“You’ve been smiling for the past hour. Did you win the lottery or something?”
Laughing at Sally, I carry a tray of cookies to the front and put them in the case. “No, I’m just in a good mood I guess.” I’m wearing one of my new outfits, a gray frilly skirt which ends just above my knees and a lavender wrap blouse. I keep twirling around the kitchen to make it swish against my legs. I have the beginnings of a social life and my life plan is back on track, albeit with some minor adjustments.
My head snaps up when the front door jingles, but it’s not Mitch. Sally moves forward to help them and I return to the kitchen to continue baking.
A discreet knock at the back door spins me around. The familiar dark head sends a surge of pleasure through me.
One I’ll have to analyze more closely. Later.
When I open the door, he leans on the doorjamb and smiles down at me.
“Any chance I can come in the kitchen to have coffee? I’m beat and not up to braving the front and the possible hordes.”
His usual jogging clothes are absent. In their place are jeans and a black hoodie.
“Of course.” I step back and he saunters in to lean against one of the counters.
“It always smells so incredible in here. It’s like inhaling a piece of heaven.”
I grin and head for the front to grab him a coffee. Sure enough the women are gathering and lingering hoping to catch his attention. They must have spotted his truck the same way I did. A few stand near the outside tables I have set up. There’s only enough room to fit four black wrought-iron tables between the building and the sidewalk, but it provides a place for those who prefer to sit and enjoy a treat rather than dash in and out. I added a couple of potted plants to brighten up the space.
I spot Vanessa striding down the sidewalk so I grab a danish for him, cram the top on his cup of coffee, and hightail it back to the kitchen.
“You are a goddess.” He takes the coffee and inhales deeply before taking a bite out of the danish. “Truly a goddess.”
Chuckling, I shake my head while inside I’m beaming.
“So, tell me about your meeting. Was it successful?”
He blows on the coffee before attempting a sip.
“Yeah, they offered me the job. Although I haven’t decided if I will do it or not. It’s a great script and I find it interesting, but I don’t know if I want to take on a new project right now.”
“That’s terrific! That you got the job.”
He shrugs and takes another bite of danish.
“It’s given me something to think about.”
“What’s it about? Would you have to go back to L.A. right away?”
“Actually, they will probably shoot most of it on location in New York. It’s about a New York City cop and his descent into corruption.”
New York is a hell of a lot closer than Los Angeles, but still not exactly a commutable distance.
“Sounds a bit dark.”
“A large part of it is, but there are his relationships with his family and other members of the police force that intrigue me.”
“Then you should do it. If they want you to direct it then they’ll accommodate your schedule, won’t they?”
His mouth lifts in a half smile. “They hinted as much, but I’m not completely sold yet.”
He finishes the pastry and sips at his coffee while I roll out the crust for a pie.
“What about your parents? Did you have time to visit?”
“Briefly. Turns out they are taking a cruise down the coast to Mexico. It was poor timing on my part, which is why I’m back sooner than I thought.”
“At least you saw them for a little while though, right?”
“Yeah, they were very excited about their trip. I’m glad, they deserve it.”
Mitch wanders around the kitchen sipping his coffee.
“What’s been going on here while I was away? Anything interesting? Your friend Brian been around?”
I am beginning to wonder if he keeps getting Bobby’s name wrong on purpose or if he truly can’t remember. Either way I’m not going to remind him in case he ever runs into him.
“No. I went shopping with Olivia and had a good time, much to my surprise.”
“Why surprise?”
“Because I hate shopping, normally, but going with a friend made it kind of fun.”
He moves behind me and my skin tingles.
“What are you making?”
His voice rumbles over my shoulder. His breath caresses the nape of my neck.
I swallow hard and clear my throat. “Pie. I’m making blueberry pies.”
“Yum, I’ll have to buy one when they’re done. Speaking of which, I owe you for the coffee and danish.”
“No, you don’t. You’ve bought me dinner twice. Not to mention my clientele has multiplied because of your fan club.”
“Well then, I’ll make a point to go in the front more often to drive up sales.”
Glancing up to find him peering over my shoulder, the smile freezes on my face and my hands stop rolling the crust.
He smiles and kisses me on the cheek.
I freeze in place. The warmth of his kiss brands my cheek.
“What do you say about me picking you up after work today and we head out to the house so I can show you those kitchen plans?”
I blink several times trying to gather my frazzled thoughts. “That sounds great.”
The privacy of his house would provide a good backdrop for the conversation I need to have with him.
“Good, I need to finalize them with the architect so the contractors can be scheduled and the cabinets made. We need to start checking things off our summer list too. We can come up with a plan tonight.”
Right, the list.
“All right let’s start with one of the easier ones first and we can do it after I get off work one day this week.”
“We do have a few hours of daylight left. Then we’ll save the longer trips for when you’re off on a Monday or Tuesday.”
“I don’t want to interfere with your schedule. It’s just if the bakery is open, I need to be here.”
“My schedule is fairly open so we can easily accommodate yours. I’m concentrating on the house right now. If I decide to take that job, then things might change, but that won’t start for a while any way. There’s plenty of time to finish our list.”
I peek up at him watching me make the pies. I place the last shell in the dish and trim the edges.
“You ready for your reward?”
“My reward?”
“I promised you a souvenir if you didn’t run off with Butch.”
He reaches into his front pocket and pulls out a small silver wrapped box with a tiny bow on top and holds it out.
I raise my hand and then drop it. “Wait, I need to wash my hands.” Jogging over to the sink I scrub my hands and dry them.
Mitch is leaning against the counter holding the gift in the palm of his hand smiling.
“You didn’t tell me what you like, so I had to guess. When I saw this, I thought of you. I hope you like it.”
“I will.”
“You haven’t seen it yet.”
I only get gifts at Christmas and on my birthday from family. No one has ever surprised me with something like this.
I gingerly lift the box from his hand. It’s light. The box is jewelry size. Could he have bought me jewelry? I don’t wear much only because I don’t have many pieces, or the money to buy them.
Flicking a fingernail under the fold of paper, I lift it.
“You’re one of those, huh?”
I glance up from the package.
“There are two types of people when it comes to unwrapping gifts, those that rip right in and those who carefully save the paper.”
Peeling the paper free, the box rocks in my hand. I set the paper down and lift the lid. Cushioned between sections of padding is a crystal cake on a stand.
“I thought you could put it in the window to catch the sunlight while you were working.”
I’m cupping the delicate creation in both hands terrified I’ll drop it.
“It’s beautiful.” Meeting his gaze, I smile. “Thank you so much. I love it.”
Carrying it to the window over the counter, I place it in the center on the windowsill and step back.
“What do you think? Will it be safe there?”
Mitch follows me over. “I’m sure it will be fine. I was going to get you a bigger one, but I didn’t think it would fit on the sill and I didn’t know if you would want to display it somewhere else.”
“Oh no, this one is perfect.”
The sunlight makes it sparkle reflecting the light.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Before I can lose my nerve, I kiss him softly on his cheek. He hasn’t shaved this morning and there is rough stubble against my bottom lip.
He gazes down at me for a moment then he smiles and walks to the door. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
I hum when the door closes. My hips sway a little to the rhythm dancing around in my head.
After I finish shaping the crusts into the pie plates, I set them in the fridge to chill while I make the filling. Mentally, I have already put one aside for him.
I freeze with my hand on the refrigerator door.
What the hell am I doing?
I’m falling for Mitch. Again.
Closing my eyes, I drop my forehead against the cold door and groan.
No! No! No!
I’m smarter than this.
I glance down at my heart. Hear me heart, we are not going down this road again.