Page 56 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

No, it was Caleb himself who got under my skin.

Right from the moment we’d met, I’d felt he was observing me and making judgements. And it made me... nervous. Whenever he was around, I’d get this weird swishy feeling inside – like I was about to sit an exam or something.

I really wished I didn’t get that feeling.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what it meant. But it wasextremely inconvenient, considering I’d only just come out of a long-term relationship.

The last thing I needed was to be attracted to someone else!

Pausing at the gate, I took a deep breath and blew it out very slowly in an attempt to calm my beating heart. Head held high, I walked through into the garden.

I would be polite and pleasant – Caleb had been kind enough to sponsor me, after all – and I’d totally ignore any rogue flutterings I might have when faced with those soul-piercing blue eyes of his...

‘It’s Auntie Katja!’ Maisie spotted me and ran over.

‘Hello, love. What are you up to?’

She smiled. ‘Caleb is going to help me make a wildlife tabitat... I mean,habitat.’ She giggled at getting the word wrong. ‘It’ll be so awesome and we have to do a project at school, and that’s what I’m going to write about.’

‘Wow. That sounds great. You can take photos of your progress as well.’

She nodded, looking flushed with excitement.

‘Brilliant.’ I glanced around the garden as if I was searching out a good place for a wildlife habitat.

I’d managed to avoid ‘the eyes’ so far, which was good.

In fact, I was feeling rather proud of myself for managing to carry on quite a sane and sensible conversation with Maisie – with no hint whatsoever of teenage-girl-in-the-grip-of-a-major-crush.

‘You finished the fun run, then,’ Caleb said. ‘Well done.’

So then of course I was forced to look at him.

‘Thank you. Yes. I had to walk for a bit. But I mostly ran.’

He nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement for some annoying reason. I hadn’t said anything funny, so what was amusing him? ‘I saw your group celebrating together at the end.’

I shrugged. ‘It’s not a group. Just some friends doing a fun run, that’s all.’

‘Right. I was quite surprised to see that a member of the male sex had been accepted into the group.’ He shrugged. ‘Judging by the motto on your T-shirts, I didn’t think a bloke would be allowed.’

I gritted my teeth. ‘It’s not a “group”,’ I repeated testily. ‘And the slogan on the T-shirts was Mo’s idea. The woman with the pink hair. The rest of us had nothing at all to do with it.’

He nodded thoughtfully.

‘Believe it or not, I’ve never thought men were fools – well, not all of them, anyway – and I’d certainly never tell a guy to... well, you know.’ I glanced at Maisie, who was crouched down examining an insect.

‘Well, that’s good to know.’

He was openly smiling at me now, the corners of his eyes crinkled in that maddeningly sexy way of his.

A ripple of pure desire zinged through me.

I cleared my throat. ‘Anyway.’ I glanced around the garden, frantic for something ‘normal’ to say to conceal my lustful thoughts, which I was sure must be flashing in bright neon yellow above my head for Caleb to see. ‘So... where exactly are you planning to have this wildhype habitwat of yours?’

Beside us, Maisie gave a peel of laughter and stood up. ‘You said wildhype habitwat! Instead of wild-life-habi-tat.’ She pronounced each syllable carefully.

‘I did, didn’t I?’ I grinned at her foolishly, as I flushed to the roots of my hair. And when I ventured a glance at Caleb, he was chuckling, and my eyes snagged on his and held for longer than was strictly normal.

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