rayne shrugged. “I have a crew of men at my house right now. Maybe it will put them in a good mood too?”
Jane laughed and she and the other woman began boxing up the cronuts. “And I’d like a chocolate, peanut butter smoothie to go with it,” she added as an afterthought.
Jane shook her head and rung her up. “I knew I liked you.”
Rayne left smiling and feeling much better about the world and one landscaper in particular. Garrett Murphy didn’t know who he was messing with.
Rayne showed up with the boxes of cronuts and walked over to the landscaping crew who was taking all the branches and limbs from her Douglas-Fir and throwing them in the back of a large truck. Surprisingly, Garrett was still there, working with the crew.
She decided to ignore him as she opened the boxes. “Hey guys, anyone need a cronut break?”
Five men immediately walked over, taking off their gloves and grinning happily. “I have no idea what a cronut us, but I want one,” said a large black man with an earring and a bright gold tooth.
She smiled and offered him a napkin. “You’re going to want two.”
Becket walked over smiling cautiously. “Is this a peace offering?”
Rayne’s smile froze as she studied the man through narrowed eyes. Maybe she should have eaten two cronuts, because a sizzle of anger was still slipping through her veins.
“They could be poisoned,” she said with a wide smile.
The man behind her choked on his donut and she turned around and winked at him. He smiled and relaxed immediately as he grinned at Becket.
“Poisoned, huh?” Becket said and took a big bite.
She frowned wishing for a moment that he would have at least hesitated. She was the most nonthreatening woman there was. She was slightly mortified.
“Maybe not, but if you cut down anything else I love,
I will
,” she said with a glare.
She watched as his eyes widened in surprise and he looked at the cronut suspiciously. She couldn’t stop the grin that slipped out.
“Threatening my guys with death?”
Rayne slowly turned around and flipped her long caramel brown hair over her shoulder as she stared at Garrett and wondered how she had ever found him attractive. Really, he wasn’t great. Sure he was over six feet tall and had the shoulders of a football player. Or a Marine.
Whatever
. So what that she dreamed of his lips and running her hands over his chiseled face. Nah, his eyes weren’t that great. Okay, they could gleam, or twinkle or freeze you depending on his mood. It wasn’t like she cared.
She licked her lips and looked at her feet. Like she always did around him. Who was she fooling? She had fallen for this guy but she was done being mowed over by him.
“I brought some cronuts for
your men
. Working for you, I’m sure they don’t get very many treats. They probably wake up every day wondering how they can even go on. Being bullied must get old after a while,” she said coolly.
Garrett raised an eyebrow as some of the men laughed and Becket let out a low whistle. “You’re accusing me of being a bully?”
Rayne turned away from him and picked up a cronut. She’d need a little extra happy. “Stating a fact. You. Are. A. Bully,” she said and turned on her heel and walked back to the house.
As she reached the front porch she felt a hand grasp her elbow and pull her to a stop. She turned with a frown and looked up into Garrett’s frowning face.
“Look Rayne, I’m sorry about the tree, but that doesn’t make me a bully. I’m just doing what’s best.”
Rayne frowned and pulled her arm out of Garrett’s grasp as she heard the front door open and two sets of footsteps sounded on the aged wood.
She took a large bite of the cronut first and licked her lips. “You’re bossy and you don’t listen to me. I’ll be happy to give you a glowing review for your website when you’re done but I’ll probably have to put a footnote. I’ll say something like,
Great Landscaper. The owner has vision, and skill and talent but please don’t have an opinion that differs from his because he’ll steamroll right over you
,” she said with her chin in the air as Cleo snorted loudly behind her.
Garrett turned red in the face and shoved his hands in his front pockets. She turned and looked at her tree that was half gone now and sighed.
“No cronuts for you,” she said and took another big bite before turning and walking up a few steps.
“What if I said I’m sorry?”
Rayne looked into Ivy and Cleo’s delighted faces before turning slowly around and staring at Garrett who strangely enough looked almost contrite.
“Sorry?
For what?
For destroying my grandmother’s tree? For never letting me get my way?”
Garrett licked his lips as if he was trying not to smile and her eyes narrowed. “What if I said that I’m so sorry about this little misunderstanding that I’d like to take you out to dinner tonight?”
Rayne blinked in surprise and felt her heart catch in her chest. “Wait, are you asking me out on a date?” she asked softly, wishing her sister and Cleo weren’t right there listening in to their conversation.
Garrett took a step toward her, bringing their faces to the same level. “I’m almost positive I am.”
She grinned slightly and noticed that Garrett’s eyes were bright blue with a lighter blue ring surrounded by black. Amazing.
Oh wait, was she supposed to be talking
?
“Why almost?” she asked, her voice cracking.
The side of Garrett’s mouth twitched and he stepped even closer. “Well, you did just threaten to poisons us. I’d have to have your promise not to poison any cronuts before we went out.”
Rayne sighed loudly. “Darn, looks like we’ll never go out then, because that I can’t promise.”
Garrett laughed and reached out and grabbed her free hand in his. “Fine, I’ll take my chances. Pick you up at seven?”
Rayne stared into Garrett’s eyes and lost the power of speech so she just nodded and made some kind of
uh huh
sound instead.
Garrett smiled bigger and turned and walked away, holding her cronut in his hand. She watched him take a big bite and knew her mouth was hanging open.
“He just stole my cronut,” she whispered.
Ivy walked down the steps and stood next to her. “You couldn’t pay me to flirt with that guy. Sorry. He’s totally in to you. If he’s brave enough to steal your cronut, that’s a man brave enough to face down the immenseness of your life.”
Cleo walked down and stood next to her on her other side. “Don’t worry, I’ll still flirt with him.”
Rayne grinned at her friend and put an arm around her waist. “You’re a true friend Cleo. And Ivy, you’re sweet.”
Ivy caught site of Becket and perked up. “Any more cronuts left?” she asked as she stepped down to the crumbling concrete sidewalk.
Rayne nodded. “I bought three dozen so there should be one or two left. But you better hurry.”
She felt a breeze and watched as Cleo flew past her and raced Ivy to the boxes of cronuts sitting on the hood of Garrett’s truck. She laughed lightly and then hurried inside, feeling lighter than she had in months.
She had a date.