Page 49 of Fire and Icing

“Yeah. Good point. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”

She takes our plates, leaving me and Dustin alone.

“Well, thanks for the donut,” he says, stepping to make his way around me.

But I’m too close to the glass case. There’s barely enough room for his large frame to pass between me and the display of baked goods. He brushes against it and me. I step back, hitting one of the bistro chairs. It goes toppling and I wobble. Dustin catches my elbow. His grip is gentle, steady. His fingers on my skin feel simultaneously warm and unfamiliar.

For a second, I forget what made him touch me.

“You okay?” he asks.

I nod. “I’m … yeah. I’m good. Thanks. Just … lost my balance.” I brush a strand of hair behind my ear.

His eyes linger on mine. “Yeah. Me too.”

I step back and bend down to pick up the chair and Dustin bends at the same time. We nearly knock heads.

He picks the chair up as if it weighs nothing and sets it in place at the table.

“I’d better go before I accidentally give you a black eye—or worse,” he teases.

He makes a show of tiptoeing past me until he’s at least five feet away. “Let me know how it goes with Liam. Okay?”

“I will. Thanks again.”

“My pleasure. I’ll see you tomorrow when I come in for the donut order.”

“See you tomorrow,” I say.

“See you tomorrow!” Syd yells from the kitchen.

“Syd!” I shout.

Dustin walks out the door with an amused grin on his face.

“Tomorrow … ” I say quietly to myself.

I’ll see him tomorrow.

And I might even be looking forward to it.

Which is a problem.

Chapter 11

Dustin

Nicknames stick to people, and the most ridiculous are the most adhesive.

~ Thomas Chandler Haliburton

I rollover and stretch my arms. Bringing Liam in to fix Emberleigh’s oven was a good call.

She carries so much, running her own business. I hate to see her stressed.

A vision of her behind the bakery counter serving customers fills my mind like a movie clip. Her red hair, green eyes, the way she crosses her arms over her chest when she’s getting serious, she’s definitely a woman who’s hard to forget. And she’s so much more. Bright, funny, a good friend. I like her.

Fake boyfriend.

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