by Anthology
I eased back when he waved to the pot he’d been stirring and took up his place again while I tried to put the finishing touches on everything else.
But my mind wouldn’t let it go, wouldn’t let me back away from what he’d said. It wasn’t as if I’d wondered, hoped. Adam had been The Guy for me. I’d never questioned we’d make it work. I’d known the effort to make time together wasn’t something he loved, but I hadn’t thought that being with me wouldn’t outweigh that.
But to hear he thought he wasn’t making me happy?
“Why tonight?” I couldn’t even look at him as I asked. “Is it just because we’re here?
“No. Well, yes, but no.” He checked the stove, making sure everything was as I’d instructed, then gave me his attention. “I’d been wanting to call you for a long time now. From almost the moment I’d left.”
I wanted to tell him what it had been like for me. How it had nearly destroyed me.
Instead, I turned back to my work, focusing on it and mulling his words, remembering our lives when they’d been our life.
This is what I’d wanted. I’d wanted to repair things, to be Maddie and Adam again.
Now, here he was not only telling me that it was what he wanted too, but showing me with his actions by helping me in his least favorite room in the house… or, the café for that matter.
If he was being honest, I had all night. I could get past this trial and come to my own conclusions. Maybe give him my number, assuming he’d deleted it, like I’d deleted his. We could talk later. After I’d slept off tonight’s adrenaline rush.
And, it could be good. It could be really good.
I dove back into work knowing that without my focus, I’d never get to the other side of this alive. There was too much counting on it all being perfect.
Even as I did, in the back of my mind I thought, Maybe tomorrow I’ll be happy again.
We were hard at work so I barely noticed when the accordion door slid just a bit open and a pretty girl a bit taller than me stuck her head through the crack.
“Adam. There you are.” She smiled at me then turned back to the man who had nearly convinced me to believe in him again. “Someone said you might be back here. What in the world are you doing?”
I finally gathered myself enough to glance his way in time to see the panic settle in.
“You know what?” I asked. “I’m really all set in here. There’s not a thing I can think of I need him for. He’s all yours.”
“Oh, great!” She leaned in, glancing around. “It smells great in here. I didn’t know Adam baked.”
“Yeah. Don’t let him near your kitchen. You’ll regret it every day after he leaves.” I gave the girl a smile, trying to stay nice since absolutely nothing I was feeling was her fault. “Thanks for the help, Adam. Enjoy the show.”
“Maddie—”
“Really.”
He must have seen the determination in my stance, because he just nodded and slid by me, not even looking back as he pulled the door shut behind me.
Again.
FIVE
I was crushing pecans with what might have been a sledgehammer in a past life when Abby-the-teen-barista stepped in.
“It’s on the list,” I said before she could ask me what I was doing.
“What?”
“Crush the pecans. It’s on your list for tomorrow. Just figured while things cook and cool, I’ll help you get a little ahead with how crazy things are tonight.”
“Sure, that’s totally what you’re doing.”
Glancing at her, I hefted the hammer in as threatening a pose as I could make.
It was hard being tiny. You had to look up at everyone. No one expected you could take them out with one smart blow from just about anything in your kitchen.
“Look,” she continued. “I get it. I don’t blame you. I was kind of wondering what the hell that was myself. He shows up, forces his way back to help you, does all that damn wooing stuff and then, Bam. Who is she?”
“She seemed nice.” Because, what else was I going to say?
“Yeah, because that matters.”
I fought to think up some witty come back, but I was pretty much brain dead at that point.
“An ex is an ex for a reason.” The girl tossed down her towel and gave me a look you’d think only a ninety year-old spinster could pull off. “I get that you’re all googly heart over him, but he sounds like he’s a real jerk. He’s either being a jerk to you or her or both of you.”
That was probably true.
“You seem to be a nice girl,” Abby continued, rolling her eyes. “I seem to be inundated with nice girls just getting their acts together. It’s time to grow some thick skin. You blow this and I’ll never let you in here to try my sweet lemon tart. Trust me, that would be a travesty.”
And, with that pep talk, she headed into the freezer where she probably hid the dead bodies of all the other nice girls who didn’t do what she told them to.
SIX
Everything was done. It was just a matter of the baked part baking perfectly and the frozen part freezing perfectly and Dalton Reddy being on time for both.
And then, I could slip out the back door and head home to the new apartment that was Adam-free.
“Maddie.”
Or, I could deal with him one more time.
He pulled the door shut behind him, but stayed on the far side of the room, the door at his back.
“Listen.” He demanded, not backing away this time. His jaw set in a fashion I knew meant he was going to see this through no matter what I wanted. “I screwed up. Big time. This was the worst mistake I ever made—”
“More than the time you thought you could rock plaid pants?”
He froze, his tirade dried up. “I told you, those are like kilts for the modern man.”
“No, skirts are like kilts. Pants are like pants.”
“I can’t believe that you’re still judging me by that.”
“I’m still judging you by the fact you were trying to get back with me while here on a date.”
“I’m not on a date.” He shook his head as if to reinforce that.
“Does she know that?”
