Page 40 of We Can Do
“I’m hardly ever here,” I say, shoving my hands into my pockets to keep from fidgeting.
She turns to face me, and there’s something soft in her expression. “I can imagine.” A small smile plays at her lips. “It’s cozy, though. I like the view of the trees outside.”
I follow her gaze to the window, where the oak trees that line the street are just starting to turn gold at the edges. “Yeah. The bakery feels more like home, though. This... It’s just somewhere I sleep.”
“What? You don’t like sleeping on a dining room chair or in the bakery pantry?”
A surprised laugh escapes me. “Been there, done that. A mattress provides a much better night’s rest.”
She moves closer, tilting her head up to look at me. “So you literally are down there all the time, huh?”
“The last six months, my whole life has been getting that place up and going... and then running it.”
“I guess that doesn’t leave much time for hobbies.”
“Hobbies?” The word feels foreign on my tongue. When was the last time I did something that wasn’t related to bread or the bakery?
“What did you do before you were so busy?”
I scratch the back of my neck, trying to remember. “Uh... Work. And learn about bread.”
Her laugh is gentle, not mocking.
“Does a YouTube channel count?” I ask, grasping for something that might qualify.
“Your YouTube channel about bread?” One perfectly shaped eyebrow rises. “That sounds more like work to me.”
“Then no. I don’t have hobbies.” I let my hands rest lightly on her arms, needing the connection. “So you’ve seen my channel?”
Pink touches her cheeks as she tries and fails to suppress a smile. “I may have... watched a video or two.”
“Really? Since when?”
“Hey, I’m your editor. And I wrote a review of your business. I need to know what you’re up to.”
My hands slide down to her waist, and I can feel the warmth of her through the thin fabric of her shirt. “Is that the only reason?”
“Well...” She catches her bottom lip between her teeth, fighting that smile. “Maybe I enjoyed looking at you, as well.”
“Ditto. I love reading your reviews, though. You have an amazing voice.”
“Thank you,” she says, but something shifts in her expression. Maybe work is the last thing she wants to discuss right now.
That’s perfectly fine by me. Work is definitely not what I have in mind.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice dropping lower.
She tilts her chin up, her hair falling away from the elegant line of her neck. “For what?”
“For... being here.” The words sound inadequate, but they’re the truest thing I can say.
Ever since I moved to Portsmouth, my life has been nothing but motion—constant, relentless motion. There’s hardly ever a spare moment to breathe and recalibrate.
But with Alexis here, in my sparse apartment with the fading light coming through the windows, time seems to slow. I’m not thinking about tomorrow’s bread orders or next week’s flour delivery. I’m just here, in this moment, with her.
And I never want it to end.
My mouth finds hers again, drawn by a force I can’t name and don’t want to resist. This kiss is different—slower, deeper. I take my time tasting her, learning the shape of her mouth, the way she makes a small sound in her throat when I catch her lower lip between mine. Heat builds in my chest, spreading through my body like fire.
