Page 2 of Tasting Sin

“Maybe there is.” The strong look of determination on her face startled me. When Ava got an idea, she stuck to it. “He said we’ve got thirty days. It’s a lot of cupcakes, but we have to at least try.”

“You’re right.” I chuckled when Ava elbowed me in the side. She loved being told she was right as much as I hated telling her. “I’ve never been one to just give up.”

“That’s my girl.” She high fived me before she draped her arm across my shoulders and rested her weight on me. “We’re not going anywhere.”

We have to at least try.

Chapter 2

Ronan

“Oh, come on, Giaco! I’ve been back in town for less than twenty-four hours, and you’re already on my ass,” I groaned into the phone, pulling my coat tighter around me. Boston in October was known for cold, misty weather, and especially for the brisk wind that cut through to the bone. I should’ve chosen a place to park that wasn’t so far from the door. Visiting a strip club in the middle of the afternoon wasn’t usually my scene, but it was business. That didn’t mean I had to park right in front of the building and make it obvious I was there. “Give me a break. Let me get settled at home, huh?”

My brother grumbled, getting as frustrated as he always did. “How long do you really need for that? Knowing you, you have a max of two suitcases to unpack. Stop procrastinating. You don’t need to get settled.”

“Oh relax, would ya?” I felt him stiffen from across town. I always knew exactly how to get to him. Sometimes, that didn’t bode well for me. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Why?”

“You spent the last six months following some Irish lead around the country that ended up being nothing while I handled everything here. We still need another building for a shop in the old North End, and I’m pretty sure Enzo will end up burning down the whole neighborhood before he gets us what we need.” When he sighed, I could practically see him pinching the bridge of his nose, and I bit back a chuckle. Just like Giacomo to get himself worked up. “That’s on you, and you’re back now. Handle it.”

“Jesus, I’m going to handle it. I always do. Are you going to trust me or not?” We both already knew he was going to. I had never let him down.

I turned the corner, and the sign for The Full Spread came into view. I paused when the smell of vanilla wafted from the bakery on the corner. Sugar & Spice. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten lunch, before I saw the yellow sign taped in the front window.

For lease.

When Giaco grunted, I was pulled from my distraction. “I’m obviously going to trust you. Just get it done or—”

“Yeah, yeah. I actually may have found a building now, so stop bitching.” Before he could respond, I hung up the phone.

I surprised myself when I stopped in front of the bakery door and pulled, the small bell above it ringing, drawing attention from the ebony clerk. When she looked up, her eyes widened—first with excitement, then with confusion. I imagined I wasn’t their usual customer. “Welcome to Sugar & Spice! Are you here to treat yourself with something nice?” She grinned, putting her hands flat against the counter.

I scanned the bakery. It wasn’t as small as it looked from the outside, with several tables spread across the tile floor. The walls were a pale pink, with a big cupcake painted on the display next to the small menu, and there were large glass cabinets filled with cupcakes and cakes framing either side of the counter. For a moment, I regretted coming in at all, but then I reminded myself of the yellow notice in the window.

It wouldn’t take a lot of work to turn the bakery into another branch for Anthony’s. Really, it’d just need some paint and some new fixtures for the kitchen. Probably some new tables too, but it wouldn’t need much else. The place was perfect.

“Actually, I’m here about the sign.” I pointed over my shoulder toward the door, and the girl’s shoulders sank. “The place is for lease? Is there someone I can talk to about that?”

“Oh.” She hesitated before she half-nodded her head. “I wouldn’t hold your breath. The shop owner is determined to keep it.”

“I see. Is the owner here?” I chuckled. I was sure I’d be able to convince her. I could be persuasive. I tugged my sleeves to straighten them.

The girl looked behind her toward the back of the kitchen then back at me. Her face scrunched up before she sighed. “Yeah, I’ll go get her.”

Chapter 3

Nellie

“There’s some guy here wanting to talk to you about the sign,” Ava said as she turned the corner, not even bothering to alert me she was there. I jumped, squeezing a glob of pink frosting onto my hand and muttering about having to do that cupcake over again.

I wiped the half-ruined swirl of frosting off, using a damp cloth to remove the excess from my fingers before I dropped it onto the counter. “Did you tell him we don’t actually intend to lease it out?”

“I did.” She nodded then bounced from one foot to the other. “He wants to talk to you, I guess.”

I groaned, stepping away from the stack of cupcakes I was so close to finishing. “You finish these, then?”

Ava nodded when I stepped out of the prep kitchen and into the front of the bakery. It was empty, with exception of a man wearing a suit that was way too nice just to buy some cupcakes. He faced the window, looking out onto the mostly quiet, basically alley street I had grown to love. When he turned around, my stomach lurched into my ribcage, and a sharp pain travelled into my chest.

I recognized the intense, dark eyes and the high cheek bones. His chiseled jawline was almost the same as it had been the last time I saw him, but it was more defined now. He looked content, keeping both of his hands stuffed in the pockets of his suit. Ronan Moretti.

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