Page 21 of Cups of You

“No. When I bake, the kitchen tends to turn into a war zone. It’s not like those shows you see where all of the ingredients and utensils stay in a well-defined area. I tend to spread and so does everything else.”

Amber shuddered when she thought about flour and sugar on the counters or on the floors of the kitchen she just spent days cleaning.

“Good looking out. Bringing over already baked muffins is probably a better bet.”

“I could come by around nine or so?”

“Or,” she countered. “You can come by around six and have dinner with us instead of eating alone, and then we’ll have your muffins for dessert.”

The smile that followed Amber’s words was nearly blinding in its intensity. Benjamin looked like Christmas had come early and it brought a small smile to her own lips. The man’s enthusiasm was annoyingly infectious.

“Wow. You’re really pretty when you smile.”

The look of horror on Benjamin’s face after saying those words startled a peal of laughter from Amber. She doubled up with the force of it bracing her hands on her knees. The bridge of Benjamin’s nose was cherry red as he covered his eyes with a hand. She couldn’t help but want to poke at him a little.

“So, I’m only pretty when I smile? Not the rest of the time.”

He dropped his hand. “Geez, no. That’s not what I meant.” Amber had to hold in her snort of laughter. “You’re always pretty, but I shouldn’t have—”

“I’m just messing with you,” she said halting his words. She didn’t want the man to actually feel bad about the compliment, though watching the red bloom above his beard was quality entertainment.

Benjamin sighed and shook his head lips parting in a small smile. “I’m going to go before I put my foot in my mouth again.”

“Probably a good idea. Dinner is at six, so don’t be late.”

“Got it.”

Amber nodded. She moved away pushing the cart ahead of her but paused before she got too far. Amber couldn’t help it. She wanted to key him up a little.

This is why some people think you’re a bitch.

“Oh, and Benjamin?” He turned back with a questioning look. “I think you’re really pretty when you smile too.”

The last thing Amber saw before she turned the corner was a fresh bloom of scarlet across Benjamin’s face. She probably shouldn’t have said it, but the result was worth it.

EIGHT

The kitchen was a mess.

Benjamin looked down at the blotches of flour and muffin batter that dotted the floor and shook his head in disappointment. It wasn’t like he wanted to make more work for himself. He tried to make a conscious effort to keep everything in one area and clean as he went, but it never failed that flour would litter the floor along with bits and pieces of whatever else he was including in his recipes that day. At least the kitchen at the café was safely tucked away behind closed doors. He had no such luck at home.

If Olivia had been present, she would have teased him about it for days or used it as a reason to not clean her room in return.

“Thank goodness for small favors,” he muttered before glancing at the clock on the wall and sighing. He had spent most of the afternoon trying to put his nervous energy to good use so he wouldn’t vibrate out of his skin. Benjamin had replayed the conversation with Amber in his head repeatedly and every time left his face warm with embarrassment.

Flirting did not come easy to him. Growing up, he was always envious of how easy the lightly teasing words seemed to roll off his older sister, Shannon’s, tongue whereas he was left a stuttering mess. If he did manage to open his mouth and get words to come out, they usually fell in a rush strung together like a mangled vine, no rhyme or reason to them. Benjamin was not keen to try his hand at it now, which was probably for the best given his disastrous conversation with Amber.

Pushing away his residual embarrassment took the entire time he was cleaning, and it wasn’t until he had thirty minutes to get to Ms. Jay’s that he felt like his face was finally back to normal. Right when he finished loading the last container of muffins into the car, his cell phone rang. He quickly hopped in the car and connected it to Bluetooth.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Benji.”

“Patrick, hey.” Benjamin backed out of his driveway and set off down the road. The sun was still out but quickly drifting back behind the trees. He pressed harder on the accelerator hoping to get there before he lost daylight completely. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, everything is fine; minus being alone for Valentine’s Day.”

Faint voices drifted across the line. “Doesn’t sound like you’re alone.”

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