Melodies of the Heart: A Pinewood Grove Sweet Romance (5 page)

“I guess being right off the highway is why they put that store there,” Levi noted.

“Pretty much,” Kassidy agreed. “People around here love it, they love the deals, but those of us with our own shops can’t compete. The products are cheap and the food isn’t great, but people would rather pay five bucks less than get something that’s a bit better quality. At least that’s how it’s turned out.”

She wasn’t done there. Normally Kassidy shied away from the topic of ShopMart and how it was hurting her family’s store – what would one day be
her
store, but suddenly she couldn’t stop herself from speaking.

“It just, it really sucks, you know? We make our products fresh every single day with local ingredients, but that stupid store has dried up our business. We can’t afford to charge what they do and keep the lights on at the same time, but we can’t afford to charge more, either.”

“So what will you do?” Levi asked, and that was when she realised he looked genuinely interested.

“I’m honestly not sure,” she sighed in response. “My parents always said the store would be mine when they turned sixty-five, but I don’t know if it’ll survive that long. It’s only a few years away.”

Levi’s eyebrow rose at that. “Really?” he asked.

“What?” Kassidy asked him, unsure what he was asking about.

“Nothing, I just, no,” he trailed off. “I don’t want to sound like a jerk.”

“Come on,” Kassidy pressed him. “Tell me.”

“Fine,” he said, the corner of his mouth turning up. “You just said their sixty-fifth birthday isn’t far off. You can’t be older than what, twenty-four?”

Kassidy blushed hard at that. “I’m only twenty-one,” she told him.

“Oh man,” Levi groaned as he ran a hand through his thick dark hair. “I didn’t think you were so much younger than me.”

“Is that a problem?” she asked, really hoping that it wasn’t. “How old are you?”

“I just turned twenty-seven,” he said. “It’s not like I’m in my thirties or anything. But your parents, did they...?”

“Have me when they were in their forties?” Kassidy finished for him. “Yes, well, my dad is a few years older than my mom. Apparently I was some kind of miracle baby my mom had just before she turned forty. They wanted a whole bunch of kids, but they just got me.”

“Well, I’d say they did pretty well,” Levi told her, and her cheeks went hot.

“Stop,” she found herself laughing. “But really, the bakery is my dream, I just hope we can hold on to it. I know my parents are keeping a lot of stuff from me, which sucks. I’m an adult, but they treat me like a kid most of the time. I think it’s a symptom of being an only child.”

“That’s not always a bad thing,” Levi reminded her. “And it’s your dream, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s nice, coming from someone like you,” she said, but when he cocked his head slightly, she went on to explain, “You’re already living your dream. Being a musician, travelling the world, singing for sold out arenas with your band. It must be totally amazing.”

She had expected him to give one of those knowing smiles and explain about how wonderful rock star life was, but instead he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

With a heavy sigh he admitted, “It’s not all perfect and fun.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as she used her finger to wipe up a trail of blue ice cream that was making its way down her cone.

“I mean I don’t think it’s my dream,” he said frankly. “At least, it isn’t anymore. It used to be, though. My whole life was about getting that big break and when we did, I thought I’d hit the jackpot. It was everything that I wanted. So much so that it blinded me to the realities of being with a major label.”

“Like what?” she asked, though she was afraid of the answer.

“Like the fact that the record label gets creative control of our songs,” he said with a sigh. “That they push us to make songs about things I don’t like or care about, that it’s all about album sales and selling out venues rather than the quality of the music. I hated our last album and every time I sing those songs, it kills me inside. It wasn’t what I wanted, but they have a contract and there isn’t much I can do about it.”

A sudden wash of realisation flashed over his face and Kassidy knew he hadn’t meant to share all that with her. Not now, possibly not ever.

“It’s okay,” she told him as she placed her hand on his. It was only for comfort, not to push him to spill more, but that was what he did.

“Honestly, we aren’t on a hiatus, or having technical issues,” he told her, his ice cream cone melting fast in his hand. “After our last show in Vegas, I just took off. I would have kept right on going if I hadn’t almost rode you down in the street.”

“Sorry,” Kassidy said again, flinching at his words.

