Page 9 of Falling for You
CHAPTER 3
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CeCe stood in the diner’skitchen, surrounded by open canisters of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. This was her element, and yet, in that moment she had no inspiration. Eric’s competition gutted her. Usually, she relished any opportunity to bake and show off her skills. That competitive nature only grew when the diner was involved. This place had been her sanctuary. But Eric coming to Ohio, coming close to her safe space, dug under her skin.
Max came out of his office, head down, staring at his phone. He and Ginny’s wedding was fast approaching, and he’d been more distracted than normal. “Heading out?” CeCe asked, rearranging the canisters in front of her by size.
Max nodded, not looking up until he reached the door. Finally, he turned and took in the quiet scene in front of him. Tucking his cell phone back in his pocket, he stepped up to the counter and rapped his knuckles on the cool metal surface. “Want to talk about it?” he asked casually.
He could read her like a book. If she was staying late to bake, she’d have the kitchen in a state of chaos by this point. Not that CeCe’s baking style was messy, but it was organized chaos. She knew what she was doing, where things needed to be, and when to stop kneading or mixing. She was a master of her domain, but right now she didn’t feel masterful at all. She felt exposed and uncomfortable. Fiddling with the buttons on her chef’s tunic, CeCe shrugged. “Not really.” She sighed, pushing the cinnamon shaker away. She had no inspiration and forcing the moment would result in subpar baking.
Max rested his elbows on the counter. “We don’t need to do this competition—” He let his words cut off, seeming uncertain how to continue.
CeCe forced a smile for Max. He was very important to her, and she wouldn’t let her past heartbreak ruin the diner’s future. “I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe we should do it.”
Max slowly nodded and looked around the kitchen for a moment before finding his words. His stammer loved to rear its ugly head. Since Ginny came back into his life, his confidence was back, even if sometimes his words faltered. “Y-y-you don’t have to do anything for this, CeCe. We don’t have to compete, or I can whip something up with Evan. That idiot has no pull over us. Okay? We can pretend the competition isn’t even happening. No one would bat an eye.”
Rubbing the spot above her heart, CeCe took a deep breath. Her voice caught on her words as she spoke. “I’m going to figure this out. I won’t be the reason we don’t get to compete. The diner deserves to show off. This is a huge opportunity.” She meant what she said, but the words still tasted bitter on her tongue, like when coffee sits on the burner too long.
Max reached forward and covered her shaking hand with his. It was warm and firm, the grasp of a true friend. “You can if you want t-t-to. But do it for you. D-don’t do it for us.”
Feeling tears welling behind her eyes, CeCe shook her head and went back to her task of reorganizing the canisters. Max patted her arm before stepping outside, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The diner was eerily quiet, which usually calmed her. During open hours, music piping through the dining room speakers, the sound of metal clanging and glasses clinking throughout each meal. Now only the gentle hum of the refrigerator kept her company.
CeCe squared her shoulders and walked toward the far wall, where a small rack held her and Max’s favorite cookbooks. Each book was stuffed with scraps of paper, updating or tweaking different recipes. She kept a handful of spiral notebooks, each holding recipes from the different restaurants she’d worked at over her decade-long career. One purple notebook without a title on the cover held a lot of memories, a lot of flavors of her past.
With a shaking hand, CeCe plucked the notebook from the shelf. She flipped it open and already felt her mouth tip up at the corners. Some of her first tart recipes were inside this book, along with a double chocolate mousse and the first iteration of her famous cheesy bites. Lost in the moment, too busy looking at the swirling scrawl over recipes that she’d reworked, she didn’t hear the back door open.
“It’s nice to see you smiling,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
“Ah!” CeCe shrieked as the notebook tumbled to the floor, a dozen scraps of paper fluttering around her. “Evan, you scared the hell out of me.” She splayed her hand over her chest and tried to slow her racing heart.
Evan flushed and held up his hands. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I came by to pick up a few things. Max said no one was here, and I didn’t think to call out.” He knelt in front of her and scooped up the slips of paper. Carefully, he pushed them into a neat stack and handed it to her, who quickly shoved them inside the notebook before thrusting it back onto the shelf.
She’d be lying if she wasn’t annoyed with Max. He knew darn well she was there. He had some unusual fascination with them, but most days she shrugged it off. Evan was a nice guy, but that was it.It had to be it. She was nearly thirty now; what was the point of drooling over Evan? She was a grown-up with grown-up problems, like an ex she couldn’t seem to shake. He was still finding his way in the world. There was no point getting in Evan’s way.
Especially now, when she felt lost.
Evan was still talking, but CeCe missed what he’d said. Shaking her head, she asked, “Sorry. What was that?” She watched him disappear into the walk-in fridge and come out with a box tucked under one arm. “You're stealing from the diner now?” She laughed, understanding he’d sooner walk across hot coals than steal anything.
Evan shook his head, a few of his longer curls falling over his forehead. His hair always looked perfectly tousled, like one of the ’90s Abercrombie & Fitch advertisements. Not that she spent time thinking about Evan or his hair. Nope, never.
Evan wiggled the box. “It’s the leftover soup and some things Max was helping me with. Tonight’s the big movie marathon, so I needed to get my provisions.”
“Movie marathon?” CeCe asked, her attention on the growing smile on Evan’s face. He looked so pure, so happy at that moment. While she felt thrown in a million directions, Evan’s attention was solely on her.
“Yeah, I’m hosting a kung fu movie marathon. Happens every year around this time. When I was a kid, my sisters and I would watch our favorite movies in the spring. We’d spend a whole weekend just lying in our pajamas and eating until we puked.” He hesitated and chuckled. “Well, I guess I was the only one who puked.” He looked down at the box in his arms and grinned. “My plans consist of nothing but eating and watching terribly amazing movies all weekend.” He beamed as she forced a matching smile.
CeCe waved him toward the door, wanting to be alone with her rambling thoughts. Evan was too buoyant right now, and she’d sour his mood. “I’ll let you get to it.” She turned and started pulling spices to put back in the drawers. Creativity wasn’t coming, and she didn’t want to taint any creations with her current temperament. Her plans now were to go home and hide until she felt human again.However long that took.
