Page 26 of A Gingerbread Romance

He sat down again at the table across from her and rested his feet on another chair.

“You know, I’m really impressed with this place.” He glanced around. “You said it’s been a family business for—how many years?”

She smiled. “About eighty. Thanks. My great-great-grandparents opened the business first in their kitchen, delivering orders to customers. Within a year, they’d grown enough to open a full-scale operation. They moved to this building, and generations of the Ross family have been running it ever since.”

“Wow, that’s so cool. And rare, anymore. To hold on to a small family business for that long. Well, relatively small.”

She nodded. “Thanks. I know. But it wasn’t easy for them, of course. I only hope I can do half as good a job as my grandmother and the others did.”

“I’d say you already are.” His gaze settled on her. “Assuming a family legacy is no easy feat, but if anyone can do it, you can. You’ve already proven that.”

“Being an only child comes with a lot of responsibilities, sometimes.” How often had she wished for a sister or a brother?

“I’ll bet it does.”

“But being the oldest has its downsides, too, I’d imagine? Especially since your parents are no longer around?”

Jonathan nodded. “Yeah, I tried to fill in for my dad, I think. I’ve sort of taken on that roll ever since.” He looked thoughtful. “But the upside is that my brothers generally listen to me when I give them advice.”

“Not much backtalk from them?” She grinned.

“Exactly. With age comes wisdom, I guess.” He grinned back. “But, no, honestly, I like looking out for them. We’re close, and they’re the best guys I know.”

Greta studied him, leaning forward on the table, her chin resting on her knuckles. He wasn’t just a high roller out for the money. He hadn’t been looking to trample the little guys in order to make Brett and Elaine happy. He’d just been doing his job in the best way he could. He was a capitalist, and there was nothing wrong with that. So was she. “You’re one of the good ones, aren’t you?”

His brow rose.

“So how is it, then, that you aren’t already taken?”

His lips curled into a smile, and he paused. “Oh, I’ve been involved before. Wrong woman, though.” He dropped his gaze, and for a moment she saw a frown, but it quickly disappeared.

A dozen questions popped into her head, but he didn’t seem as though he wanted to explain, so Greta let it go.

“How about you?” he countered. “You’re smart, successful, and drop-dead gorgeous. Why aren’t you taken?”

Greta’s cheeks warmed. “Wow.” It was all she could think to say. Did he really think she was all that? “Thanks. I don’t know. I was in a long-term relationship a few years ago, but he was the wrong person, too.”

Jonathan’s gaze locked on her. “Wrong, in what way?”

“Well, for starters, besides cooking, we had nothing in common.” She wrinkled her nose. “Lots of other things, too. You know, the usual lousy boyfriend stuff.” She’d gotten over it a long time ago, though. It was ancient history.

“Oh, that’s rough,” Jonathan said. “Been there, though.” He raised a hand and dropped it.

“Yeah, it’s not fun,” she said.

He nodded. “So, tell me, Greta—what made you decide to use a dating app?” He grinned mischievously. “Because you could go out with anyone you wanted. Are the local prospects around here so bad?”

Greta laughed. Should she tell him? The champagne was quickly going to her head. She hadn’t eaten since lunch. Her lips curled into a hesitant smile. “Promise you won’t get upset if I tell you the truth?”

Jonathan leaned in. “Okay, now I’m really curious. Spill. I won’t get upset. I promise.”

“Okay.” She kept a straight face. “It wasn’t me.”

His eyes shot wide. “What do you mean—someone else set you up?”

She nodded, grinning widely now. “My best friend, Abby. She created the profile, and she accepted the date with you. For me. She made me go. I wanted to stay home.”

Jonathan clapped his hands together and rocked forward, laughing, obviously finding the idea hilarious. “That is classic! No way?”

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