Page 25 of Act of Brotherhood
“We’re used to special orders and make a lot of stuff for people with allergies. But we’ve never had a list of so many things to avoid in one order before. What are these for again?”
“My class of preschoolers,” she returned, beaming at the sight of the final product.
“Poor kids.” He cleared his throat again, and then rang up her order. He put a finger up for her to wait a second and vanished into the back again. He came out with a lone cupcake that matched the others. “I almost forgot. Here’s one for you to try first. You know, before you subject the kids to them.”
With a laugh, she took the cupcake and shook her head. The cupcakes couldn’t taste that bad. Could they? She took a bite. They tasted just fine to her.
The guy behind the counter had a small paper cup of water waiting for her, as if he’d expected she’d need it. With a wave of a hand, she smiled. “I’m fine. These turned out great.”
His eyes widened.
The bell to the bakery chimed as the door opened. Nicolette paid little mind to it as she settled up with the man and then turned to leave.
There, standing before her, was the man who had been playing guitar in the square. He was minus the guitar. He looked past her and to the guy at the counter. “Hey, Ernie.”
The guy at the register grinned and gave a small wave. “How’s it going tonight, Wheeler?”
Wheeler offered a smile that made Nicolette wonder why she’d felt the need to practically run from the square. Sure, he was a big guy, but he didn’t feel like a threat to her. And she was a pretty good judge of character.
“Coffee?” asked Ernie.
“Yep,” said Wheeler, his attention moving to Nicolette. “Hello. Didn’t I just see you back in the square?”
She nodded. “You did.”
He kept smiling but his gaze went to the front window. While his facial features didn’t betray his supposed pleasant mood, the pulse of power that seemed to come off him did. It wasn’t directed at Nicolette or Ernie. No. The man who had seemed so carefree when he’d been singing stared out into the night like a man on the hunt.
He faced her, and the power that had come from him stopped in an instant. “What do you have there?”
“Cupcakes,” she replied and went to walk around him to get to the door.
Reaching out, he took hold of her upper arm ever so gently. The act made her breath catch. She locked gazes with him—and for a moment, she could have sworn again that black flecks appeared in his royal-blue eyes. Like what she’d thought she’d seen earlier.
“It’s getting late. You want to head home quickly. You don’t have any more stops to make,” he said.
“Actually, I need to get soy milk,” she blurted. “I think. Maybe I don’t. I can’t remember if it was that or tofu. Could have been fruit snacks. Grr, I should have remembered all this when I got the darn hummus.”
His brow creased, and he squared his large shoulders. “No. Youwantto go straight home.”
“Everything all right, Wheeler?” asked Ernie.
Wheeler kept hold of Nicolette’s arm but looked at Ernie. “There is nothing to see here. Go on about your business.”
Ernie didn’t so much as question the command. He just walked off and began to wipe down counters towards the back of the bakery like nothing was out of the ordinary and people told him what to do daily. Maybe inhisworld it was normal. In Nicolette’s, it wasn’t.
Her attention went to Wheeler’s hand that was still wrapped around her upper arm. “Excuse me.”
He released her arm quickly and gave her a questioning look before sighing. “He could have told me you were immune.”
“What?”
“Sorry about that. I just, well, I saw that guy watching you, and I was worried. Just wanted to be sure you got home okay.”
She continued to eye him.
He put his hands up slowly. “I’m friends with Cody.”
Nicolette groaned. “Let me guess, he told you not to let me near any men.”