“No, don’t be,” he insisted. “I’m glad I did. This town isn’t that unlike the one I grew up in. Maybe it’s time I get back to my roots and find the things that inspire me once more. I know it was stupid to take off, and I let a lot of people down, but maybe I can start to find it in me to write again, and start playing the songs that mean something to me again.”

“I can understand that,” she assured him, but what she didn’t say was how happy that made her. Not only was he talking about making the kind of music she had loved so much, but he might have it in his mind to stay in town a little longer than he was originally thinking. Both of those things made her happier than she’d thought possible, and it was a struggle not to reveal that to him. He’d opened up to her, and now wasn’t the time for her to bask in her own selfish happiness.

“Thank you for letting me vent,” he told her as he squeezed her hand in his own. “I don’t often get to do that with anyone who just lets me talk. Normally I have people either just being yes men to shut me up, or the record label telling me to behave. It’s a nice reprieve to just spill my guts.”

“Anytime,” she assured him before they turned their attention back to their ice cream. During their conversation, both of their cones had started to melt and there were streams of sticky cream on Kassidy’s hand, but she didn’t notice them at all. All that mattered was spending time with Levi, listening to him, and getting to know the real him.

They finished their cones in silence, but not in the kind of quiet that had plagued them on their way to the ice cream parlor. It was a comfortable silence that friends could share together without effort or the need to say a word. They had both found a person to open up to, and Kassidy never wanted to lose that.

He might be planning to stay longer
, she reminded herself while she ran her tongue over the cold blue ice cream.
But he might not. Enjoy the time you have while you can.

She wanted to do just that, but the idea of him leaving again had already wiggled its way into her mind and now it sat like an angry little cloud, infecting her thoughts. They had only just met, but the idea of saying good-bye was already starting to terrify her.

The songs of the birds outside her bedroom window were more melodic, the sun was shining brighter, and Kassidy was riding along a high like she’d never known before as she pulled herself out of bed.

The night before, she’d gone out for ice cream with Levi Thayne and it still had her heart fluttering. Even when she thought about it to herself and how silly it all was, it didn’t matter. Going for ice cream was the kind of thing she did with Jacob Hoffman when they were eleven and too scared to hold hands.

But she was an adult now and Jacob had moved away in the tenth grade when his parents had split up. Not that it mattered much to her, they were only middle school sweethearts, but it was Gillian who had been devastated when he’d moved three states away with his father while his mother had stayed behind in Pinewood Grove.

Now it was a rock star that she’d spent some time with at the old ice cream shop and she was glad the place was still standing. Kassidy couldn’t think of a better way to have spent the night getting to know Levi, even though there were a few dark clouds on the horizon that she was fighting hard to ignore.

The first was the fact that at some point he was going to leave her and Pinewood Grove behind. He’d go back to LA or New York or wherever it was that rock stars spent their time, but she struggled to stay positive as she got ready to start work at eight in the morning.

He might stay
, a tiny voice inside her said, and she fought even harder to ignore that one. Getting her hopes up was even more dangerous than ignoring the truth. It would only lead to a broken heart and a heap of embarrassment when she was proven wrong.

The other cloud was knowing her parents would find out she’d lied to them at some point. She’d told them it was Paul Larson she’d gone for ice cream with, not Levi, and the wrong person mentioning it to them would lead to a very awkward and very painful discussion about respect.

No
, she told herself as she pulled her long hair back in a braid. They hadn’t passed anyone on their way to or from the shop, and the ice cream shop had been empty, save for them and the waitress. Pinewood Grove was a small town that could lend itself to gossip, but that didn’t matter. No one had seen them, and she had to keep hoping that stayed true.

Despite the two forces inside her that were competing to spoil her good mood, Kassidy was all smiles when she got downstairs and pulled on an apron for work.

“I’ve got a cake to finish,” her mother said. Saturdays meant weddings and that meant her mother was more than busy. “I need to go deliver it over in Stoville at one.” She was a perfectionist and that meant the cakes were entirely her baby. Mrs. Olsen didn’t trust anyone to do the cakes but herself, including delivery.

“Want me to do some rolls?” Kassidy asked. She knew what she was doing, but always wanted to be in back for more practice. If this was going to be her store, she needed to be in the kitchen more.

