Page 7 of Love your Billionaire Boss

Her eyes fluttered closed. “Mmmmm. These are heavenly.”

Cleo smiled. There was no better feeling than watching someone enjoy what she made.

“Seriously, Cleo! These need to be in every café. You have a gift, my friend.”

“I’m actually going to shop myself out in a few days. I’m hoping one of the city’s cafés bite. Literally.”

Elle laughed. “They will. They have to.”

Cleo nodded hopefully before letting out a big yawn. She reached for her cup of coffee and took a long sip.

“Long night?” Elle raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t get out of there until four a.m.”

“Sheesh, girl.”

“I know. I keep telling myself it’s not forever. Besides, I really like Bridget.”

“How is she feeling, by the way?” asked Elle, as she took another bite of her muffin.

“She’s feeling better. She should be back running things tonight.”

Elle nodded. “Good, good. And now you have the next few days to focus on this.” She waved around the kitchen. “So, what are we making today?”

Cleo smiled. “I am making maple cinnamon rolls, coffee cake muffins, and strawberry cream cheese strudels.”

“Hey now. I assist. Kind of. That all sounds delicious.”

“Mhmm,” said Cleo sarcastically, as she began sorting through ingredients in her pantry.

For the next hour she mixed ingredients meticulously, every once in a while tasting the different batters and dough. Elle knew the right times to talk, and when to be quiet to let Cleo focus. They had known each other long enough to understand each other’s body language and mannerisms by heart.

As kids, they had lived across the street from one another. Cleo had a treehouse they would camp out in with their pre-teen magazine posters taped to the walls and their crushes’ names carved into the wood. Every weekend, they would have sleepovers at each other’s houses. They were in every class together. Even though they couldn’t stop talking, the teachers never separated them.

They were there for each other through their first boyfriends and breakups, Elle’s parents divorcing, and the untimely death of Cleo’s grandmother. They were the definition of best friends, and even though they were accepted at different colleges, they remained close. Making a pact, they promised they would end up in the same city after graduation, which ended up being Boston.

“Okay, the strudels are done. The muffins are going in the oven. The cinnamon rolls have to proof for a while,” said Cleo as she studied her recipe book for a minute. When she was sure of herself, she poured another cup of coffee and took a seat at the kitchen table. Elle hopped off the counter and took the seat across from her.

“Soooo…” said Elle, giving Cleo a small smirk.

“I know that look.”

“What look?” Elle shrugged innocently.

“The look before you ask, ‘are you seeing anyone?’”

“Well, are you?” Elle took a sip of coffee.

“Not since the last time you asked, which was what? Two days ago.”

Elle laughed.

Cleo shook her head before taking another sip of coffee. She had no time to date. Between working at the bar and baking on her days off, she was too tired to even toy with the idea. Plus, the last date she went on was a disaster. And of course, it was Elle’s idea.

Elle had set her up with one of her office coworkers. She had seen him in the copy room and thought he was kind of cute. After a quick, casual conversation, she gave him Cleo’s number. She had told an annoyed Cleo that she thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Cleo accepted his invitation to dinner on her night off from the bar. She met him at a fancy restaurant he chose that was in the heart of the city. The night started out rocky when he showed up twenty minutes late. Since it was her first date since she moved to Boston, she let it slide in hopes it would go up from there. Instead, it did the opposite. He was on his phone most of the time. He claimed he forgot his wallet, although she could have sworn he walked in holding one. At the end of the night, he basically made out with her cheek when she turned her head at his advances.

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