Always on My Mind by Jill Shalvis Read Free Book Online Page B

man to marry her… “I did,” she said to her grandma. “She sounds happy.”
    Elsie’s smile was just a little sad and a whole lot knowing. “I’m proud of you, honey.”
    “Yeah, well, you might want to change your mind about that when you find out that I ordered not one but two new ovens today.”
    “Leah!”
    “I’m paying for them,” she said quickly. They’d filled up her entire shiny new credit card, but she’d wanted to do it. “Grandma, it had to be done. You can’t continue with the business you have without new ovens; you just can’t. We’re putting out too much product now. We needed to do this.”
    Elsie sighed. “But I don’t want you to pay for them.”
    Leah ignored this to help Elsie out of the car, but Elsie grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, waiting until Leah met her gaze. “I’m so very proud of you,” she said fiercely. “You’ve been a godsend. A perfect godsend.”
    “Perfect?” Leah laughed softly. “I have faults, Grandma. Lots of them.”
    “Of course you do. Your biggest fault is that you care too much. And you work too hard. But the good news is that I really am starting to feel so much better. I’ll pick up the slack again soon.”
    Leah nodded. That was a good thing. A great thing. She’d come home to help, and she’d done that. But it was time to move on soon. She needed to be gone before Sweet Wars got to the finals in three weeks.
    Long gone.
    “You’re really doing better?” she asked Elsie. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—leave until she was sure.
    “Oh yes. And you have your own life to get back to,” Elsie said, then added with a sly hopefulness, “I’m guessing you have your own bakery to open?”
    Everyone knew grand prize for Sweet Wars was $100,000 to open a pastry shop. “You know I can’t tell you—”
    “Phooey,” Elsie said. “I hate contracts and rules.”
    Leah smiled, knowing damn well she’d inherited that trait. “I want you to just concentrate on enjoying your break,” she said. “Are you? Are you okay with the way I’m running your bakery?”
    “ Our bakery, honey. And are you kidding? You’ve doubled business. I’ll sure miss you.”
    Leah thought about staying and what that would cost her. Elsie, catching her hesitation, patted her hand. “No worries. I know there’s more out there for you than being back here in Lucky Harbor. You were on the cover of Martha , for God’s sake.”
    The nurse came out and called Elsie just as Leah’s phone started vibrating. She pulled it out of her purse and looked at the screen.
    Jack.
    Her wits deserted her, and with a wince, she dropped the phone back in her purse, where it vibrated for another minute before finally falling into an irritated silence.
    Jack wouldn’t let her ignore him for long. She was thinking about that, and how she might explain herself to him, when Mr. Lyons came through the front door leaning on his cane.
    “Hey, cutie,” he said, signing in for his appointment. “Saw you on—”
    “ Sweet Wars ,” she finished for him. “I know. I can’t tell you what happens, sorry.” Three more shows. She had three weeks to figure her shit out. “Contractual obligations and all—”
    “No, I mean I saw you on Facebook. You’re dating Jack Harper. Good man, that Jack.”
    Leah stared at him. “What?”
    “Yeah. Now, as far Sweet Wars goes, you’re killing the competition. I’ve got a twenty on you taking it, but I’d go up as high as fifty if you’d give me a little clue…”
    “Don’t you even think about giving him a clue,” Elsie said, coming out from the back. “He’ll use it to win against the other, less fortunate seniors.”
    “Ah, now that hurts.” Mr. Lyons slapped a hand to his heart and dramatically staggered back a step. “The prettiest babe in town doubts me.”
    “Poker night, last week,” she said. “You coaxed everyone into making it strip poker. Then you counted cards and won the pot, which was three hundred