Chapter Seven

Andrea did a double take when Carol answered her question. "Excuse me? Did you just say you had a date?"

Carol shrugged, leaning back into her couch, feeling smug that she was able to surprise her friend with that unexpected answer. "It's more like a friendly get together actually. It isn't like it'll go anywhere but the prospect of spending time with someone new is pretty exciting."

"Which one!" Andrea exclaimed, clearly more excited by the news than Carol was, which made her feel a little guilty.

"Rick."

Andrea made a face. "The cop?"

Carol nodded, trying not to let her disappointment show. Rick was a really sweet man but there really wasn't a spark of anything as far as she could tell.

"How many men are you talking to regularly?" Andrea asked.

Carol glanced at her and then back down at her cup. "Three. Is that awful?" She asked, looking up at her friend.

Andrea grinned, shaking her head and causing her blonde waves to dance across her shoulders. "Not really. I've been talking to ten."

With a roll of her eyes Carol laughed at that. "Why did I even ask?"

Andrea waved her off. "Actually, only one has really sparked my interest but the others are nice and fun to talk to for the most part. I can tell by the look on your face that you aren't really feeling it with this Rick guy. Which one has you hooked?"

Carol shrugged lightly and stood up. "There's this guy, Darrin, and every time I talk to him I feel like I'm talking to someone that I've known my whole life. He makes me laugh and he's just as new to all of this as I am. I think I look forward to talking to him the most. But right now I have to get back to work. I hate opening so late but this place has been shut down for a week and I'm ready to see some of my regulars." She was so happy that she had been able to go back to her kitchen this morning and prepare to open her doors back up. The place had needed the upgrades and the space was all brand new and much more efficient but the time off, and the flu she had spent days fighting off, had her ready to dive back in.

"Okay, that's my cue. I don't feel like getting flour all over me so I'm going home. I was worried you were still sick."

Carol followed her down the steps and out into the midsummer heat. "I've just been busy." She flushed and it had nothing to do with the temperature.

"You've been holed up in your office falling in love with a man you haven't even met."

Carol snorted and pushed Andrea towards her car. "It's hardly love. It's just exciting. Would it make you happy if I said that you were right?"

Andrea put her hands on her hips. "Actually no. I was really looking forward to giving you the I told you so. You've ruined it. I was hoping I could just detect your elation and then rub it in your face." She grinned and then got into her car.

Carol laughed and unlocked the door, stepping in and smiling as the familiar smell of homemade sweets filled her nose. She had missed this place. She was lucky that it was such a small success. She learned after opening the place that bakeries were notorious for going under quickly. She had great customers though and she was sure she owed most of the success to them and getting the name of the place out there.

She was just finishing up filling one of the display cases when the sound of the bell had her looking up. She nearly dropped the assortment of desserts when she saw who was standing there. She hurriedly shoved them into the case and stood up, wiping her hands on the apron and coming around the counter.

"Daryl!" She exclaimed with a smile that she tried to fight because she knew that she probably looked like a crazy person.

He blinked, looking surprised that she remembered his name at all and then he nodded in greeting, his blue eyes flicking around the room. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the bright space with his dark clothes and brooding good looks but she was thrilled to see him, even though she had no idea what that was even about. "Figured I'd stop by since I never have before. Wanted to say thanks for the advice. Flu didn't last half as long for me as it did for everybody else that came down with it."

She saw color brighten his face and then, without thinking, she grabbed his arm and started hauling him towards the table closest to her counter, just in case someone else came in. "I ended up with it myself and it was miserable.

"Probably caught it from me then," he mumbled, looking so uncomfortable that she felt bad for dragging him through the room. He sat down heavily in the wrought iron chair.

She shook her head. "Nonsense. I think we're all destined to come down with that damn flu. It's spread like wildfire around here. Are you hungry?"

He shrugged, clearly unsure what to say to her. His shyness didn't match his looks at all. Especially now that he wasn't sick. When she had first seen him he had been pale and sweaty and disheveled but still, his looks had been striking. Now she didn't want to look away from him. But she couldn't just sit there and stare at him. "What's the best thing you got?" He finally asked.

She pursed her lips and then made a great show of pondering, when she already knew what she'd serve him. "Pie. You look like a pie man and I have the best in the state."

He stared at her, that blush deepening but his pupils grew a little larger.

When she realized how she had sounded she gasped, her face burning. "Oh my God. That sounded horrible."

He swallowed and shook his head. "I'll try your pie." He seemed to wince. "I mean..."

