Page 12 of Bread with the Orc
“What about it?”
From her huff of laughter, which caused the already-crisp air to cloud about her face, and the roll of her eyes, I supposed she’d already explained it. “Thedessert competition. You’re a shoo-in to win. I asked around, and you’ve never won.”
“I’ve never entered,” I countered. “I make breads.”
She tugged me around the fountain once more. “And now you make amazing pastries. I was thinking…if you could figure out a way to flavor a pastry with some tea, the entry would serve as a sort of…” Her dark eyes peeked up at me uncertainly. “An advertisement, maybe? I’ve already signed us up for a booth at the festival.”
I frowned. “I’ve never been to the festival.”
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” She pulled me to a stop. “Our booth is going to be about here. I thought being on the main thoroughfare of the festival would get good foot traffic. I was thinking warm chai tea, and you could make a selection of pastries for me to sell…”
It was difficult to imagine the park filled with booths and people on an overcast Wednesday like today. Still, I looked around, trying to guess what it would be like. “And many people come to this event?”
“Oh, yes!” She squeezed my arm, and I didn’t think she even realized what she’d done. “That whole section will be kids’ events to raise money for the town’s various projects. It’ssocute to see the little ones running around. Sometimes I watch them and daydream about if my kids would be any good with a baseball or crafts or whatever.Anyhow.” She pointed toward the lake. “Down there will be the art fair, and after dark, someone lights up a few of the bonfires on the beach and we roast marshmallows. Everyone comes out for it, it’s one of my favorite Harmony Glen traditions.”
Harmony. There was that word again.
In an effort to drag my attention away from the image of Laney and me watching our kitlings play, I forced myself to follow her pointing finger. “And all these people will want to eat my pastries and drink your tea? And you’ll convince them to come to the shop after?”
Laney laughed again, her head falling back and her breath puffing around her head, wreathing her in delight. “Dorvak, they’llpayfor your treats! Maybe wecould bag up some popcorn for the kids? I promise you, this festival is going to be the perfect way to let the town know about our new venture, and if you place in the dessert competition, people from nearby towns will even hear about it!”
In the last few weeks, I’d gone from having regular customers who popped in, grabbed a loaf of bread, paid, then left to having dozens of members of the community wholingered. They came for Laney’s tea, they chatted at the tables while their kids played. They kept returning to try my Pastry of the Day—another Laney idea. They voted over which was best and stopped by to ask me to remake their favorites.
My bakery had gone from making simple breads to being an important part of Harmony Glen.
And it was all thanks to this small female.
“You really are a brilliant marketer,” I murmured, studying her.
She was already blushing, and now she ducked her chin. “Aw, thanks, but it’s not that big a deal.”
My finger caught her chin, lifting it back so she could meet my eyes. “Don’t make yourself smaller, Laney Wong. Not for me, not for anyone. You have done remarkable things in a short time. Not just for my shop, but for this town. And for me.”
Her tongue darted out across her plump bottom lip, and I knew I wanted it. Wanted her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, eyes wide.
“I want to kiss you,” I murmured.
There was a moment when the world froze; her, me, the geese overhead, the wind. Everything ceased, as if the world had to shift to fit into my statement. I watched as her eyes widened further, then closed, and I steeled myself to step back, to put distance between us.
She was mybusiness partner, for fuck’s sake. We ran a shop together. I couldn’t risk fucking this up.
Could I?
And then, before I could wonder if there was any way she could ever see me as something more than just a partner, Laney surged up on her toes, throwing her arms around my neck, pulling my head down to hers…
And then we were kissing.
There in the middle of the park, where anyone could see, I wrapped my arms around Laney and lifted her against me, reveling in the way her curves fit against my body so perfectly. I wanted this so badly, and in my chest, myKteersang in victory.
It wasn’t a deep kiss, but it was enough.
When she pulled away, her breaths heavy, clouding the air around our faces, giving us an illusion of privacy, we were nose-to-nose. And I held her gaze, my lips slowly curling upward.
“We’re going to win this, Dorvak,” she whispered.
I had no idea what she was talking about. As far as I was concerned, I’d already won.
