Page 13 of Mitch

“So, you’re working with him?” Nolan pressed.

I sighed, figuring there was no use denying it.

“Sort of. We met today to go over the job. Some social media campaign stuff, and...”

“And what?” Dawson pressed as I scanned the room.

At that moment, just as I opened my mouth, I saw him. He’d just walked in, alone, with another one of those pink boxes, looking like a lost kitten.

My heart lurched in my chest as I swatted at Dawson, excusing myself from the table.

“Fine, it’s my turn to sing anyway,” Dawson touted from behind me, but his voice was white noise.

CHAPTER 7

Penn

“All right,Miguel said he has his sister corralled in the stock room, so we have, like, ten minutes tops to get this shit set up,” Archie, my best friend slash co-worker, said as we entered the bar.

The DeVille siblings who owned and worked at the bar were notorious for their over the top birthday battle. According to my mom, they’d been one-upping each other for a decade now. But I never paid attention to stuff like that.

I was always just focused on studying, or baking. I was never the kidwho went out and socialized, even when I did live here.

I had to admit though, as an only child a part of me was always envious when I heard stories about siblings having fun at one another’s expense.

It was a small window to get set up, but it was a window still, so instead of dreaming about siblings I’d never have, I focused on the task at hand.

Archie and I could work pretty fast. We’d set up much more elaborate tables than a cake and cupcake bar on the fly.

Will, the DJ, saw us and immediately came over to help Archie and I with our boxes while some patron wailed out to Nickelback on stage.

Seriously, dude should not quit his day job.

“I know, I know,” I said as I gingerly pulled out the cake, setting it on a high top in the corner by the Love-Meter machine.

That’s when I saw him. Across the room, sitting with a group of guys, who were all over one another.

A blush crept up my cheeks.

M’s Place was well known for it’s queer-friendly atmosphere, but I couldn’tsay I spent a lot of time there. Not because knowing that freaked me out, I just...

Somewhere in my DNA, I missed the link that made me able to engage in situations like this.

I wanted to go out and party, and karaoke... but I was always working, or studying. The few times Ididgo out, only ended with one night stands where the girls ran out the morning after anyway, so I didn’t have the best track record or experience with bar culture.

Hell, who was I kidding, I didn’t have the best experience withpeople, period.

I was better off frosting cakes for people who actuallyknewhow to have fun.

But something about Mitchell DeVille called to the little voice inside of me, begging me to let go.

To havefun.

I swallowed as I watched his friends smiling, kissing one another, and being unabashedly public about their affections.

Then reality hit me like a sack of flour as I put two and two together.

His flirting online and at the cafe, hisveryPDA friendly friends, the way he was currently looking at me... like he wanted todevourme whole...

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