Page 20 of Flake It Til You Make It

He was also the perfect height too—approximately four inches taller than Rocco himself—and bigger and broader in all the right ways.

Rocco didn’t really want to let go, but he knew he should. After one last squeeze of Taylor’s very nice shoulders, he released him.

“You good?” Rocco asked under his breath.

Taylor smiled. “I didn’t say goat cheese, did I?”

“No, you did not.” Rocco didn’t add that he’d been feeling a little goat-cheesy himself. He didn’t say it because it was just a hug, for goodness’ sake. They were going to have to do a lot more than that if they wanted to convince Christmas Falls they were dating—though considering the town’s gossip mill, maybe notthatmuch more.

Rocco didn’t know if he was excited or disappointed by that realization.

“Well, thanks for the cider. It was really good.”

“Of course it was,” Rocco said, patting him on the arm. That very firm, muscled arm.

He snatched his hand back.

Goat cheese.

“I’ll see you around,” Taylor said.

And then he was gone, the bell over the door tinkling as it closed behind him.

Freaking goat cheese.

Chapter 4

Taylor forced himself outof bed on Saturday morning, pretending he didn’t understand exactly why he’d tossed and turned far too much the night before and a certain dark-haired, dark-eyed guy had taken up seemingly permanent residence in his dreams. He threw on his sweats and a Northwestern sweatshirt and went for his normal Saturday morning run.

Waiting for him as he swung by his house two streets over was Hayden Bradley, who did IT work for the city. They’d started jogging together six months ago when they’d discovered they kept running into each other on Saturdays—literally.

“Hey,” Hayden said as he picked up speed next to Taylor.

“Hey back,” Taylor said.

“Heard about the new applicant,” Hayden said, the winter sun shining on his freckled face.

Taylor groaned. “You and everyone else. Was it too easy for me to just apply for this goddamn job and have nobody else serious apply?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Hayden said wryly. “That was a pipe dream, dude.”

“Ugh,” Taylor said, groaning again.

“And what’s this I heard from Murphy about you ditching Heath Kelly?”

Taylor groaned a third time.

“You okay? Eat something off?”

“No, no, I just . . .” Taylor didn’t know how to say it. He’d told Rocco, just yesterday, that he didn’t have anyone he felt he had to come clean with, but now, faced with Hayden, who’d first been a casual acquaintance but was now a friend, Taylor didn’t want to lie.

“You’re interested in someone else.” Hayden said it matter-of-factly and then shot him a shit-eating grin.

“God, doeseveryoneknow already?”

“That you and Rocco Moretti had a drink together on Thursday and then you went to Jolly Java yesterday,even though you don’t drink coffee? Oh, it’s definitely making the rounds. When I ran into Arlo and Mrs. Lil last night at the rink, she was practically salivating when she told me all about it. How you’regoing to fall madly in love and Rocco’s going to seduce you into drinking coffee.”

Taylor gave a short bark of laughter. “Not likely,” he said.

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