Page 51 of Great Pretender
“No. When I was sixteen, we kissed.”
She gasps, and her hands fly up to her cheeks.“You devil, you never told me that.”
“It was a test kiss. We played this stupid game, and it was a kiss to prove we didn’t have feelings for eachother.I pretended I didn’t feel anything then, but I did, and I have all theseyears.”
“Oh, Piper, for God’s sake, stop denying yourself. I think what you sense when you’re around Chad might be right, but there’s only one sure way to test the waters.” She nods with a surety akin to her.
“I shouldn’t complicate things.” Maybe what I want to say is,What if I don’t want the relationship to end?
If I truly fall for him, I’ll want forever, but Chad isn’t the forever guy.
Elodie reaches over and takes my hand.“I hear you, but not everything can be explained in simplewords.Some things are complex. I think if you want something and open your mind to the possibility of having it, you can change theoutcome.”
I’m not sure how that would work on a guy I’ve always known to be aplayboy.
The problem is, all I have to do is remember how I feel when he kisses me, and having that open mind is more than a temptation I’m not sure I can resist—even if I wanted to.
* * *
Perfect, I’m nearly finished.
Carefully, I take the last tray of mini apple and blueberry pies out of the oven and carry them over to the counter to join the assortment of cakes I’ve baked.
This is my last act of kindness this month.
Dad dragged me into it.
There’s an orderly at the hospital he took a shine to. Her name is Belinda.
She invited Dad to her church’s bake sale to raise money for the children’s hospital. He accepted the invite but also told her about my delicious cakes.
I felt so good that he was talking to people again, and a woman at that, that I couldn’t refuse when he asked me if I could bake a few cakes for the sale.
The few turned into a hundred, though, when someone pulled out at the last minute.
Being the good Samaritan I am, always and ever at the rescue, I didn’t have the heart to say no when I probably should have. I have twenty more cakes to do before I’m done and can go to bed.
So far, I’ve made an assortment of fruit pies and several cakes.
As I move over to the other counter to get the frosting for the cakes that have cooled, I hear the front door creak open and close.
That would be Chad.
He’s been working later these days because it’s getting to that time of year when the team prepares for their PR events and fundraisers. Chad does a lot of work with the players in the buildup and even has interviews himself.
Glancing at the clock, I realize how late it is. It’s nearly eight.
Christ, today was my day off, and I’ve spent it in the kitchen baking my ass off.
He walks in with a smile, smelling the air.
“Wow, smells delicious in here,” he states.
I could say the same about him since he looks delicious in his suit, and the musky scent of his aftershave just wafted in with him.
It gets closer as he does, tickling my nose and heating up my body.
I’ve been worse since I spoke to Elodie, secretly indulging in the possibility of me giving in to temptation.