“No, your father is doing that,” she said. “I need you on cash.”

“But mom, it’s dead,” Kassidy argued, but one look from her mother silenced her.

“It’ll pick up,” she said. “It’s Saturday and tourists might be coming through town on their way to the camp ground up the highway. I need you out here so I don’t get distracted while I finish adding the sugar flowers to the cake.”

“Okay,” Kassidy said, resigning herself to another day of cash duty. If she was really going to take over, she needed to be working on the cakes with her mother. They kept the place in business and Kassidy knew she didn’t have enough time under her belt creating the intricate desserts.

But instead, she leaned on the counter and waited for people to come in. Her mother was right, there were a lot of cars driving by with canoes on their roofs and quite a few were towing campers, but none of them stopped on Main Street to take a look at the local shops. ShopMart was only a couple minutes up the road and that was where they were headed. She didn’t need to watch them to know that.

At least during the morning a few of their regulars did stop by. Murph came for another loaf of bread and let her know he was still waiting on a new muffler to come in for Levi’s bike, and Mary Alice bought a basket of muffins to bring over to the seniors home across the street. It wasn’t much, but at least there were people stopping by and buying things.

Kassidy wanted to ask Mary Alice about Levi, but she knew how that would sound. She also worried about her parents only being on the other side of the wall and hearing her question the older woman on her latest tenant, so she let the woman go with a, “See you tonight,” and left it at that.

As it neared noon, three familiar faces walked into the bakery and Kassidy was glad and nervous to see them at the same time. They’d been friends since they were little kids, especially her and Addison. There was no way that they wouldn’t know something was up with her the moment she opened her mouth.

“Hey,” Kassidy greeted them, trying to keep a calm look on her face.

“Hey yourself,” Gillian said with a bladed laugh.

“Um, hi,” Kassidy repeated. “What are you guys up to today?”

“Going to go down to the state park and hang out,” Addison told her. “Some of the guys from high school got a camp site up there, so we’ll go up and have some fun. You should come after work.”

“I can’t,” Kassidy sighed. “I’m busy.”

“Oh?” Addison asked, studying Kassidy for her secrets.

“‘Oh,’ nothing,” Kassidy said. “You know I help Mary Alice on Saturdays.”

“Still?” Gillian laughed at her. “I figured you’d give that up once you got out of high school.”

“Nah,” Kassidy said with a shrug. “I like it.”

“Sure, whatever,” Gillian said, obviously not caring about Kassidy and her work at the seniors’ home. “So, how’s Levi?”

Addison shoved her at that. “Gillian, stop,” she warned her.

“Oh come on,” Gillian said. “We all want to know.”

“There’s nothing to know,” Kassidy lied. “I just helped him take his bike to Murph’s to get fixed up. That’s it.”

“Was that before or after you went out for ice cream with him?” Gillian asked, and Kassidy’s heart sank.

“How did you...?” she went to ask, but stopped herself. “Look, it was just a thank you for helping with his bike,” she told them. “But keep your voices down. My parents think I was out with Paul.”

“Oh my gosh, Kass!” Addison giggled, and even Kayla, shy Kayla, was giggling too.

“I know, I know,” Kassidy agreed. “But it was just a thank you. That’s all. There’s nothing to get excited about.”

“I wonder what Paul will think,” Addison said. “Have you seen him yet? He keeps asking about you.”

“I ran into him the other day,” Kassidy told them. “He just said hi, but come on, you know how it is between us.”

“More than you do,” Gillian said, but Addison shoved her again.

“We just don’t want you getting hurt,” Addison said.

“And you and Paul made such a cute couple in high school,” Kayla spoke up. “He still likes you, and you both look so good together.”

“That’s fine,” Kassidy tried to explain. “But I told you, I don’t see him that way. I only went out with him in high school because everyone said we’d be good together. He’s nice, but we just don’t spark.”

“But Paul will still be here next week and the week after,” Addison said. “And when school is done, he’ll come back again. We can’t say the same about Levi, as hot as he is.”

