Page 38 of The Icing on the Cake
It just feels natural with Lucian.Easy.So unlike my dates with Nate.
I look up to see Emmy approaching us with Dawson, her expression way too pleased. “Well, well. Fancy seeing you two here…together.”
“What a coincidence,” I say, giving her a look that says we’ll be discussing this later.
“Dawson, you’ve met Lucian, right?” she asks motioning toward her fiancé.
Dawson gives Lucian a look I can’t quite figure out. “Yeah. We’ve met before. How’s it going?” He reaches out a hand to shake Lucian’s.
“Great,” Lucian says, clasping his palm. Another look is exchanged between the men before Lucian releases his hand. “Just enjoying the festival.”
“First time?” Dawson asks.
“Yes, Neesha’s my official tour guide.”
Emmy beams. “Well, you two look adorable together. Almost like a real date.”
“It is a real date,” I say quickly, then immediately wonder why I felt the need to clarify that. “I mean, a real practice date.”
Emmy and Dawson glance at each other before Emmy grins knowingly. “Well, we’ll leave you to your…practicing.”
As they walk away, I catch Emmy giving me an enthusiastic thumbs up behind Lucian, who’s noticeably quiet.
“Welcome to Maple Falls, where everyone knows your business before you do,” I say. “I hope you’re not having second thoughts about this whole practice thing.”
“Not at all. I was just thinking…”
Before he can finish, Mary-Ellen appears, as if she has a sixth sense for awkward timing. “Neesha, dear! Isn’t this the same man who fixed your broken espresso machine? And now you’re here together…on a date!” If her smile were any bigger, it would practically crack her face.
“Mary-Ellen, don’t you have somewhere else to be?” She’s usually manning a booth at the festival instead of grilling innocent couples.
“Not when there’s such a juicy development happening right here,” she says, completely immune to social cues. Her eyes dart between us like she’s watching a tennis match. “You know, dear, he’s much more handsome than you described when we were talking. Just look at those blue eyes. It’s like someone ordered the deluxe boyfriend package.”
“I never described—” I start, my face heating.
“And you look so cute together,” she continues obliviously, “I haven’t seen chemistry like this since my last romance novel!”
Lucian coughs, clearly trying not to laugh.
“Mom!” Mabel’s voice cuts across the festival as she hurries over with Fiona, both looking slightly out of breath. “There you are. We’ve been hunting for you ever since we lost you at the Ice Breakers autograph booth.”
Mary-Ellen sighs like she’s been caught again. “I suppose duty calls.”
As Mabel physically steers her away, Mary-Ellen calls over her shoulder, “And I expect a full report later, Neesha! And I meanfull!”
“Thank you,” I mouth to Mabel, who winces at me apologetically before taking her mother as far away as possible.
“Sorry about that,” I tell Lucian, picking at my mac and cheese. “Subtlety is a foreign concept to Mary-Ellen. And for the record, I didn’t describe you to her. She must have me mixed up with someone else.”
“I don’t mind being the deluxe package,” he says, looking more amused than bothered. “By the way, I wanted to give you something. For our first date.”
He pulls a tiny, wooden figure from his pocket. It’s a perfect miniature cupcake, carved with such intricate detail I can see the swirled frosting on top. The craftsmanship is incredible—every ridge and curve carved with care.
“Where did you get this?” I ask, turning it over in my palm.
“I made it. I’ve been carving wood since I was a kid,” he confesses, shifting in his seat, like this isn’t something he shares with many people. “When I have things to think about, I carve. Helps me work through stuff. After we talked about the cupcake charm on your bracelet, I got the idea of carving one for you to remember your mom.”
He noticed. Heremembered.And he made this beautiful piece just for me, to honor my mother and my dream of opening a bakery. No one has ever paid attention to details like that before. Certainly not Nate, who probably couldn’t have told you what jewelry I wore if his life depended on it.
