Page 45 of Hers to Marry
“I know.” He wouldn’t let her finish what she was going to say so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed about it later and wish to take it back. He knew she wasn’t happy for him and Parker. He knew she wanted him to kiss her. But he’d made a promise to Parker, and he had to be a man of his word if nothing else.
He couldn’t treat Kat any worse than Marcus did.
Drew’s hand on her back slacked, and she eased away from him until they were the appropriate distance apart.
“Thank you for being our wedding planner—again.”
The knowing look in her eyes followed by the appreciative smile settled Drew’s raging stomach. They were on the same page without words.
“I’ll have the cakes ready for you to taste tomorrow. I think you’ll have a hard time deciding which flavor to choose.”
“Maybe we can have all of them?”
She raised her brows. “If you’d like. Susie is charging the platinum package amount, so that probably means multiple flavors.”
Drew laughed softly. “I guess we deserve that after coming in at the last minute and then making a scene yesterday.”
“Eh, it was more the last-minute thing.”
Drew’s smile widened the longer he stared into her eyes. “You’re kind. And tell Susie we appreciate you accommodating us.”
“She needs the business. She’s trying to expand to the empty space next door.”
“Really? I figured with how well you bake, business would be booming for your shop.”
Kat nodded. “It is, and so are the rent prices. It’s been hard for her to keep kids employed because they’re just unreliable these days. So a lot of the time I have to help out front, and that keeps me from baking.”
“And it’s just you back there creating.”
“Exactly.”
Drew let out a breath. “Well, I certainly get it.”
“Thanks for your standing order. Susie told me you’ll need it for your workers. That’s very sweet of you. How did you grow your company? I’m assuming you have a lot of people.”
“There’s about a dozen of us core guys, and we’re all over the country. At the beginning, we asked people we knew to invest. Usually family members. Parker has invested a lot. Now with her new promotion, she’s offered to increase her contribution.” He saw her lips slant down to one side. “The projects that have been on the back burner for a while can get done. It’s going to be great.”
“I see.”
She didn’t meet his gaze, her mouth still in a slight frown.
“What, Kat. What aren’t you saying?”
She looked up and gave a quick shake of her head. “Nothing. It sounds like you’re really going to help a lot of people. That’s fantastic, Drew, really. Find investors. That’s a smart idea.”
He cocked his head to one side. “No, that’s not it at all. What don’t you like about Parker giving me money? What’s wrong with it?”
She shrugged. “You don’t find it…muddies the water a bit? You know, like you kind of owe her because she’s invested so much?”
“Owe her?” he said a little sharply.
She jerked back.
“Hey, you two!” the instructor called out.
Drew and Kat looked around and caught the instructor clapping her hands at them to get their attention.
“This isn’t some movie where you dance under the moonlight with no music. This is a class. The music has stopped, and so can you.”