“She does now. That’s what I was doing. I’d told her we could hang out as friends, that it wasn’t a date. But I needed to make sure we were absolutely clear tonight because—” He gave me a look so intense I had to glance away. I couldn’t let it suck me in. “Maddie, listen. Listen to me. I told her she was really sweet, but I was getting back together with my ex.” Adam stepped closer, staring down at me as if he could win this just by having the most intense gaze.
“You’re not.” I tried to step away, but ran into the counter behind me. “You’re not unless you have another ex here tonight. You dumped me. You made me feel like I wasn’t good enough for you. You left and you definitely moved on. Which you can thank your sister for making sure that four days after you dumped me I knew you were out on a date.”
“That wasn’t a date.”
I gave him A Look.
“It was an ambush. You know how my sister is. As soon as she heard we weren’t together any more, she invited me to dinner. When I got there she had her best friend with her. Before I knew it, instant couple. At least that’s what they planned.”
“Right. Sure. We’ll get rid of that one. But I’m not stupid. You can’t convince me tonight is the first time you’ve had plans with a girl.”
“I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve gone out with a few people. But none of them were right.” He moved in, too close. Too far into my personal space. “None of them were you.”
I pushed at him, wanting him to move back, wanting him to stop saying exactly what I wanted to hear. He wouldn’t budge. Each time I shoved, he gave a little, then brought himself back around to me.
“It doesn’t matter,” he whispered, leaning in so I could hear him over the roar behind us. “It doesn’t matter if you turn me down a hundred times. I know I was stupid and wrong and I know there
’s no one else for me, so I’ll just ask you out again. And then again. And once more after that until you forgive me and let us try again.”
“I don’t want again.” I took a deep, deep breath knowing it was true. “What we had wasn’t good for me. It wasn’t the life I wanted to have. I want someone who wants me the way I am and—”
“Maddie?” Kyle stood at the backdoor, the silhouette of a man slightly taller than him in the light of the open car door behind him. “You guys ready?”
“All set! Come on.” I swept by Adam, pulling the oven door open and bringing out the warm part of my creation. “Did you want to put it together yourselves or watch me assemble them?”
Kyle glanced at Dalton Reddy as he stepped into the cramped kitchen and closed the door behind him. He stepped around Kyle to shake my hand.
And when I say, shake my hand, I mean he gently took my hand between his in a warm caress. And wasn’t Allie going to love that when I called her tonight?
“Why don’t you do it? It was great watching you make the swirly things on the plate too. Kyle tried. He’s a fail at the swirly things.” Dalton gave me his signature smile and pulled out a seat at the tiny table in the back corner. He pushed out the other chair with his foot and nodded his head at Kyle. “Grab a seat, bro.”
“I should check out front first.” Kyle shook his head. “Make sure everything’s smooth.”
“That guy can check.” He pointed at Adam. “You know the difference between a good show and chaos, right?”
Adam glared at him. Adam glared at Dalton Reddy. Dalton Reddy. I was about to shove him out the door when he glanced my way.
“Fine.” Adam continued his glare for a moment. “I’ll be right back.”
Before I knew what he was doing, he leaned down and kissed me on the side of my head as if… As if he were marking his territory.
Oh. No. No, absolutely not. If he wanted to get into a peeing match with a rock star, he was going to have to pick a different fire hydrant.
Adam pushed the accordion door aside, glanced back at me in what could only be described in a torrid novel as a penetrating stare, and strode out into the darkened café to ascertain no chaos was occurring.
Oh, we would have words later. Very loud words. Lots of them. Mostly from me.
“Your boyfriend is a little over protective.” Dalton barely looked at me he was so focused on the plate I’d pulled out of the freezer to assemble for him.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Really?”
I felt the perusal like it was a touch. He definitely had the sex part of the sex, drugs, and rock & roll image thing down pat.
“Dalton.” Kyle kicked him. Well, that was an interesting working relationship. “Famous secret recipe dessert from your favorite show… or breaking up a perfectly happy couple.”
“Right. Chocolates. Cherries. Fluffy stuff.” Dalton flashed me the grin again. “Sorry, love. I’ll be taking the sweet stuff. And that’s actually not a euphemism this time.”
Because there was really nothing I could say to that, I finished the plates and set them in front of each guy. Kyle gave me a huge grin. This was obviously a man who never took for granted where he’d be placed in the hierarchy.
“So, are you going to tell me the secret?” Dalton asked, looking for the first time as if he was halfway serious about something.
“If I told you, then you couldn’t crave this every day you were on the road and pay me obscene amounts of money to be flown to your latest show and make it for you once a month.”
“You.” Dalton picked up his spoon and pointed it at me. “I like you.”
“Don’t get cozy.” Behind me, Adam stepped into the room, pulled the door shut, and dropped his hand to the small of my back.
I added more loud words to the talk we’d be having later. But I didn’t budge. My body wanted to lean into him even as my mind was thinking up more situations like the plaid pants one to mock him with later.
“Right, man. No worries. I picked the dessert.” Dalton said it with such self-assured confidence that if he’d picked the baker he would have gotten her instead.
I rolled my eyes at both of them as Kyle gave me a quick grin.
