Page 23 of Back to You
Analyse chimes in, arms crossed. “Yeah, princesa, your Tío is still in trouble for giving you all that sugar and handing you back to me.”
Maya’s face drops.
Seb bends down and whispers conspiratorially. “But if we eat them together, we can say Mateo forced us into it. What do you say? Be my partner in cupcake crime?”
“You know I can hear you, right?” Analyse says flatly.
Seb ignores her and grins at Maya, who giggles. I laugh, and Seb glances up at me—then winks. A small part of me swoons. Okay, a big part. But, I mean, come on. A man who’s good with kids? That’s always a turn-on.
I started packing up a few cupcakes for Maya. “Which ones do you want, bebecita?”
She stares at them, eyes wide, like she’s making the hardest decision of her life. Eventually, she nods decisively. One of each.
My kind of girl. I smile and hand her the small box. “And you, Seb? Can’t leave your cupcake crime partner hanging.”
Seb grins. “You’re right, I can’t. I think I’ll take the strawberry one.”
“Good choice. That’s one of my favorites. Do you want me to put it in a box?”
Seb reaches out, gently taking the cupcake from my hand. “Nah, I think I’ll eat it now.”
I watch as he takes a large bite, remnants of frosting sticking to his lips. I don’t think I’ve ever been so captivated by a man eating a cupcake, but here we are. I quickly look away, pretending to wipe down the table.
Mateo wipes his mouth. “Damn, those were amazing. I need ten more immediately. Oh, and I’m Mateo, by the way, since this jerk didn’t introduce us before shoving cupcakes in our mouths.”
I chuckle. "Hi Mateo. If you want more cupcakes, throw some cash in that lockbox. We’re raising money for the kids."
Andres grins. "I like you."
He gestures at Sebastián. "We’ve heard a lot about you."
My stomach dips. Wait. What? Before I can say a word, Andres elbows Mateo and shoves him forward.
Seb rolls his eyes. "Sorry about that. It was good seeing you again, Mariana." He grabs Maya’s hand and walks away, leaving me feeling a little breathless.
After a long day of selling cupcakes, watching kids bounce off the walls from a sugar high, and then spending the rest of the afternoon with my mom, I am completely drained.
The kind of bone-deep exhaustion that makes my limbs heavy and my mind sluggish. But despite that, my thoughts won’t shut off.
Anna and I are sitting at my kitchen table, glasses of wine in our hands, playing bingo, a tradition started by our parents that somehow never died.
I absently twirl the stem of my wine glass between my fingers, distracted by the thought that’s been eating away at me all day.
Today reminded me of something. Something I haven’t felt in a long time. I love baking, I love making people happy with food, I love creating something from scratch and watching people’s faces light up when they take that first bite. And when I told my mom my wild idea, the way her eyes lit up… I just knew. I have to do this.
A voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Uh, Mari?”
I blink, snapping my head up to find Anna staring at me. She gestures to my bingo card. “Pretty sure you have bingo and you’ve just been sitting there staring at nothing.”
I don’t even hesitate. “What if I spoke to Ruth and asked to take over the bakery?”
Anna’s face goes blank. “What?”
I sit up straighter, heat rushing to my face. “She hasn’t sold it yet, right? It’s just sitting there?”
Anna doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, she just stares at me. A curious look on her face, like she’s processing the weight of what I just said.
