Page 30 of Tasting Sin

When he smiled, the dimples in his cheeks popped, but I felt instantly more nervous. “I came for some more of those cookies.” He chuckled, and the heaviness in the air around us lightened. I laughed, thinking about the number of macarons he’d eaten at the party. How was he not sick of them?

“I don’t actually sell those in the shop.” I shook my head apologetically, looking at the cupcake cases. “Just cupcakes. Those were only for the party.”

Enzo half-sighed and half-groaned, dropping his head back like a toddler about to throw a fit. Then, he zoned in on the case, putting his finger against the glass and leaving a smudge I’d have to clean off when he left. “Okay, fine. Give me two of these chocolate ones with the little pink sprinkles.” He paused, scanning the room. “Geez. What’s with all the pink?”

I pulled two cupcakes from the tray and put them in a box, packaging it up and entering the sale into the register. He looked at the bow on the box and scowled, sliding me a black credit card. “People like pink,” I said, following his stare and blushing. “Or at least, I do.”

When I gave him his card back, he nodded, as if accepting my explanation. Then, he took the box and carried it to one of the tables off to the side. I scrunched my nose when he sat down with a huff, tearing the bow from the box and pulling out one of the cupcakes.

“Who’s that?” Ava asked from behind me, causing me to jump. I placed my hand over my chest as my heart thumped harder.

“What?” I asked her before her question caught up to me. “Oh, that’s Ronan’s cousin.”

Ava shrugged. “He’s kinda cute,” she said while he took a big bite out of his cupcake, letting crumbs tumble down the front of his shirt and onto the table. “And messy. Maybe also a little scary.”

I nodded, agreeing that somehow, the man covered in chocolate crumbs with frosting on his lip was scary. When he looked up, I realized we were both staring at him, and when he lifted his brows, I knew he realized it too. My stomach sank, heavy with sudden embarrassment. Ava didn’t look away—she was rarely as embarrassed as I was. It had been a game for us once upon a time to see how easily she could make me blush and hide my face in the grocery store or at the bar.

“What’s he doing here?” she asked loudly. Enzo chuckled.

“I’m here to make sure you’re safe,” he said casually without getting up from the table. He grabbed the second cupcake, peeling the paper off and dropping it back into the box.

I sighed, and I heard Ronan’s voice in my head as if he were standing on the other side of the counter. I’m protecting you. “I don’t need a security detail,” I said. Enzo shrugged, not caring about my objection.

“I’m not a security detail.” He leaned back in his seat, and I bit back a chuckle at how ridiculous he looked. His clearly expensive suit was a major contrast to the baby pink chair he sprawled out in.

Ava didn’t hide her amusement. “Then what are you?”

“I’m just a guy eating a cupcake.” Enzo took another bite, dropping more crumbs onto the floor. He crossed his leg, making himself comfortable.

I sighed, and Ava laughed, throwing her head back. “He’s got you there, Nel.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “But unless you buy more, once that cupcake is gone, you need to go.” Enzo nodded in a way that told me he heard me, but he wasn’t going to listen. I groaned.

When the door opened and the bell rang again, I swallowed the annoyance, replacing it with the customer service smile I had spent years mastering. Stu walked in, and I noticed Enzo stiffened when I did. I swallowed, sucking in a deep breath. “Hey, Stu!” I sounded overly excited, and he pursed his lips.

“Nellie.” He nodded, scanning the bakery with a look of disappointment etched in his shallow wrinkles. “I think you know why I’m here.”

I nodded. “I do, and I have good news.” My voice lifted, and Stu cringed. “I have the downpayment! I had a big catering job, and I have the money now. I can pay you!”

He looked down, and his shoulders sank, along with my excitement. “It’s too late,” he said with a single shake of his head. “That’s what I came here to tell you. The building has been sold. I was able to get you an extra thirty days to move out.”

“Wait, what?” The room started to spin around me, and I planted my hands against the counter to keep my balance. “You told me if I got the money…”

Stu looked the same kind of apologetic he did when he told me the building was up for lease. “I’m sorry, Nellie.” He wasn’t sorry.

“So I only have thirty days?” I looked around the pink bakery, trying to stabilize the ground beneath my feet. Ava put her arm around my shoulders, and the spinning room came to a sudden halt before it blurred behind a wall of tears.

He nodded. “You have thirty days.” He turned to leave, and when he got to the door, he pulled the yellow sign that had been taunting me out of the window. My heart pounded into my ribcage, and my pulse throbbed against my eardrums. “I’ll be in touch,” he said. When he left, the bell over the door rang. It felt so final.

“You okay?” Ava asked when the door slammed behind him. I shook my head, clamping my eyes shut.

“No,” I said. The lump in my throat started to suffocate me even before Enzo stood up from his seat. I put my hand up. “But I will be.”

She smiled sympathetically, tightening her hold on me and pulling me against her for a hug. “We will be,” she said. “We’re going to find a new building. I promise.”

“I know we will.” I smiled at her even as tears painted a trail down my cheeks. I wiped them away, brushing my hands on my apron to dry them. Then, I straightened my back just as the door opened again. I looked in the direction of the bell.

“Welcome in,” Ava said, skipping her usual quirky greeting.

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