Page 52 of Fire and Icing

Whaaattt?

Emberleigh’s head snaps in my direction. The forced smile on her face makes her look as if she downed an entire jar of Metamucil and it just hit home.

“Muffins?” Emberleigh asks. Then she looks at her gran and the neighbor. “I mean. I didn’t want him to tell anyone. Yep. Muffins. He loves my muffins … The ones I bake. At the bakery. He’s a fan. So … that’s how it started.”

“Isn’t that the sweetest?” June says to Mrs. Holt. “My Johnny just called me by my God-given name. Nothin’ fancy like anickname. Not unless you count the times he said,Hey,in front of my name.Hey, June, he’d say.Hey, June, could ya grab the remote?OrHey, June, what’s for dinner?”

“Well, we were more practical in our day,” Mrs. Holt says.

“True. True.” June sets the plate of muffins on the counter. “Help yourself, Dustin … and you help yourself too, Muffins.”

June smiles.

I chuckle lightly.

Emberleigh stands in front of me as if she’s going to lean back on me, but she subtly jabs my gut with her elbow instead. I laugh a little harder. She has no idea how much I like her feisty side.

I grab a muffin for Emberleigh and hand it to her. “Want a muffin … Muffins?”

She doesn’t take it from me.

Mrs. Holt and June are chatting and perusing the plate of muffins, trying to decide which to take. While they’re preoccupied, Emberleigh shoots me a look that’s laced with fire. Her eyes spark, the corner of her mouth twitching—half dare, half don’t test me.

I hand the muffin over to her a second time, silently. She takes it, her fingers brushing mine. Her eyes flash, all fire and challenge, but there’s a sliver of vulnerability there. And maybe something else. Like she’s not sure whether I’m laughing with her or at her. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into it. I hope my smile settles any doubts she has.

“Here, Dustin,” June turns from the counter, extending the plate toward me.

I pick a muffin and take a bite. They’re still warm.

“Mmmm. Good.”

June beams.

“Let’s take our muffins out on the porch,” Mrs. Holt suggests to June. “We’ll leave these two alone for a bit. They don’t need two busybodies like us hanging around.”

“Oh, yes. You’re right, of course,” June agrees. “Nice to meet you, Dustin. Nice to see you again, Emberleigh.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I say.

Emberleigh thanks June for the muffins.

As soon as the front door shuts, Emberleigh turns to me. “That’s my nickname?”

“It’s kinda cute.”

“It’s horrible.”

“I think it could grow on you over time. You are a baker, after all.”

“Muffins,” she muses, taking another sip of her coffee. Then she glances up at me. “New rule. You don’t speak to anyone when we’re together.”

“Really?”

“No, but … maybe.” She laughs lightly. “Muffins? Really Dustin?”

“You can give me a horrible nickname if it will make you feel better.”

“I think it will. Give me time. I’ll pick one.”

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