Page 2 of Hound Dog
Oh, boy. It wasn’t even four o’clock yet and we’d already had three lessons today.
It was going to be a long day.
A strong, deep voice interrupted my thoughts. “She’s right, you know.”
I glanced up to find a guy standing at the register behind the counter.
Correction: I glanced up to find themostbeautifulguy I’d ever seen standing behind the counter.
Even if beautiful wasn’t typically the adjective most people used to describe men, I couldn’t think of another word for him.
His face looked carved out of marble. Strong and sharp with angles that were softened by his tanned, delicate-looking complexion—tan, smooth, and clear—and mossy green eyes that seemed to have knowledge beyond his years.
He looked older than me, but not by too much.
“My mom always says,When in doubt, cupcake it out.” His playful grin caused my stomach to flip, and my pulse roared in my ears.
I smiled but quickly averted my gaze to my feet.
“Your mother sounds like a smart woman,” Aunt Meryl said.
“Indeed, she is!” A woman came floating in from a room off to the side. She looked about my mom’s age. Or rather, the age shewouldhave been, give or take a few years.
She was cute, wearing light blue capri pants and a button-down white shirt with an apron slung over her slender frame. “I’ve also always said,Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts.”
She paused, setting down a tray of cupcakes on top of the counter with a sigh. “I’m Linda Evans, the owner. And this is my youngest son, Finn.” She draped her arm over her son’s shoulders, and impressively, he didn’t shrink away from her hug. If anything, he grinned wider, leaning into it.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Meryl Rogers and this is my niece, Haylee. We’re on vacation, celebrating her eighteenth birthday.”
Manners won out over my shyness, and I lifted my eyes from the ground, giving them a small nod. “Hi.”
Linda reached a hand over the counter and shook Aunt Meryl’s hand first before taking mine. “Nice to meet you. Andhappy birthday. Finn’s only a couple years older than you,” she added.
Again, I expected Finn to grumble or grouse at his mom’s brazen comments, but he didn’t. Far from it. His gaze swept over me, leaving my skin tingling as though he’d skimmed a hand down my arm.
Leaning forward, he anchored his muscular forearms onto the counter in front of him and awarded me with another dazzling smile. “Where are you visiting from?”
“Rochester,” I said, surprised that I managed to keep the tremble out of my voice.
“New York,” Aunt Meryl added. As though they might not know where Rochester was. “But I love it here! Hell, maybe I’ll move here!”
I rolled my eyes and playfully jabbed Aunt Meryl in the ribs. “We’ve been here all of five minutes,” I laughed. “This is literally the first place we’ve walked into. We haven’t even dropped our bags at the house we’re staying at yet.”
“Where are you staying?” Finn asked, his eyes not leaving mine.
Meryl pointed out the window as if she even knew that she was pointing in the right direction. “Oh, we rented a house right on the lake on Cochran Lane.”
“Jimmy’s house!” Linda exclaimed. “He lives down in Florida now with his daughters but rents it out over the summer to make a little cash.”
Linda grabbed a white box with her logo stamped on the front and folded it open. “What can I get you two?”
“We’ll take twenty-four of your finest cupcakes!” Meryl sang and did a little twirl.
Linda’s eyes bugged out for a long moment. “Well, all right, then. Any particular flavor, or—”
“You choose an assortment for us,” Meryl said.
“Except coconut,” I interjected. Ihatecoconut.
