“Hey, Blackstone can be dangerous,” he countered. “I mean, we’ve had some trouble around here, you know.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m here. You can go now.” Walking around him, she strode to the back door and slipped the key into the knob. A prickly feeling crawled over the back of her neck, and when she turned her head, she startled. He was right behind her. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” he said, his sensuous mouth curling up into a smile.
Warmth pooled in her belly, but she ignored it. “I can’t let you in. It’s employees only. If you want to come in, you’ll have to wait until we open.”
“That’s fine. I’ll stay out here and make sure no one disturbs you.”
While part of her wanted to continue to argue with him, those pies weren’t going to bake themselves. “Do as you please,” she grumbled, then walked into the kitchen. He’ll get bored. Or tired. And then he’ll leave and never come back. She told herself that’s what she wanted and, that’s how it should be.
Rolling her long sleeves up her arms and pinning her hair back, Temperance set about her morning routine, going into automatic pilot. However, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder if Gabriel was still out there. Surely, he had better things to do than just wait there, guarding the door from supposed robbers or muggers or whatever the heck he thought was coming to break in here while she was baking.
At around seven thirty, she heard Rosie and Bridgette come in through the front door as they usually did. Bridgette stayed out in the dining room so she could get it ready for the day, while Rosie came to the kitchen to help her. The older woman knew Temperance was self-conscious about the scars on her face and arms, so she made sure no one else came in here while she baked.
“Good morning, Temperance,” Rosie greeted as she grabbed an apron from the hook in the corner.
When Temperance first came to Blackstone for this job, Rosie had been doing most of the baking by herself. After over thirty years, she realized it was time to slow down, which is why she hired Temperance. Rosie has shown her what to do that first week and basically left her to her own devices after that, coming in only just before opening to help her finish up the morning’s pies.
Temperance took out the first batch of apple pies and placed them on the counter to cool. “Rosie, I’m so sorry for running out on you yesterday,” she began, biting her lip. “I just …”
“It’s all right, sweetie,” Rosie assured her as she came over and patted her on the arm. “So … is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Why was Rosie looking at her weird? “Shouldn’t it be?”
“Er.” Rosie cleared her throat and played with the pearl necklace around her throat. “I mean … is Gabriel … did he find you?”
Her cheeks warmed, but then again, of course Rosie would know. She nodded, unsure what to say.
A small gasp escaped her lips. “And?”
Her brows knit together. “And what?”
“Did he say … anything?”
“I …” Where would she begin? “He said he wanted to talk, but I told him there was nothing to say.”
“Oh.” Rosie sounded deeply disappointed, and she shook her head. “I know it’s not my place to say anything, but if you need to talk—”
“I’m fine.” She turned around and grabbed two of the pecan pies that were waiting to be placed into the oven. “He’s just …” With a sigh, she put the pies in, then shut the door quickly.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Temperance?”
Jolting out of her thoughts, she pasted a smile on her face. “I’m fine, really. We should finish up those cherry pies,” she said, nodding at the empty shells.
“Of course,” Rosie began. “I’ll get the filling and—Gabriel?”
Gabriel?
Then the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Turning toward the door, her breath caught in her lungs as she saw him poking his head in the doorway, his dark bronze hair glinting with gold highlights in the early morning sun. It almost hurt to look at how handsome he was.
“Hey, Rosie,” he greeted. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”
Rosie’s auburn brows snapped together. “Goodbye?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel scooted inside. “I brought Temperance to work this morning—”
“Followed me,” she corrected.
“Followed her to work,” he conceded. “To make sure she was okay.”
Rosie’s eyes widened. “You followed her this morning … does that mean you stayed with her? All night?”
“What?” Mortification filled Temperance, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “No!”
Gabriel frowned, then shook his head. “When I, uh, glanced at her time card yesterday, I saw she comes in real early. And it’s dark out at that time, and I didn’t want her driving alone,” he said. “So, I went to her place and followed her here. Then I stayed outside to make sure no one bothers her.”
“Huh.” Rosie and Gabriel exchanged glances, then she turned to Temperance. “I never really thought about it, but maybe I should be making sure you were okay here by yourself so early in the morning.”
“It’s all good,” she said, miffed. “I’ve been fine for the last couple of months. Blackstone is much safer than where I used to work in Chicago. I’ve only gotten mugged once in my life.”
“Once?” Gabriel exclaimed. “What do you mean once?”
She could have sworn she heard a snarl from him. “I was a teenager, flipping burgers at a fast-food place,” she said. “And I was out late when my manager asked me to stay after shift to clean up. It’s no biggie, I just gave up my purse when he waved a gun at me.”
“No biggie?” His hands stiffened at his sides. “What if something happened to you back then? And if you never made it here and—”
Rosie
