Page 73 of Flake It Til You Make It

“But I guessMrs.Steve Mills will not be accompanying him,” Taylor said.

“Uh, that’s awkward.”

“Guess she likes it here.”

“Or she likes it away from him.”

Taylor shrugged. “Maybe both? Anyway, I’m not worried about the job anymore. I think I’ll be a shoe-in.”

“As you deserve,” Rocco said and yawned deeply.

“Come on, we’d better get you to bed,” Taylor said.

Caught between sleep and consciousness, Rocco murmured, “Stay.”

And the last thing he remembered was his head hitting the pillow, Taylor’s body warm, cuddled against his own.

Thursday morning, Taylor dodged the walk of shame by heading out the back door of Jolly Java, detouring to the kitchen for a moment to give Rocco a quick kiss goodbye.

They’d spent every night together this week, without him even meaning to.

Liar. You totally meant to.

When he let himself into his house, Meredith gave him the stink eye from her perch on the sofa, and despite her prickly look, he went over and gave her a quick rub, apologizing without words for his absence last night.

Somehow, without attempting to, they’d spent about half their nights tucked up in Rocco’s little apartment above the coffee shop, and half of them here.

They’d fallen into this routine without even discussing it, even though as Taylor fed Meredith and then headed to the shower, he knew they needed to.

But it wasso good, he didn’t want to.

What if he was imagining the look in Rocco’s eyes just before he fell asleep? The one that proclaimed trust and affection andsomething deeper, too. Something that resonated inside Taylor too, a truth he kept shying away from. Not because he was afraid of it, but because it was too big, too bright, too hot for him to touch.

If it was just him, too?Ugh, Taylor didn’t know what he’d do if that was true.

Make him fall in love with you, the way you’ve fallen for him.

Taylor braced a hand against the shower wall and wanted to ignore it, wanted to deny it, but there was that truth again.

It followed him all the way into work, through the morning staff meeting, and there was no question of it not following him to lunch, because he was meeting Griff, the festival organizer, and if there was anyone who’d been transformed by that bright light, it was him.

Before last year, Griff had been gruff and short-tempered, the festival always seemingly winding him tighter and tighter, but then he’d met his boyfriend, Logan, and he’d changed.

He wasstillGriff, but he was softer. Sweeter. Less prone to frustrated outbursts. Even given to smiling sometimes.

And though he’d always been gossip-averse, he’d even begun to indulge in Christmas Falls’ second favorite thing.

“So, I hear you’re spending a lot of time at the coffee shop these days,” he said as the waiter at The Snowflake Shack finished taking their order.

“I thought we were here to talk about the cookie exchange,” Taylor pointed out.

Griff laughed. “We can do that. But I know why you wanted to. And I don’t know if I can swing it.”

“Listen, he’snotgoing to put goat cheese in the cookies,” Taylor said, chuckling. “He promises.”

Griff shot Taylor a knowing look. “I gave up lunch with my boyfriend for this, and we’re going to talk about goat cheese?”

“Oh come on, you and Logan are inseparable,” Taylor said. “Besides, you owe me a favor for defusing that ridiculous light tour issue.”

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