Page 11 of Thanking Her Brother's Best Friends

"Look at you," Chloe replied, grinning from ear to ear. "You're behaving like a little kid in a cake shop."

"But honestly, taste it." I almost shoved the cheesecake in her mouth in my excitement to get her opinion. She took a bite and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, my God, heaven. See, if you'd ask me to pray for this, I'd do it. I ain't even lying."

A sudden onslaught of customers caught us unawares. We'd kept the store closed today so we could come up with a new menu, but clearly, the "closed" sign on the front door hadn't done the trick.

Or some people just needed to prove they were bigger than anything.

"Hey." A girl—she had to be in her early twenties—strutted up to us in a full face of make-up. It was very early for this. I could see the corners of Chloe's mouth twitching.

She'd likely take me aside later and tell me something about the girl coming to the shop on the way home on her walk of shame from some rando's apartment.

And I'd remind her that the last time she'd woken up next to someone, she hadn't even gotten his name right. He'd been pretty nice to her about the mishap, too, the poor man.

"Hello," I replied, keeping the smile on my face intact. "We're unfortunately closed today, but our online delivery channel is open if you'd still like to get something."

"Nah, we're not from Boston, just visiting. We were hoping you'd show us around this shop. Heard a lot about it. See, my boyfriend and I..." She paused to pull the sleeve of a boy standing next to her.

Until she did this, he was staring at my intern. I knew what that look meant. He was obviously in this for the heck of the ride.

"We run an Instagram channel. You can check us out atSexyEats.We've got over a hundred thousand followers and shit."

"How nice for you," I deadpanned. I knew what was coming next, and it wouldn't be the first time.

The way social media was mushrooming, a time would come when one of these assholes would go into a Michelin-star restaurant and demand a full-course meal in exchange for "likes" and "views". Because, of course, we needed it no matter who we were.

My choice here was simple. I could throw a hissy fit and ask them to get the fuck out of my shop. Or, I could just stay calm and put them in their place. The way I'd seen it, throwing fits never helped because people like these two were always ready with comebacks.

The last time I'd lost my temper, I'd landed on the front page of multiple sensational papers and channels. The headline had to do with my becoming unhinged after Dave left me alone to raise a kid.

I didn't want to risk that happening again. I could take it, but hell no, not Oliver.

Every little move I made would have a ripple effect on my family, which encompassed my son and his heart. No way would I risk causing injury to that.

"I'm sorry, but you've truly caught us at an inopportune time," I said, widening my smile and the emphasis on my words. "I would so love to show you around and give you a taste of our shop's delicacies. But we're in the process of revamping our menu, and there's nothing on the counters today. If you'd like, I can do signed copies of my book and some pictures too!"

You give some, you get some.

The influencers exchanged a glance, and the girl told me to "give her a minute." They were negotiating, apparently.

Then, they came back. "How about this? We get one box of your creations and leave a review, and get a picture with you?"

I wanted to reach out and smack her smug face. But, circumstances. Honestly, I had far bigger battles to fight and win than to bother about one box of pastries. I nodded. "Please wait here. I'll have a box arranged for you."

Chloe followed me to the back of the kitchen. "Check their socials and verify they have the numbers," I told her.

"Hold up."

I stopped in my tracks.

"They do have a following, but it's not a hundred thousand, Sel. It's just short of ten K. And look at the comments—they all look AI-engineered. I'd say they've purchased most of their following."

My blood had begun boiling. "Okay. Get a box, and pack two pastries in it."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

---