Page 46 of Bake You Mine
“You’re beautiful, Aubs. I’m not the only one with eyeballs.”
Those words, said by Liam, made her feel like she was on a Tilt-A-Whirl. “As much as I appreciate that, what are we doing here, Liam? Did you want to start hooking up, or do you want to move on and forget about the kiss?”
Her sensible side hoped he’d say they should move on. But her practical side was the one that had her throwing granny panties into the cart at Target.
“Hell no, I don’t want to forget.” He paused. “Maybe we can have a little fun during the competition. But I don’t want to lose focus on what matters, and I assume you don’t, either.”
His words were a proverbial cold shower.
“Excellent point, well taken.”
“So,” he said, “are you up for whatever will come next?”
She appreciated his gentle touch. The few times she’d tried online dating, the guys had been in such a rush. They’d get their boxers in a twist if she couldn’t meet up that day.
“Soon,” she said. “Maybe sooner than you think. Goodnight, Liam.”
She hung up and pulled up their text log and their recent calls. She could hardly believe this was reality. It wasn’t the one she’d imagined, but as long as she kept her heart guarded, it could be a different sort of dream come true.
thirteen
With only minutes togo until the first challenge, Aubrey was crammed into the kitchen, hustling alongside Liam while they prepped portions of the first course. They hadn’t seen each other since their kiss. If there was any awkwardness on his end, she didn’t pick up on it.
She’d lose precious seconds whenever he brushed against her because her mind went blank. It would’ve been a brilliant tactic for him to win, but she caught him nearly lobbing the end of his fingertip off when she’d pressed against him on her way to the refrigerator.
They were both smitten, and someone would pick up on it sooner or later.
Someone like Gary, who observed them with a curious expression.
“You two seem to work well together. Something I wouldn’t have expected a week ago.”
“What choice do we have?” Liam asked. “You won’t let us use our kitchens. I keep expecting a camera crew to show up and you to tell us you’re shopping a television pilot.”
Aubrey snickered into her shoulder.
“That’s a good idea. Although it would be a challenge even for a ringmaster such as myself,” Gary said. “Who knows, if this real estate shortage keeps up, I’ll consider it!”
They both laughed. What else could they do?
Gary clapped his hands together. “Ben will be here to take photos for the paper and the city’s social media platforms. My guests will be arriving shortly. As you know, they’ll fill out comment cards for each course, marking their favorite dish. Whoever crafts the dish with the most votes wins. I will have the votes tallied, and we’ll announce the winner tomorrow. Then we’ll discuss the second challenge. If you thought this one was a doozy, wait!” Gary’s laugh was sharp.
Aubrey’s pulse shot to her throat. This was happening. No matter how Liam made her feel, she wanted to win.
“I’ll expect the first course in twenty-five minutes sharp,” Gary said.
He turned toward the dining room, where the staff he’d hired for the night were bustling to get the linens and floral arrangements to his liking.
“Shit. I forgot the plates for the first course.I’ll be right back.” Aubrey cut out of the kitchen and jogged through the alley to Petit Chou.
She ran into Tom on her way into the kitchen as he made his way to the vacant space.
“You’re about to ace this, kiddo,” he called as he passed.
“From your lips to God’s ears!”
She glanced around Petit Chou, momentarily forgetting what she’d come for. The shop was shuttered for the day, but the sweet aroma of the day’s wares still lingered behind. She inhaled a deep breath.
“Hey.”
