Page 3 of Witch Please

“I’m afraid so. People don’t really call me that, do they?”

“Well, we do. At book club. Clem says that your cherry Danishes are to die for, so she was in favor of the Great Dane, and Margie loves your cream puffs, so she wanted to call you DreamPuff, but I lobbied for CinnaMan since those are my favorites. At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’m pretty influential, hence—”

“I’m the CinnaMan,” he said, desperately amused. “I’ve never seen you in the shop, but I mostly work in the back.”

“Yes, you havepeoplefor that. Today I have none, alas. There’s only me, doing customer service and repairs. And speaking of which, Clem—short for Clementine—would be mortified that I still haven’t asked how I can help you.”

“Clementine is your cousin?”

“Cousin, housemate, and business partner. It’s a wonder that we’re not sick of each other by now, but we were raised as sisters, so that elevates our tolerance.”

“When you see Clementine, you can reassure her that I’m perfectly satisfied with your service.”Oh, why did I put it like that?

Her eyes widened. “Are you? You must have a soft spot for chaos and inefficiency.”

“Normally, no, but in your case, I’m making an exception.”

She leaned forward over the counter, propping her chin on her hands. “How interesting. Would you care to tell me why?”

“Would you care to tell me your name?” He suspected it was too soon to declare that he’d decided to marry her and was already christening their babies in his brain. Two at least, no more than five. He had to act fast before his curse kicked in.

Or maybe he shouldn’t. The last time he’d tried to get with someone, she’d moved to Iceland and married a biologist who studied puffins. Attraction still tweaked him now and then, but failure made him wary, and he usually ignored any twinges of romantic interest. This woman must be special indeed.

“Certainly. I’m Danica Waterhouse, co-owner of Fix-It Witches, far less glamorous than it sounds. We’ve established that you’ve something in need of repair?”

“Have we?”

“Haven’t we? Hmm. Is this like the endless apologies? It feels like you’re prolonging this conversation.”

Uh-oh, she’s onto me.

“I could apologize for that, but I’m afraid our progress would reset to zero.” When her eyes narrowed, he hurried on. “In fact, I do need someone to look at my oven.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Well, it doesn’t turn on.”And I did it again.

He could tell by the flicker of a smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth that she’d heard it too. “How long have you been having this issue?”

There was nothing for it but to play along. “Two days now, but I suspect the situation will improve soon.”

To his relief, she donned some semblance of professionalism and picked up an order pad from the counter. “Definitely, you’ve come to the right place. Are there any buns currently in your oven?”

Wait, is she asking if I’m married and my wife is pregnant? Or are we still talking about actual ovens?

Titus decided to answer as if the latter was true. “No, I’ve got two ovens, but I really need both of them working.”

“Understood. Can you write down the address and phone number? I’ll swing by this afternoon.”

“That would be fantastic.” He took the pen from her and filled in the requested info, barely restraining himself from writing his cell number next to the bakery one. With considerable self-control, he didn’t add a heart either.

“I’ll give you an estimate before I start any actual repairs. See you around one?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Now he really had no reason to linger, so he headed out with the irrational fear that if he didn’t ask her outright now,the next time he saw her there would be a ring on her finger. Today, she hadn’t worn one, and she lived with her cousin, so that probably meant she was single.Why is it so hard to confirm these things?

This was why he was a disaster at dating. Asking personal questions was awkward and possibly intrusive, and what if he made someone feel uncomfortable? Better to stay in the kitchen and bake delicious food—something he was skilled at. Unlike social interaction. Plus, his abysmal track record made him gun-shy. It was hard to hope when your love life inevitably crashed like an oversized ship into an iceberg.

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