SEVEN
Dalton adored the dessert and threatened to take me up on my offer to be flown to a show once a month. As if that was much of a threat. He raved over every bite, bragging that he always picked the Bake America! winner within the first ten minutes of the show. Kyle made sure to get tons of photos of the entire thing to pimp the next day. It was pretty much everything I’d wanted it to be.
Well, minus the ex-boyfriend hovering behind me glaring at everyone.
That was unexpected to say the least.
“Well, my sweet, sweet baker, if you want a job, it’s yours.” Dalton pushed away from the chair and headed toward the door to check out the crowd on the other side.
Kyle shook his head, gathering up their plates and cups and dropping them off at the sink.
“He means it. He has whims, but he always means them.” Kyle looked Dalton’s way, an expression of affection and exasperation painting his face before he shook his head and turned his attention back to me. “If you’re interested, we can make this work. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s a complete pain in the ass, but a good guy. Also, Melissa would like you and that makes everyone’s life easier.”
Kyle gave me a card with his private number, a hug, and, with a glance at Adam, a pat on my butt and a wink before heading out to manage the chaos about to erupt.
When Dalton and Kyle finally headed to the front of the shop to get the show moving, Adam dragged that accordion door closed behind them one last time.
This time, when it was just us, he stood, staring at me as if I were something new.
Maybe I was.
He’d seen the hours my job took. He’d seen the exhaustion at the end of a long shift. He’d seen the product—and never had a problem with eating them. But, he’d never seen me in action, never seen what I was like outside our own kitchen.
“I’m willing to be the most patient man on the planet.” He stepped toward me, not even a full step. More of a test step. And then another and another as he spoke. “I’m willing to jump through hoops and follow through on promises and be single for years to wait you out. I’m willing to move if you move and change my life to try to make our schedules fit better. I’m willing to talk about where we went wrong beyond my expectations to make sure we’re on the same page. I’m ready to commit to whatever you have in mind or let you set the pace as slow as you like.”
The expression my heart raced made complete sense. It was pounding, pounding, pounding and I could feel it wanting to run as far from here as it could.
But, by the time he stopped, he was back in my space, right in front of me. I could feel the heat and urgency rolling off him like I’d never before. Adam wasn’t a heat or urgent guy. He was Mr. Guy Next Door, most likely to have a dog, a picket fence, and two-point-five kids.
“There’s only one thing I’m not willing to do,” he continued as I tried to figure out what to do, how to protect myself. “But if that’s what you ask of me, I’ll do it. Because the truth is, when it comes right down to it, I just want you to be happy.”
I swallowed, knowing everything he’d said had been too good, too perfect. “What won’t you do?”
“I won’t give up. I won’t, Maddie. Not unless you look at me right now and tell me to leave you in peace and never seek you out again. If that’s what will make you happy, tell me now.”
I tried. I opened my mouth to tell him I was finally over him and needed to be left alone, left to become myself and recover. I needed that. I needed to be able to breathe again.
Instead, the insane part of my brain that liked to take risks with my heart and still couldn’t bear waking up without him said, “I don’t need that kind of peace.”
I’d barely finished the sentence when he jerked me against him, covering my mouth w
ith his in a way that was absolutely familiar and yet, after time apart and the pain it had caused, completely different. It was a new first time all over again, hotter than a baker’s torch I used to make crème brulee.
We stayed there, huddled in the little kitchen, listening to the music seeping into our haven until his arms finally loosened from around me… but just enough I could breathe, not enough that I could escape.
As if I wanted to now.
“You taste like cake.” He smiled down at me, rubbing his nose across mine.
“It’s just my vanilla lip balm.” I grinned, laughing at the comparison.
“No, it’s you. You taste exactly the same, my sweet, sweet girl.” He pulled me against him again, tucking me under his chin where I could admit I belonged. “Sweet as cake.”
Author’s Note - Caitie Quinn
Thanks so much for reading SWEET AS CAKE. This story is a complete stands alone, but if you want to learn more about the Brew Ha Ha ridiculousness, check out The Last Single Girl, where Mr. Right may not be the one with the shiniest online profile.
Go back to where it all starts with
THE LAST SINGLE GIRL.
Or, check out the next Brew Ha Ha Book,
THE CATCHING KIND.
Want more fun like cover reveals, advance screening of excerpts, limited giveaways? Join the Reading & Romancing group on Facebook to join the fun.
You can get the New Release updates for both The Brew Ha Ha books and also my Bria Quinlan series by signing up for the New Release Newsletter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caitie Quinn writes sweet and sassy rom coms because if you can’t laugh in love… when can you? Check out her non-story ramblings HERE at www.caitiequinn.com.
The Last Single Girl – Sarah needs a date by the big night or have the honor of being the last single girl of her group. Elove.com may not find her the man of her dreams, but it’s certainly keeping her… um, entertained.
DATING TRUTH #2: No man will ever understand and love you like your best friend does.
DATING TRUTH #4: There’s always another fish in the sea… it’s just that we keep dumping toxic waste in the water so who knows what you’ll catch next.
DATING TRUTH #7: Wine. Lots of Wine.