A/N: Hello everyone! A bit of an early update since I found some time. The photo above is the leading lady, portrayed by Oscar Winner Alicia Vikander. She is such a lovely gal. 

Enjoy and Happy reading. Until the next updater - tomorrow.

------

A beeping sound in the distance woke me up the next morning. I groaned while twisting around the stiff foam. I regretted feeling happy about the moving staff bringing it across the country. After a quick stretch, I sat up and grunted as I got on my feet. It took me a moment to get my senses settled on where I was. The smell of dirty old socks and moss made me snort in disgust. A few days ago, I was sleeping in my expensive bed with blue satin sheets. But now, all I had for a bed was foam and a poor excuse of a sheet with pillows that remind you of a rock. I made a mental note on going shopping for home décor before proceeding with my impending exile.

After I finished moping on my lost, I headed towards the bathroom and cleaned up. In fresh new clothes, I paced to the kitchen with breakfast in mind. It took me a second to recall I had nothing on my fridge. I was wrapped up with moving and getting settled yesterday I forget to buy groceries. With a disgruntled sigh, I grabbed the key to my old Ford truck and decided to head out.

On the way, I stopped on my trail when I heard a women almost yodeling to get my attention. In confusion and a bit of interest, I turned towards the sound and found a woman in her late thirties, wearing a yellow sundress and red headband waving at me. I was surprised and couldn't verbally respond.

"Hello there. Are you Luke's cousin? Cole was it? I'm sorry if my family and I didn't properly greet you yesterday," she said and made her way towards the fence that divided the properties where we both stood.

"Yes Ma'am. I'm Kyle actually, and it's okay," I replied after composing myself and quickly headed toward her direction.

With a blush and cheeky smile, we shook hands in greeting. "Why? Aren't you a gentleman, calling me Ma'am? Please, it's Grace Howard. Call me Grace."

"Nice to meet you... Grace."

"I didn't know Mrs. Wilde had another nephew." She stared at me in wonder.

"She doesn't. I'm related to Luke by his father's side," I explained, familiar with Luke's mother's maiden name and stuck with the story he had presented yesterday.

"Oh! Are you Mr. Bailey's nephew?" she studied me with scrutinizing eyes.

"Yes. I am."

"Well, I didn't know he had such a handsome nephew...Anyways, it was nice meeting someone new in this town." She pointed with a smile while giving one last appreciative glance.

After a respective goodbye, I hurriedly headed towards my truck, praying the neighbor living on the other side wouldn't show and chat up too. Once I backed up the driveway, it was clear there were no interruptions from my neighbors. I drove towards the Central Avenue without a destination in mind. Hunger was the only set goal I needed to be accomplished at the moment. And then, like my prayer being answer, my eyes landed on the bakeshop I stopped yesterday. There was no energy left in me to drive further to get something to eat.

After parking by the front door, I watched a group of women, who looked to be in sixties, marched wearing a vintage flower patterned dress and knitted cardigans. As I hoped out of the driver seat, I kept a slow paced and allowed the group to go ahead of me. One lady who trailed behind glanced in my direction, giving me a warm smile in greeting. I smiled back before walking towards the door.

Entering the store, the women settled themselves by the booth near the glass window. I waited a moment, allowing them to take the line first – though there was no line at all. With a fair assessment, I studied the interior of the shop. There was nothing extravagant in the decoration that I hadn't seen back home. Yet the place had a different feel to it. The high ceiling with steel lights dangling from above the wooden floor and white-bricked walls made the place looked commercial. But the velvet couches and mix-matched wooden chair turned the vibe from urban to vintage.

"Hey there, good morning. How may I help you?" I snapped my attention back towards the register. The older women finished their orders.

Once my eyes trailed towards the person behind the counter, I was stopped in my advance. To describe her as plain was unfitting. Her petite frame and calm expression could easily make her younger than she looked. But the wearily glint in her eyes told me there was more to her than just mere beauty.

"Ah... sir. Is there anything you want to order this morning?" she asked again, her eyebrow slightly creased together in discomfort.

I composed my obvious ogling and walked the small distance to the counter. After clearing my throat twice, I turned away from her and studied the crammed counter refrigerator. It was filled with assorted breads and pastry that any sweet tooth could dream. For a town this small, I hadn't expected an array of choices from the local bakery.

"I'm not sure what to get really. Would you like to suggest anything?" I spoken up after getting caught staring.

"Are you here for breakfast or a coffee run?" she asked as politely as she can, her voice sounded a bit stiff.

"Both, really. I forgot to get groceries yesterday," I replied adding a piece of information unconsciously.

"Well, we have a breakfast set, sir. Do you prefer ham or bacon?" she nodded as I glanced towards her slim finger pressing on the register.

