Chapter 8
Katie's Bakery was the best place in town to get sandwiches. And donuts. And cake. And really anything delicious. Katie had taken over the place after her father retired. She'd won a baking show on the Cooking Network last year, which was as close to famous as anyone in Riversville was ever going to get. She was now the town celebrity.
The bakery was also the only real place to get a take-out lunch that wasn't a burger or fast-food taco.
As I pulled open the door to the bakery, a familiar voice called out my name.
“Aunt Hannah!”
I turned to see little Leigh Ann and her mom, Karina, seated at a table outside. They were eating lunch on the patio right out in front of the Bakery.
“Leigh Ann!” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“Eating lunch with Mom,” she said, matter of factly.
“Hey, Karina.” I waived and Karina's eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Come sit with us after you order,” she said.
“Yeah, definitely. Be right there.” I ran in and ordered two turkey sandwiches on Katie's famous bakery rolls. They put one for me on a plate with a drink and one in a to-go bag with Dr. Mathew's name on it. Right as I finished paying, Katie the baker, came out from the back room with a tray full of fresh-baked rolls.
“Hannah? I heard you'd moved back, but I wasn't sure it was true or not,” she said warmly, giving me a wave once she'd handed the rolls off to the sandwich-making employee. She had long dark hair and big brown eyes. There was a smudge of flour on her cheek and a speckling of it in her dark hair, making her look older than she was. She was six years younger than me, but I'd been friends with her older sister. To be honest, I'd gotten along better with Katie than I did her sister.
“Hi, Katie,” I said with a wave of my own. “Yup. I'm back. I'm working at the doctor's office now.”
“For Dr. Taggert?” she asked, coming around the back counter. We stepped off to the side of the checkout line, away from the flow of customers. She had on an apron covered in more flour and different colors of frosting.
“Kind of. He's selling the practice to Dr. Matthews. I work mostly for him,” I replied.
“Oh, that's right. He bought it. I remember now.” She shook her head and chuckled. “Honestly, I've been so busy the past few weeks it's a miracle I remember my own name some days.”
“I've been watching you on TV,” I said, feeling a little more confident that Katie and Dr. Matthews were no where near getting engaged. She didn't even know where he worked.
“Yeah, the baking competition. It was supposed to be this tiny thing and the network got ahold of it, and it kind of snowballed.” She shrugged. “But, it's good for the bakery and the town. Mayor Matthews said tourism is up. The bakery's definitely been more busy.”
“That's great,” I told her. “I'm loving watching you. The finale is coming up, right?”
She nodded. “Filming is next month and it will premier a little after that. That's what I”m working on today. I'm practicing everything they might throw at me.”
“Anyone going with you to LA for filming?” I asked.
“My dad. I don't have anyone else that really wants to go,” she admitted. “Despite the Bridge Club's attempts, I am actually single.”
“Be careful how loud you say that,” I cautioned. “The town likes their romances.”
“Tell me about it.” She sighed. “I should let you eat your lunch. It's good to see you.”
“Same. And in case I don't see you, break a leg at the competition.”
“Thanks. Tell Dr. Matthews I said hi.” She motioned to the to-go bag in my hand with his name on it, then frowned. “Actually, don't. I don't need to feed the gossip.”
“I'll tell him you say a platonic hello and that you hope he enjoys his sandwich from a business standpoint as a returning customer,” I said.
She laughed. “That'll work. It's good to see you, Hannah. I'm glad you're back in town.”
She flashed me one last grin and a wave before heading back into the bakery area. I felt a little lighter knowing that she and Dr. Matthews weren't really an item. I knew that my thoughts didn't really matter, but it made my crush feel a lot less guilty.
When I stepped out onto the patio, Leigh Ann ran up and wrapped her arms around my leg.