Page 17 of Biker Under My Tree

I blinked and turned my gaze to Nut.Pastry school?That definitely explained how he knew what a convection oven was. I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or baffled, though. He didn’t exactlylooklike the kind of guy who’d have gone to pastry school. This was a whole other level.

“Well, that explains it,” I said, trying to mask my disbelief. “Uh, wow. Where’d you go to school?” I asked, the question falling out before I could stop myself.

“Just a technical college back in Ohio,” Nut replied and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been a few years, but I figure this will be like riding a bicycle.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, not sure if that was meant to reassure me or make me question his judgment.Riding a bicycle?Seriously? Was I okay with my bakery being compared to a bike ride?

But then again, what other choice did I have? I wasn’t exactly in a position to be choosy.

Wick raised his hand like we were in a classroom and drew my attention. “I am a qualified taste tester,” he said, his chest puffed up like he was about to deliver a grand speech. “And also will be a driver.”

I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “Aqualifiedtaste tester?” I repeated, looking at him skeptically. “Do you have a certificate for that?”

Wick smirked. “Well, no, but I’ve been eating food for a long time, and I know what’s good.”

“I’m sure you do,” I said and tried to hold back another laugh. “Okay, driver and taste tester, got it.”

I looked around at the group, feeling the weight of the situation settle in. They were all waiting for me to give the green light, and honestly? I wasn’t sure I had a choice.

I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was going to work myself to the bone over the next couple of weeks. But, as ridiculous as this all was, these four people standing in front of me might be the answer to my impossible situation. If they could really help, maybe—just maybe—I wouldn’t be running on fumes by the end of it all.

The oven timer dinged and pulled me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at the oven. The batch of cookies was ready, and I had no time to waste on overthinking the weirdness of the situation. “Well, let’s get started, then,” I said, my voice more resigned than I wanted it to sound.

The four of them exchanged looks and nodded like they’d been given the official go-ahead. Bones raised his eyebrows at me, his grin widening.

And just like that, we were all in motion. The absurdity of the situation didn’t disappear, but the feeling of being completely overwhelmed slowly started to fade. With their help—strange as it was—I might just make it through the next couple of weeks.

The kitchen was full of movement and laughter as they each got into their roles. It wasn’t perfect, and I definitely didn’t think it was going to be a seamless operation, but it was more than I’d had in the last few days.

So, with a deep breath, I pressed forward. No turning back now.

Chapter Thirteen

Bones

Had that been perfect? No.

But it worked.

At least for the first day, it had.

The house was quiet now, the kind of calm that settled in after a long day of work. I stood in the driveway between the garage and Snow’s house with my hands shoved deep into my pockets.

I’d spent the whole afternoon helping Snow—well, I wouldn’t sayhelping. More like getting the rest of the crew together to help her. Snow didn’t know I was going to go that far, but in the end, she hadn’t turned down the help either.

Wick, Nut, Bonnie, and Guns had just left with the promise they’d be back in the morning to start decorating the cookies. They were good people. I wasn’t one to ask for help unless I absolutely had to, but Snow had been swamped, and I couldn’t just sit back and let her drown in cookie dough and frosting.

I turned to glance at Snow’s house as she stepped out onto the porch. She moved toward me with that purposeful stride of hers, one that always made her look like she had it all under control. She stopped beside me, and for a second, I couldn’t tell if she was still thinking over the chaos of the day or if she was just taking in the silence.

Finally, she broke the quiet. “I need to say thank you, but I’m still in shock that you did that.”

Her voice was softer than I expected, and I couldn’t tell if it was gratitude or something else in her tone. I glanced over at her, unsure if she was mad about me taking matters into my own hands without asking first. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was mad at myself for doing it, but it had worked, hadn’t it?

I shrugged and leaned back on my heels. “Um, is that a good or bad shock?” I asked as I tried to gauge her expression.

Snow laughed lightly, a sound that was so unexpected from her that it caught me off guard. “It’s a good shock. I mean, at first, I was... very skeptical, but your friends really helped me today. I learned my lesson that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover very quickly. Nut really knows what he’s doing.”

---