Page 92 of Flake It Til You Make It

“I got it! I can’t believe I got it.”

Rocco couldn’t helphissmile. “Of course you got it. You were the only qualified applicant. This meeting was barely a formality.”

“I know, but I was still nervous. And they did grill me a bit, about some of my older projects and being new to thetown—”

“You’ve lived here over four years,” Rocco interrupted, frowning. How could anyone not see how much Taylor loved Christmas Falls? How much hebelongedhere?

“I know, I know, but they see that as a blip of time. But one of the council members—that old grumpy guy, you know the one, he actually spoke up and said that I’d been doing more forward-facing outreach lately, and he was glad to see it. That it had swayed him and I’d gotten his vote because of it.”

“Mr. Richardson, who looks like he yellsget off my lawnat every kid who walks by?”

Taylor laughed again. “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “That’s the guy. Of course he said something disparaging about my youth, but then Mona reminded them that young blood who care about this town is what’ll keep it going, and they all seemed to agree with that.”

Taylor let out a breath. Like he was diffusing all the pressure that had built inside him. And Rocco had felt it, these last two months. Even though they’d been admittedly incredibly happy, he knew Taylor had worried about this meeting. Had worried that somehow the worst might come to pass and they wouldn’t vote to give him the city manager job.

But they had.

It was over.

And it was just beginning, too.

“Come on, let’s celebrate.” Rocco pulled him over to the table.

It was only then that Taylor seemed to look around and take in all the decorations and the cake and the pastries and the bottle of sparkling wine, chilling in its bucket of ice.

“You did all this . . .forme?” Taylor gazed at him with awe and love.

Rocco didn’t think Taylor looking at him like that would ever get old. Like he was a magical miracle that he couldn’t quite believe really existed. He’d worried that eventually that look would fade from Taylor’s face. That they’d get used to each other, that the honeymoon period would end, but the truth was, Taylor gave him that look more now than he had when they’d first met.

“Of course I did. It’s not every day my man gets a seriously awesome new promotion,” Rocco said, lifting the prosecco from its bucket, wrapping a towel around the neck and ripping the foil off. Popping the cork, he asked, “Now, what should we toast to?”

Taylor helped him by picking up the two champagne flutes, holding them out for him to fill. “Oh, that’s easy enough.” He paused. Lifted the glass to his nose, enjoying the smell of the wine as Rocco set the bottle back into the ice. “Goat cheese.”

Rocco nearly choked on his own saliva.

“What,” he said, laughing. “I meant aserioustoast, Taylor.”

But Taylor’s gazewasserious, his blue eyes intent on Rocco’s face. “If you hadn’t had the intrepid idea to make goat cheese and turmeric scones and remove pumpkin spice lattes fromthe menu here, you never would’ve gotten worried about your business and never would have suggested to me that we fake date to fix it.” He paused, his smile turning intimate, his eyes full of adoration. “And we never would’ve ended up here. Me with my dream job and you with your dream business. And us, together, madly, completely, totally in love.”

“You think goat cheese was responsible for all that?”

The corner of Taylor’s mouth tilted up as he lifted his glass. “It’s a lot to put on a dairy product, but I think it can handle it. What do you think?”

It was easy to answer. Rocco lifted his glass and tipped it against Taylor’s. “I think I love you. To goat cheese!”

-

---