Page 15 of Bake You Mine
Before sunrise,Gary stood outside Petit Chou, his knuckles rattling the glass.
Aubrey wondered if he was a pre-coffee optical illusion. When he gestured for her to open the door, she turned the bolt and tugged it open.
“If you were planning an ambush, you know Liam doesn’t come into work until later, right?”
Not that she’d stalked him or anything. Learning your neighbor’s routine wasn’t tricky. Especially if you tended to stop breathing every time you caught sight of him, but whatever.
Gary stepped inside, and Aubrey shut the door behind him, making sure the closed sign still hung in place.
“I don’t need to speak with Liam. I’m stopping by to pick up a coffee on my way to work. I’m familiar with both of your establishments, but I should know more before this competition begins. So, consider this research.”
“Fine, I’ll grant you chief ringmaster privileges. We have a lot of orders to get out, and as you can see, we’re rather short on square footage.” She swept her arm around the small, narrowspace. And money, too, but she knew Gary well enough to know he’d consider that comment gauche.
Gary cackled. “I rather like that title.”
“Let’s get you a top hat and a striped coat.”
“Adding it to the to-do list as we speak.” He tapped his fingers on one of the metal tabletops.
Tom walked in from the back, his arms full of the day’s bread. “Hey there, Gary.”
Gary gave Tom an appreciative glance. Although Tom had never told her as much, she wondered if the two were more familiar with each other than they let on. She wasn’t the only one with secrets, apparently.
“Hello, Tomás. Could you be a dear and wrap me up a baguette and one of those charming little jam pots?”
Tom mimed doffing a cap. “I’ll throw in a croissant or two for your assistants. How many do you have now?”
Gary’s laugh echoed throughout the empty dining room. “Three. They all have distinct purposes, I can assure you.”
“One’s gotta be in charge of this competition madness, right?” Aubrey said.
“As a matter of fact, yes. We’ve sorted out the details of the first challenge, and I’m thrilled! I look forward to sharing more with you both this afternoon. It will be a lot to handle in addition to your regular business. We’ll work around as best as we can.”
She stepped behind the counter to make Gary’s coffee. “Well, if you and the chamber of commerce are dead set on this idea, I guess I have no choice. You could give me the space and skip the dog and pony show.”
“My dear, I think you’re forgetting my fondness for frivolity. The show will put a spotlight on the competition and our fair city. I suppose you could drop out if you wanted to?—”
“No, that’s not what I was saying. I just meant a competition is a lot to put on my already full plate.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage just fine. After all, even if you lose, this publicity can only mean good things for your business, right?”
“I suppose that’s true.”
She didn’t want to tell Gary that added popularity might become a potential disaster, especially since it didn’t always translate into profit.
Aubrey handed over his coffee, and Gary swooped to pick up his baguette and croissants.
“Three o’clock sharp in the vacant space. All will be revealed. Oh, and remember to be camera-ready; Ben fromThe Pinnaclewill be there.”
Once the bells chimed behind Gary, Aubrey turned to Tom. “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”
“Well, you can sit here and whine, or we can get to work, right?” Tom said.
She longed to tell Tom the reason for her whining, but that would involve admitting her crush, and she didn’t see the point, seeing as it would soon be a thing of the past. It had to be, because she was determined to win.
“Dude, seriously.”
Liam picked up Teddy and moved him from his face. Liam must have been dead to the world. Smothering was Teddy’s last-ditch effort to wake him. He blinked awake, shaking off the remnants of a dream.
