Page 105 of Bake You Mine
And hell, what had happened to staying in town? He’d been rightfully charmed by Jason, but there were other options. And one answered to the name of Mom.
Even though she had an opinion on everything, she would give him level-headed advice on love and business.
He flicked on the TV and half-listened to the segment. He knew his mother was probably recording it on her phone, so he’d have the option to watch it later.
He picked up his phone, ignoring the notifications pouring through. He scrolled through Aubrey’s social media. On the post announcing the win, several less-than-savory comments stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of congratulations.
“Fuck.”
No matter what happened, the competition was over. Hecouldn’t go back to how life was before, no matter how things turned out with Aubrey. He’d never felt like #hotchef, and now he had no reason to keep up the act. It was time to put that persona to rest.
He picked up his phone and began to type.
thirty-four
“When the hellwere you going to tell us you had a thing with hot chef, Aubs?” Ella gave her a soft punch on the arm.
Of course, the whole crew had turned out to help pack up and get those last-minute catering orders out. Tom had set up his tablet so everyone could watch a live stream of the segment.
“I’m good at keeping secrets, I guess.”
That earned her a few side glances from her crew.
When she’d woken up that morning, her insides swirled around like a tornado. She wanted the best for Liam. Then she saw the televised kiss again, and all the thoughts of losing Liam made her sick.
She excused herself to run to Elevation to check on the final batch of macarons in the oven. She figured Liam wouldn’t be down for hours. He wasn’t an early riser on the best of days.
Of course, this day was the exception. She found the man himself peering inside a produce delivery box.
Liam glanced up from inspecting a bundle of kale. His usual handsome face was worn, with bags under his red eyes. Even his usual perfect bedhead resembled a rat’s nest.
“You said I could use the ovens? Here’s your key.” She pulled it from her pocket and set it on the counter.
Liam wiped his hands on his jeans. “Of course. I forgot.”
All she wanted was to be comforted by his arms. God, what was wrong with her? She’d give herself whiplash at this rate. It wasn’t fair to her or Liam to go back and forth like this.
He stood at the back door, holding it open with one hand. His phone began to chime from his pocket. With a sigh, he reached for it. “Sorry, that’s Jason’s ringtone.” He tapped the screen to answer the call. “Hey, Jason? I’m in the middle of something. Can I call you back in five?”
Aubrey was close enough to hear Jason’s voice, and he was certainlynotpleased at being pushed off. He’d acquiesced after a moment of Liam’s reassurance.
Her timer went off, and she went to check on the macarons. They were perfect.
“How many more orders do you have for those? You can use my oven as much as you want until they’re done.”
“That was the last one.” She closed the oven door.
He stepped closer to her. “I’m leaving. Can you check my latest post when you get a chance? I’m retiring the hot chef hashtag.”
“Wow, that’s a change. Did you talk it over with Jason?”
“No, but I’m sure he’ll have an opinion. I’ve got to run. I’ll see you later, okay?” He brushed his hand across her shoulders before leaving her alone in the kitchen.
Liam returned from the farmer’s market with a cloud hanging over his head. Jason was displeased to find out onsocial media that Liam had retired #hotchef. Jason, who’d declared it a foolish move, said they should trademark the term instead of letting it go by the wayside.
It wasn’t like Liam was the only one posting with the hashtag, anyway. It was a little too late for trademarking. Now he had to wonder—was Jason after the hot chef persona or Liam himself?
Finding Aubrey’s father in Elevation’s kitchen and happily chatting away with Damon sent Liam’s uncertain mood spiraling.