Kassidy wanted to protest that, to tell them Levi wasn’t like that and he wasn’t just going to take off, but she didn’t know that for sure either. Deep down, a part of her knew that they were right. He would leave one day and she would still be in Pinewood Grove. Alone.

But hope springs eternal and she wasn’t going to give up just because he might leave. She saw giving in to be relenting and dating Paul again, and she knew that was worse than getting her heart broken by Levi.

Even if she wanted to argue, she wouldn’t have gotten the chance. The little bell over the front door chimed and suddenly everything went quiet. The girls stopped bugging her – even Gillian – when Levi walked into the bakery.

He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. If they didn’t know who he was, he would have looked like just about any other guy in town – only a lot more good looking.

“Hey,” he said before the girls erupted in nervous giggles.

“Hey,” Kassidy greeted him while her cheeks flushed pink. “Um, you remember my friends, right?”

“I do,” he said before he shot them all a smile.

She thought for sure that her friends would insist on sticking around, but Addison spoke up first.

“Come on, guys,” she told Kayla and Gillian as she began herding them toward the front door. “We should get going so we don’t waste the afternoon. The guys are waiting for us.”

“Addison, come on,” Gillian protested, but Kayla began to help get their more stubborn friend to the door by blocking her path with her arm.

“Kass, I’m singing tomorrow,” Addison said as they finally got to the door. “Can I count on you to film it for me?”

“Sure,” Kassidy promised her. “Are you planning on putting it up on YouTube?”

“Like always,” Addison said before the three girls finally left Kassidy and Levi in peace.

“Um, hey,” Kassidy greeted him, careful to keep her voice low.

“Morning,” Levi said as he approached the counter.

“Not quite,” she told him. “It’s after noon.”

“Does that mean I’m out of luck for breakfast?” he asked.

“No,” she found herself giggling. “We still have bagels and muffins, though they aren’t exactly fresh out of the oven. Still good though.”

“I’ll go with one of each,” he told her as he ran his fingers through his mop of hair. “You choose, just pick your favorites. I’m sure I’ll love whatever you pick.”

Kassidy smiled and said, “Okay.” It was a fun game, getting to pick out her two favorites for him to try. They offered a bunch of flavors to choose from, though not nearly what was available at the big box store up the street.

“At least our ingredients are fresh and local,” her father would tell people when they said that ShopMart had a wider selection. “And we don’t add all those preservatives so that the food could withstand a nuclear attack.”

Being fresh and local was a source of pride for the family, though it did mean higher prices. Her parents wouldn’t budge on the subject, and Kassidy knew she would keep up the tradition when the time came for her to take over.

For a bagel, Kassidy went with a smoked jalapeno whole grain bagel and toasted it for Levi before she smothered it in plain cream cheese. The muffin, which she suggested he tried as a dessert for his bagel, was a strawberry cheesecake muffin.

“It’s certainly not healthy,” she laughed with him as she put it in a little brown bag for him. “But it tastes amazing.” Then she added, “And I absolutely love strawberries.”

“Me too,” he told her and for no reason at all, Kassidy found herself blushing all over again. She couldn’t help herself when he talked to her, though from the lightness in his dark brown eyes, she had a feeling he enjoyed seeing her cheeks flush different shades of pink and red.

“So look,” he said as he paid for his early-afternoon breakfast. “I heard from that mechanic that it’ll be another couple days for a new muffler for my bike to show up and I’m kind of clueless as to what there is to do in this town. Maybe you could join me for dinner, maybe show me what’s good?”

“Sure,” Kassidy said, her heart near bursting, but then she crashed again. “Oh, wait, do you mean tonight?”

“Of course,” he said, laughing lightly.

“I can’t,” she said, and his face fell.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, concern flashed in his eyes as he studied her.

“Oh, yes, of course,” she told him. “It’s just that on Saturdays I help Mary Alice at Shady Pines, the retirement home across the street. We run bingo together for the residents, and I already confirmed I’d be there this week. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he assured her. “That’s really cool of you. How about tomorrow? Brunch maybe?”

“It’s Sunday,” she reminded him, and then had the realisation that he wasn’t like everyone else in Pinewood Grove. “Church in the morning,” she informed him. “But you’re welcome to come with me, if you’d like.”