Read Always on My Mind for Free Online Page B

station.
    Leah smiled at him, and knowing he wasn’t one for small talk, she turned to pour him a coffee, black, and bagged up a bear claw.
    His standard fare.
    He paid, and then instead of leaving as he usually did, he leaned against the counter and drank his coffee, watching her over the lid. Deceptively chill and laid-back, he gave off an almost surfer-guy vibe, but in truth he was about as badass as they came.
    “What?” she finally asked.
    “You tell me what.”
    She lifted a shoulder. Look at her being all cool and casual. One had to be with Ben; he could spot a weakness a mile away. “I can’t tell you if I won Sweet Wars .”
    He shook his head. Not that.
    “I’m not talking about this morning,” she said. At least not until she talked to Jack. Which she hoped to do…never.
    Ben dug into his bear claw, looking as if he had all the time in the world, and for all she knew, he did. He’d just come back from being on loan to the Department of Defense for the past eight months in Iraq. Before that, it had been Haiti and the earthquake aftermath, and before that, Japan’s tsunami, and so on.
    But before any of those adventures, once upon a time, he’d actually worked in Seattle at a normal nine-to-five job—until his wife had died.
    He finished his bear claw, balled up the paper, and made a three-pointer in the trash can across the bakery with no visible effort. “Thanks,” he said, and was gone.
    Leah blew out a breath. Another bullet dodged, she thought and went back to work.
    Since she’d been handling daily baking, she’d also taken on some responsibilities that were new to the bakery, such as a little catering. She created wedding cakes and baked for showers and reunions or whatever event came her way. The equipment—hello, ovens, looking at you—was killing her slowly, but she was still managing to enjoy it immensely. Two days ago, she’d created a dozen cream puffs for the B&B. The job had been incredibly stressful because the B&B was owned by three sisters, one of whom was a chef—a really great one.
    Leah had angsted over those twelve stupid cream puffs like they were for the royal palace, spending hours making sure every fraction of an inch of each one was perfect. She had no idea if she’d succeeded until a few hours ago.
    Tara had called from the B&B and said the cream puffs were so amazing she needed three dozen more for a baby shower, and could Leah rush the order for this afternoon?
    Leah was currently rushing toward a heart attack.
    Bent over the tray, she was obsessing over each little puff with one eye on the clock when Aubrey strode in.
    The beautiful, cool blonde struck a pose in the center of the bakery as if she were mugging for the paparazzi, one leg out in front of the other so the slit on her skirt opened and flashed a trim thigh. She waited expectantly.
    Leah looked up from her task. “Well hi there, Angelina Jolie.”
    “Not the leg,” Aubrey said, annoyed. She wriggled her foot, drawing Leah’s gaze to the gorgeous leather boots. “I finally have better shoes than you. I won’t be eating all month, but they’re totally worth it. I need you to be jealous.”
    Leah laughed but bent back over her cream puffs. “I don’t have time to be jealous. I don’t have time to talk.”
    “Why?” Aubrey asked, giving up her pose. “You always have time to talk.”
    Leah swiped her brow, spreading a dab of frosting over her temple. “I’ve only got thirty minutes before I have to have these delivered. And if I keep talking, I’ll mess them up.”
    “What are you smoking? They’re perfect,” Aubrey said, and actually reached out to take one.
    Leah smacked her hand away. “Oh my God, don’t touch!”
    “Well, jeez. I just wanted one,” Aubrey said, rubbing her hand. “And I take back what I said. You’re not nice at all.”
    Leah sighed. “You can’t have a cream puff. They’re for a fancy gig at the B&B.”
    Aubrey rolled her eyes. “You do realize you’re not