Page 59 of Mitch

Mitch

I knewwe didn’t have to be at the event until four thirty, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Penn, and what had happened between us.

It seemed wild to me that I’d barely known the guy a little more than a week, and somehow, some way, I’d become a total simp for the man.

I wasn’t usually the type to get attached so quickly, and while I loved where things were going with us, I was also scared of how quickly Penn had stolen my heart.

Because the truth of the matter was, I loved the guy.

I loved the sparkle in his pretty blue eyes, the way he blushed, the way heteasedme, the kindness of his heart, the gentleness of his soul.

And I really, really loved kissing him.

I loved the way he brought out a side of me that no one else had ever been able to access.

Which is probably why I’d convinced myself to show up early to the shop.

Penn looked up from behind the counter as the door jingled.

“Hey,” he said, surprised.

“Afternoon,” I said, sauntering in with just my camera bag. Today, I wanted to shoot Penn in his element freehand, capture a more candid feel for this set of images.

And after combing over wedding photos all morning, I couldn’t deny Penn in his little white, cake-stained apron, blond hair shimmering in the light, was like a breath of fresh air.

My own personal Cream Puff.

“I thought we were meeting up at the event,” he said, and he turned to the back counter, which I could see wascovered in cupcake trays, not all of them full.

With his back turned to me, I quietly brought out my camera, zooming in on the lineup.

“I thought I’d come in and get some solo shots of you,” I said, clicking away.

Penn headed to the bowl of batter on the steel table in the corner, grabbing a large bowl and scoop.

Click.

“Where’s Archie at?”

Penn shrugged, letting out a sigh as I went behind the counter, tucking myself into a corner as I watched him.

“Uh, he had a thing, I guess. Took a half day.”

I framed the trays as I watched him scoop some batter into the first tray.

“And your parents?”

Penn chortled. “They’ve got a more active social life now that I’m home, working. They left this afternoon to go stay with some friends for the weekend in the city.”

“So, it’s just you running the ship today? And you have an event?”

Penn sighed once more. “Yeah, I guess it looks that way.”

“You’ve been working every day this week. Don’t you get a day off?”

Penn shrugged. “I mean, I’ve been gone for months, so I’m making up for lost time, I guess.”

“Still, you’re human. Humans need rest.”

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