Page 15 of Baking it Merry

“The office parties are a little more laid back, but you want everything to be easy to serve, easy to eat.Lots of handheld things like the cookies, cupcakes, bars…you don’t want anything that has to be sliced or scooped because it leaves too much of an opportunity to make a mess, and nobody wants that.”

“Agreed.”

“And the client party, you want something maybe a little more upscale so maybe we do a table with two of the cupcake towers, a champagne tower, and then we do dessert cups that are served butler style—you know, where the servers walk around with them.”

“Dessert cups?”

“Things like… pecan caramel baklava cups, mini tiramisu cups, chocolate cheesecake trifle cups, um…mini key lime cheesecake cups, red velvet cupcakes in a jar, carrot cake shots…oh, the list is endless!We can pick maybe a dozen desserts for each party and come up with creative displays and themes!”

Daphne knew she was smiling from ear to ear, but Tristan looked less than thrilled.

Not that she was surprised.

“How about this,” she began a bit more calmly.“I’ll work up the menus tonight, and tomorrow we can get together if you have time—or I can just email them to you—for you to look over.I’ll just need a basic head count so I know what I’m dealing with, but this is all extremely doable.”

“That wasn’t what the other dozen bakeries said,” he mumbled.

“Most bakeries at this time of year are already booked and have set menus for what they’re going to offer.Since I’m just a small fish, I can be more creative.And if none of this sounds like what you’re looking for, then that’s fine too.Working together was never something I thought was going to happen, so…no hard feelings.”When she went to stand, Tristan’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“Thank you for being willing to take time out of your day to meet with me,” he said, his voice oddly soft.

Here it comes, she thought, the brushoff.

“This is all out of my comfort zone,” he admitted.“I have no idea if this sounds good or bad because normally I just show up and don’t really pay attention to what’s being served or if there’s a theme or…any of it.All I know is that it’s important to my mother that I do this, and I don’t want to let her down.”

Aww…

Resting her hand on top of his, Daphne met his gaze and offered him a smile.“Then we’re not going to let that happen.Together, we’re going to make her proud.I promise.”

They stayed like that longer than she thought was professional, but it didn’t feel weird.His eyes were a deep blue and when he wasn’t scowling, they just sort of drew you in.

Like they were right now.

Uh-oh…

Pulling back a bit more dramatically than the situation required, she got to her feet.“So…yeah.I’ll work up some plans and I’ll just email them to you.”Glancing around his office, she asked, “Do you have a card or something with your email address on it?”

Nodding, Tristan walked over to his desk and picked one up, holding it out to her.“Thanks, Daphne.I…I really appreciate the help.”

Taking the card, she tried not to get lost in his eyes again.“No problem.And hey, I promise not to sabotage your parties like you were going to sabotage my muffin delivery.”And sliding the card into her pocket, she smiled.“Have a great night!”

It wasn’t until she was in the elevator that she realized what she had just said.

“Oh God, why would I say something like that?”But everyone knew she wasn’t that kind of person.Tristan probably took it as the joke that she intended it to be, right?

“Why would she say that?”

Tristan had asked himself that question at least a hundred times in the last fifteen hours and thirty minutes, and as he strode into the building, he was going to demand an answer.

Yanking the lobby door open, the smell of baked goods hit him in a way he hadn’t noticed before.He knew Daphne didn’t bake on-site and she’d been here in the building for several weeks, so…did it always smell this good?

No.No time to think about yummy smells.If she was planning on messing with his parties to get back at him for beingcurtwith her, then he was going to put a stop to that right now.Storming over to the gingerbread house—which he still thought was ridiculous—he was all set to start yelling when she turned and smiled at him.

A genuine smile.

Yesterday had felt like blinders had come off and he saw her for the first time.She was no longer a nuisance in the lobby, but a person.

A woman.

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