"That's a personal question, but since you asked, I'm a ham person. How about you, what do you prefer?" I asked with a grin, trying to ease up her discomfort. Since I was the source of her anxiety, it felt obligatory I made her smile.

She glanced up at me in disbelief, eyeing me with uncertainty. When I hadn't dropped the grin on my face, her expression softened before the end of her lips twitched as she fought not to smile. "Same."

I blinked back my surprise that she replied. Before I could smoothly come up with another unnecessary comeback, a paper rolled out from the register. She pulled it out and told me the total amount I had to pay. I kept my mouth shut while yanking out the money from the front pocket of my jeans, putting an awkward silence between us. It lightened my discomfort that there were other customers in the place after my mind had process what I done. To put in plainly, I was flirting with the cashier attendant.

Subsequently handing her the money, I continued to keep my mouth shut. I retreated to a near by table with the change and a number to wait on. And patiently, I watched as another staff entered from a threshold, which might lead to the back of the store. His eyes quickly scanned the store before turning to her co-worker. The other staff greeted her with a brief hug before facing the coffee machines lining up behind the counter. The man was a few inches taller than her with a brooding look on his face. He had an identical brown hair, but had fairer skin tone.

I turned away when one of the old ladies called my attention. My eyes and ears grew alert. "I'm sorry to disturb you, dear. Are you the boy occupying Mrs. Wilde's home?"

"Ah... yes, ma'am." I stuttered in replied, my voice an octave higher from the unexpectedness.

"What is you name, dear?" Another one asked in interest, her smile looked more than friendly.

"It's Kyle, ma'am."

"You're Luke Bailey's relative?" a raspy female voice interjected from the direction of the register. It was the cashier girl.

I looked up and found her astonishment. "Yes. He's my cousin," I replied with a weak smile.

"I didn't know he had a cousin named Kyle," she suspiciously pointed while studying my face.

"You knew Luke, Lenna?" the old lady who called my attention asked her. My ear perked up when I got free information of her name, since she hadn't worn any nametag.

"We were schoolmates in elementary and a childhood friend," she replied kindly before turning back to me. "Where is Luke? I hadn't heard he came back."

"He stopped by yesterday. As of the moment, he's on his way back to Chicago."

"What? I didn't know he was here... someone should had seen him..." she trailed off, sounding a bit offended before the male staff interrupted. "I think Ms. Carol saw him yesterday. I heard her gossiping when I dropped by to grab some food this morning."

"That is so typical of him to not show himself," she pouted in thought before wiping her hand on the apron tied to her waist. "So, how is he?" she turned to me with a pleasant smile, asking like we were old friends.

"I wouldn't be surprise if he's slacking off since I'm gone from work," I chuckled at a memory of my last trip aboard.

The story was I returned a day early and found him sleeping on his desk. He wasn't slacking off. He had fallen asleep on his desk after another overnight's work.

"You two worked at the same place?" she asked in delight, her eyes gleaming in interest.

My grin stiffened as I cut myself off before I got a word out. "Ah... he's a... he and I worked closely at the office, like partners really..." I replied evasively.

"Oh! So what brought you here?" The curiosity was written all over her face. When she realized what she asked, she covered her mouth in shock. "Ah! You don't have to answer that... I'm sorry for being nosy."

I watched her face flushed in a shade of red, which I didn't know was possible from her olive skin. She elbowed her co-worker who stood silently, not even giving her a warning she had crossed an imaginary line.

Biting back a smile, I cleared my throat to wash off my amused expression. "It's okay. I wasn't expecting a direct interrogation after moving in a day. But I'd already seen my neighbor and greeted them, so you're the least of my problems."

The gleam in her eyes came back as her lips tugged into a smirk. "I see you've already made acquaintance with the Howards."

"And I see you're chit-chatting again, Lenna." An bulky man with hair a mix of black and grey peered over the archway leading toward the back. "And who are you talking so early in the morning already?" he added as he glanced around the store. He gave a slight head tilt when his eyes met the group of ladies. And then, once his eyes stopped in my direction, I watched his soft expression turned to stone.

"Sorry. I'm getting back to work." Lenna quickly turned towards the coffee machine. "Oh! That man over there is Luke Bailey's cousin. Can you believe he visited without saying 'hi'?"

"Bailey? Mrs. Wilde's grandson?" the man asked, his eyes darted towards Lenna before looking back at me. "I didn't know the Bailey's had other relatives." He stated rather than asked.

"Well, sir... I'm actually the nephew of Luke's fa..." I stated. My voice sounded strained from the lie.

"Ronald! Where are you? I need a hand with this!" a screeching female voice shouted from the direction of the back room, halting me mid-sentence.

The old man, Ronald, grumbled inaudible under his breath before turning around to reply. "I'm here!"

