Page 138 of Where We Bloom

The discreet price plaque says it’s fifty thousand euros.

And now, it’s my bumble bee’s.

“You have good taste,” Kane says with a nod as the two settle in to talk about his process, and I step back, giving her time with a man she admires.

“She’s wonderful,” Anastasia says beside me as we both look on.

“She’s everything,” I reply.

“When you get married, I’d love to do the cake.”

“I thought you retired from the cake business.”

She shrugs. “I did, but I still work magic for the people I love. I’ll come out of retirement for you.”

“You’d deliver to Montana?”

“I’ll deliver it wherever it needs to be, friend. You think you’d do it in Montana?” she counters.

“That’s her home. Our home, now,” I reply. “Her family and friends are there. I can’t imagine her wanting it anywhere else.”

“You know what I find intriguing? You’re already talking about a wedding as if it’s a foregone conclusion, but there’s no ring on that girl’sfinger.”

“Yet.” I wink at my friend and watch as Billie makes Kane laugh. “Holy shit, was that alaughout of him?”

“It happens once in a while,” Anastasia replies. “Always shocks the hell out of his family, too. But the tortured artist has mellowed.”

“Thanks to you and the wee ones.”

She smiles brightly at that. “I like to think so. Bring Bee to Seattle sometime so we can spend more time together.”

“We’d like that.”

And then it hits me how distinctly different Anastasia’s response to Billie is from Fiona’s. Granted, Anastasia and I don’t have a romantic history, but Billie’s words flash through my mind, nonetheless.

“Sure, my good friends might ask questions and even warn him that hurting me means they hurt him in turn. But they wouldn’t deliberately try to destroy something important to me.”

Anastasia isn’t in any way threatened by Billie. In fact, she embraced her simply because she’s my friend. Because that’s what a good friend does.

Well, that and because Billie Blackwell is irresistible. She and Kane see how important Billie is to me, and that’s enough.

Fuck.

“But she and Kane might not make it out of the firing barn,” I add.

“Kane doesn’t let anyone in that barn.”

We watch the two for a moment, how they have their heads together, deep in conversation.

“I bet my angel could talk him into it.”

Anastasia laughs. “You could be right.”

“I just got a text from Cassie.” Billie frowns over at me from her seat on the jet as we’re headed toward home. “She’s asking me about our meal requests for next week.”

“Good.” I take my glasses off and rub my eyes. I’ve been staring at my bleeding computer for too long. “Choose whatever you like, bumble.”

“Why is she askingme?”

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