Page 11 of Love Unwrapped
Chapter 7
Just after lunchtime, he and Wyatt had finished the day’s orders and prepped whatever they could for tomorrow’s special-order items. As he stood in front of another tray of cookies, he said, “Thanks, Wyatt, for staying and getting the last of these cookies iced, so they’ll be ready for packaging tomorrow.”
“Not a problem. Happy to help. We actually finished the orders earlier than I thought we would, so Janie doesn’t expect me home until later anyway.” Wyatt shuttled another finished tray back to the rack and brought out a fresh un-iced batch for them to work on.
Laughter from the prep room drew Blake’s attention.
Wyatt said, “They seem to be having fun in there.”
“Yep.” Blake scowled at the cookie in his hand. If he were in the other room, he doubted he’d get to hear Andi’s laughter up close. The trio—Bree, Andi, Ryan—had the bagging for Saturday under control.
While he’d been busy the entire day, he’d never been unaware of Andi’s presence just a door away. On one level, it annoyed him that not seeing her for a decade hadn’t changed his attraction to her. He’d convinced himself over the years that it was nothing more than a childhood crush. That befriending Nat had been a stupid way to get closer to Andi. That if he could do it all over again, he’d not do that. But standing in the main kitchen icing cookies with Wyatt and unsuccessfully eavesdropping on Andi in the other room, he had to admit, at least to himself, that he’d do it all over again. Granted, he’d have figured out Nat’s game earlier, but he’d still have done whatever he could to get closer to Andi.
Blake sighed and set another iced cookie on the tray. He didn’t know how to break down the walls they’d developed over the years. Who was he kidding? They’d built those walls in high school and they still held strong. But there had to be a way to see if his attraction could be more. Though he was more attracted to the woman she’d become than even the girl she’d been, she didn’t take crap from him or anyone else. He grinned to himself. He loved antagonizing her to get a response, but that wasn’t working for him. He could see that now.
“What’s up with you and the blonde one?” Wyatt set down his piping bag and met Blake’s gaze.
“Nothing at all.” Blake rolled his shoulders and continued his task.
Wyatt snorted. “You keep telling yourself that, but nothing isn’t what makes her gaze shift from annoyance to disappointment when I walk into the room to deliver another set of cookies or refill their bag supply. Her face tells me she’s annoyed by you but would rather see you walk through the door, for whatever reason. It’s weird. So what gives?” Wyatt made a hand gesture as if to hurry him along with the story.
Blake sighed. “We’ve got history, most of it not good. I didn’t know she was a volunteer. She didn’t know I owned the bakery.” He set down the cookie and the piping bag and put his hands on the table. “It’s complicated.”
“Hmm…interesting love stories usually are. So what’re you going to do about it?”
Blake laughed. “Nothing to do. That annoyed look only escalates to animosity when we exchange words.”
He remembered talking to her in high school. The one time they’d been alone. He’d been hanging out with some friends near the field and stayed behind kicking a soccer ball around…but mostly watching her as she studied in the bleachers after school. They’d missed their last bus option. They could have walked home, but rain had started to fall in torrents and they’d run to the front of the school and sheltered under an awning. They’d made their calls and huddled there while they’d waited on rides to arrive. It had been the best conversation he’d had in high school, hands down. He’d known in that moment that she was the one for him—smart and sassy and full of life. He’d tried to get close to her after that, but she’d only scowl at him. Then he’d pick at her to get a response and on and on they’d gone.
Nat, her sister, was a year older. She’d approached him, offered him a chance to be closer to Andi. Offered to befriend him so he could work on getting her sister to go out with him. That idea had gone up in flames like the Hindenburg.
Wyatt dropped the conversation, which was one of the many things Blake appreciated about the guy. Ryan—hell, any of his brothers—wouldn’t have let that topic go unexplored until they’d unearthed every shred of data. They all knew his story, but that story was long complete. Seeing Andi now, though… He’d been fighting with himself all day about what to do about it.