For a moment, my mind couldn't process how familiar everyone was with anyone. When Luke told me about staying at his old hometown, he warned me about people knowing everyone. At that time, I thought he was exaggerating. But seeing how the customer and the workers in the bakeshop talked like they were in a family gathering, I rethink about Luke's warning. If I got to close enough with these people, I wasn't sure how long before anyone would point out my past and who I am.

"Here's your ham breakfast meal." I looked up in time Lenna placed a tray of food on the table in front of me. Her face was at close proximity with mine.

I leaned back in surprise but hurriedly composed my expression before her eyes peered in my direction. I'd never expected her eyes to be the same shades as almonds. The light blush on her cheek came back as she stepped away from me with a shy smile.

"Enjoy your meal. And welcome to Whitefish, Montana. I'm sure the view had taken your breath away."

I nodded my head, not sure how to respond before she turned around. My eyes followed her until she stood back behind the counter. I noticed her co-worker served the other customers when I heard their soft exchange of pleasantries. Once he delivered their meals, he glared in my direction. At first, I though the men had some obvious dislike with me from how I talked with his co-worker, Maybe they had some sort of relationship. But then I heard the shop door opened as another customer came in.

The glare from the other staff's eyes didn't falter until the new customer reached the counter. It was then I noticed Lenna expression. The weary gaze she sported when she greeted me came back. Does she always greet people with that look? Yet her expression had a bit of edge from when I approached her. She seemed guarded, her eyes studying the new customer.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was cold. Not a hint of the girl who cheerfully talked to me about Luke.

"I came by to pick up some bread for breakfast. How's the little rascal?" The man replied smugly, unaffected by her rudeness. From where I sat, I could only make out what the man wore. He had a denim jacket with pair of leather jeans and black boots on. His dark brown hair seeped out from the gray beanie he had on.

"Don't act like you've missed him, Stephen. Gabe drove him to kindergarten this morning again. And you aren't supposed to be here," She kept her expression firm.

"Don't give me that tone, Lenna! Is it a crime to come by and see you?" he quipped roughly, his voice edging into anger.

"Hey! If you want to make some sort of scene here Stephen, I advise you to go ahead. It would make my day seeing you dragged out here with a police escort." Lenna's co-worker interjected and took a step forward, blocking Lenna from the new guy.

"Shut up, Archie!" The guy, who Lenna named Stephen, almost growled in warning, his hand balled into a fist.

As I watched the confrontation, the room grew quiet. The group of ladies anxiously sat while the scene unfolded. As for me, I was at the edge of my chair, waiting for the chance to grab the guy if he laid a hand on anyone, especially on Lenna – seeing as she was his purpose here.

"How many had you drank, Stephen?" Lenna's voice resurfaced from the thickening tension in the room.

"Why do you always accuse I've been drinking whenever I get pissed off?" Stephen retorted and slurred on his words.

"Stephen, just go out. I would get you some bread after work. But don't come back here, please." Lenna sighed dejectedly as I noticed her hand holding Archie's arm.

"Lenna, dear. Could you help me with...?" a pitchy female voice trailed off in the direction of a woman entering from the back room. Her light brown hair was tied neatly with a chef cap on her head. From the white coat she wore, I guessed she was the baker.

There was a short pause from her arrival. The woman's eyes darted at Stephen's direction before turning and calling out the man who appeared before her. Once she got a reply from him, her face turned dead serious. "Stephen. You know the rules."

Stephen held both his hands up in surrender. "Got it, Mrs. Leighton. You didn't have to tell me twice." He stated, walking backwards away from the counter.

After a few beat of silence, Ronald, the man from before who looked somber, stood beside the woman with the most threatening look. I watched Stephen stop dead on his tracks before titling his head in greeting towards the direction of the man. Glancing back at Ronald, I saw no change from his expression and stance. With that, Stephen turned on his heel. With a backhand wave, he exited the bakeshop with no further words.

Across the counter, I saw Lenna visibly exhaled in relief before turning to Archie, the other staff, who was already rubbing her back in comfort.

"Is everybody here okay?" It was the chef, Mrs. Leighton as Stephen called, asked aloud. Her question was directed to everyone in the room.

"We are alright, dear. He didn't do anything to Lenna," one of the old lady replied. There was a hint of fear lingering in her voice.

"I apologize for the sudden tension. I didn't mean to ruin your morning," Lenna's sweet voice had my rigid body relaxed. Her worried eyes darted towards mine.

"As I'd said, I met my neighbors this morning. My morning was already ruined to begin with," I replied lightly, giving her a small assuring grin.

From her weary expression, I saw the small gleam on delight in her eyes. As most of my morning goes, today had to be the most eventful I'd experience in an unfamiliar place. Maybe Luke was wrong about living in a small town. There seemed to be a lot going on here than mere daily gossip. It might be enough to keep them away from my issue and make my exile less aggravating.