"Jesus," she muttered standing up as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'll be right back. Don't leave!" She called from over her shoulder. Son of a bitch what in the holy hell was wrong with her! She grumbled to herself as she got two sample plates ready. When she came back around he was still sitting in the same chair but he was gnawing on his thumbnail and he looked more nervous than he had a minute ago.

He looked up when she came around the counter, handing him the plate and then sitting back down across from him. She didn't know what it was about this man that had her so worked up. His brows shot up when he looked at the assortment on the place.

"I know it's a lot but I wasn't sure what kind you would like so I just thought you could try a little bit of a lot."

The corner of his mouth turned up but he didn't look at her. Instead he grabbed the fork and dug right in. He stopped mid chew, his eyes widening. "Fuckin' Christ, woman. You really do have the best damn pie in the state."

She laughed at that and started in on her own, feeling a little less awkward. "I should be as big as a house. Working here I have no choice but to sample a lot."

He eyed her, chewing thoughtfully. "You ever need a taste tester, I'm up for volunteering. I don't give a damn if I get fat."

She smiled, catching her lip with her teeth as she watched him. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

~H~

Talking to her in person was a lot more difficult than talking to her online. He couldn't seem to stop the goddamn heat from rising in his face every goddamn time she looked at him and she had to think that he was a complete fucking idiot by now. Merle was right. He was a total mental case. This was insane. He should have been able to talk to her easier than this. Hell, he'd talked to her every damn day for a week.

"So, Daryl, what do you do for a living?" She asked after she took their plates to the back.

"I've been a mason for about fifteen years..." Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!

Her eyes widened. "Really? A friend of mine is in that line of work. Well, not friend exactly. I'm not sure what he is. Darrin Smith? Do you know him?"

Daryl took a long sip of the coffee she had brought him. He usually didn't drink it this late but it was buying him a little more time with her. He shook his head. "Never heard of him."

She smiled, her finger tracing the rim of the cup. "Well, if you met him I'm sure the two of you would hit it off. You're both very sweet."

He snorted. "That's what my brother says. I'm the sweet one and he's the jackass."

She smiled. "You have a brother?"

He nodded, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. M-Mike," he said, barely catching the slip up. This was fucking hard! He had to keep her from knowing he was Merle's brother and he couldn't let her find out that he was this guy she seemed to like so damn much. Damn it, why the hell had he done that? He could have just done this. He could have stopped in here and talked to her in person and gotten to know her. Instead he had fucked up big time and he was just now realizing it. He like this woman! This was a total clusterfuck of his own making.

"Where did you meet this Darrin guy at anyway? He a regular?" He asked, wondering if she would tell the truth.

Her face flushed and she looked down. "Actually, I've never really met him in person. I talk to him online. I have a few friends I talk to but he's the one I enjoy talking to the most. There's another guy, Rick, I'm meeting him Friday night, out at that bar off highway 31. He says they have great food so I figured it was a safe enough place. I didn't want to meet up with him somewhere alone. Actually, the date was suppose to be Saturday but he's taking someone else out and the woman had to switch days on him. Some mix up with her babysitter or something." She rambled.

Daryl nodded. "That place ain't half bad. It does have good food and the crowd never gets too rowdy either."

"You've been there?" She asked.

He nodded. "I usually stop in and have a beer or two a week, with Rick Grimes, actually."

She perked up. "So you know him?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. We've been friends for a while."

"So he isn't some sort of serial killer posing as a police officer or anything?" She asked, looking like she was only half joking.

Daryl laughed. "Nah. You might die of boredom but other than that, you'll be safe."

She grinned. "Do you go there on, say, Friday nights very often?"

He shook his head. "I don't think you'd get so bored on your date that you'd need me hoverin' around to make sure you have fun. I ain't too fun myself actually."

"Well, it isn't a date, really. My mission was to meet new people. Make friends with others that I normally wouldn't meet otherwise. We've shared dessert and coffee so actually, this is the closest thing to a date I've been on in twelve years or more so... I mean, not that this is a date or anything. I just meant that..."

He laughed, the sound surprising him. She was as bad at this shit as he was. "Tell ya what. You go ahead and try to survive the night with Rick and then if you stop in there on Saturday night, I'll see you there."

She raised one eyebrow at him, seeming to relax. "Are you asking me on a date?"

His brows came together in a frown. "Am I? Fuck, I don't even know. But if you want to hang out, I'll be there. I gotta run though."

She stood up when he did. "I'll see you Saturday then."

He chewed the inside of his lip and nodded. "Sounds good."