A few hours later, Wyatt had gone home and Blake had finished the cookies and avoided joining the group in the other room as long as he could. His cell rang, giving him yet another reprieve.
He picked it up and glanced at the screen before connecting the call. “Hey, Babs.”
“Blake, how goes the great cookie assembly? Is my granddaughter giving you a hard time?”
Blake laughed with Babs. “Not at all. She’s a hard worker. We should be more than stocked for tomorrow and at least part of Sunday before we leave tonight. And with the volunteers coming back tomorrow, we shouldn’t have a problem with Sunday either. Do you need for me to do anything at the venue to set up?”
A rustling sound and Babs’s voice muffled before she came back on the line. “Sorry about that. It’s always crazy here coordinating the event the day before. That’s why I’m calling. We’ve got the table up and decorated. We could actually get the cookies displayed this evening if you want. If you deliver them today, you could even meet and explain the products to the volunteers who will be working the table. They’ve been helping me get organized today. The bulk of the vendors will be here tomorrow morning, but we secure the venue the night before to allow for early set up. I thought it might be easier on you than waiting until the rush in the morning.” More rustling sounds as Babs gave directions to other people.
When she stopped talking and the line rustling cleared, Blake said, “That’s a great idea. I’ll get the van loaded and head over to you in about an hour. I made up a list of cookies we’ll have for sale and an ingredient list. The packages have warnings for major allergens, but you’d be surprised how many people will want to know exact ingredients.”
“You’re so thoughtful, Blake. And you’re a godsend for doing all this. I’ll text you the map of the facility, so you’ll know where to come in closest to your table, but text me when you get here. I’ll probably drag your table volunteers off to help me with other things until then. Gotta run.” Babs clicked off without waiting for a response, and Blake shook his head and smiled. That woman had more energy than ten twenty-year-olds. He had no idea how she managed it all every year.
He went to his storage closet and pulled out the boxes he used for catering events. He’d use those to transport the finished cookie assortment. He pushed through the doors to the prep room and set two containers on the counter by the wall. The group had gone silent over the last little while. They were still hard at work, but he’d bet the afternoon slump had hit them.
“Babs called and said I could deliver the cookies for tomorrow. I know we’re not finished yet, but if we pre-stock the table, we can make an easier run tomorrow to fill in where product’s been sold.” Blake waved a hand at their table. “So if you want to finish up the one you’re working on and help me load these containers, I’d appreciate it.”
Bree finished tying the ribbon around a two-pack set of gingerbread people and hopped off her stool. She followed his lead as he took one of the cookie trays now filled with packaged cookies and started carefully loading it into the delivery container. She worked on the second container. Ryan and Andi weren’t far behind. He had Ryan bring in more boxes to fill. Before they knew it, they had eight large containers ready to go, probably sixteen hundred cookies or so. Everyone carried the boxes to load into the back of the delivery van, and he went back in to grab his ingredient lists, ready to head out.
“How on earth did I end up in the van with you?” Andi buckled her seat belt as she looked out the window toward the back of the bakery where Bree and Ryan waved and walked back inside. “One minute you’re headed out to meet Grams at the venue, and the next I’m here with you.” She shook her head in disbelief.
Blake laughed. “Yeah. I’m not sure what they were attempting. But our friends have interesting ideas about what makes a good plan.” He glanced over to her, meeting her eyes for a fleeting moment before he backed the van out of its spot and headed down the alleyway to the main road. “Besides, when you’ve made up your mind about something, it sticks. And you’ve certainly made up your mind about me. You hate me and what’s done is done.”
Andi gave a quiet harrumph. Then she snuck a glance his way, which he saw from his peripheral vision as he eased the nose of the van out of the alley slowly enough that pedestrians on the sidewalk would see him coming. “I don’t hate you.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t even really know you. I mean, Ryan has been talking about you all day, telling stories about your life. Since lunch it’s been the all-Blake channel in there.”
