Page 22 of Falling for Mr. Bossy Pants

“Well, if you’re in the mood for something different, want to try the amazing bread Lacey just baked?” Beth asks, tapping her hand on the counter.

Mr. Whitmore turns his attention to me. “I would love to try it,” he says giving me a grin. His smile makes my mouth dry. I know I can’t, but the urge to touch him is driving me nuts. I hurry to the back and retrieve the loaf. I put it on the cutting board on the counter and slice everyone a generous piece. It’s still warm so I grab a small dish of butter with a knife and put a little on each piece. I want to feed it to Mr. Whitmore just like I did the banana bread.Get yourself together. There are a few seconds of silence as everyone chews, then Shane stops mid-chew. “Oh my God. This is amazing. What is this? Parmesan?”

“Yes, it’s a parmesan crusted boule.” I say, as I take another bite. Not to toot my own horn, but it’s exactly how it’s supposed to taste. The crust is just hard enough, and the crumb of the bread is tender. It’s a winner for sure.

Mr. Whitmore looks back at me. “Lacey, this is incredible. Are you going to sell it? Because this would fly off the shelves.”

I smile at him. His face lights up as he puts another piece in his mouth. Then he licks butter off his finger. He has no idea what he’s doing to me.

I clear my throat. “Well, I think so. To do it right I need to get another oven and maybe a proofer. But that’ll require me getting a loan or maybe a grant.”

I see Beth out of the corner of my eye put her arm into Shane’s and walk him over to the table leaving me and Mr. Whitmore at the front. There’s something going on between them. I’ll have to squeeze it out of her later though because right now I have Mr. Whitmore standing in front of me looking delicious as ever. Yes. Delicious. This bread is going to my brain.

“Well, I’d say look for a grant first. I can help you write the proposal if you want?”

“Oh, thanks Mr. Whitmore. I might do that.” I’ll do anything at this point if it means I get to have more interaction with this man. He’s charming me, and he doesn’t even know it. I hold Mr. Whitmore’s gaze and I can tell he has something else to say. I wait patiently hoping it’s something I want to hear.

“Lacey, I did come with some good news. Those potential investors are no longer potential. They are in on the new project. And they’re having a dinner party with all their people and have invited myself and Shane.”

I beam up at him. “Mr. Whitmore that is great news! I’m happy that worked out.” I am so glad that the meeting went well. The amount of money Mr. Whitmore asked them to invest was substantial and I know with their backing he will only need one or maybe two more investors.

“Well, Lacey, I wanted to ask if you would join Shane and I? I mean, you were pivotal in that meeting’s success, and I think you should be there.”

I freeze. My knees suddenly feel weak. I step closer to the counter so I can lean against it. I am about to go to a dinner party for work with my boss. Okay settle down. Shane will be there too. It’s clearly a work thing. I’m okay with work things. I mean, I get to schmooze a bit with some well-known executives, and I get to see my boss. I can do this without puking. Maybe. I breathe in slowly hoping it’s not noticeable at how big of a breath I’m taking.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you. I would love to go. When is it?” I ask as coolly as possible because I can not come off as a giddy schoolgirl right now.

“Tuesday night. We can all just go together. Shane and I will pick up you and Beth around seven if that works?”

Did he just say Beth is coming? I glance over to see Beth nodding at Shane with a smile. She is so into him and she’s showing it. I catch her eye. She holds my gaze and waggles her eyebrows. This is her look when she has news to tell me. Shane must have asked her to this dinner. I’m now going to a work thing with my boss and my best friend, oh, and the COO. I don’t know if I should be excited or scared. Thisisjust a work dinner thing right?

I make eye contact with Mr. Whitmore to make sure he knows I’m very into his invitation. “That sounds great. Seven will be perfect. We will see you then.”

I look down as he places his hand on the counter. I can’t tell if he wants me to reach out or not. Maybe he wants to touch me, but the counter is in the way? I have no idea. I short circuit and reach out and pat his hand like a grandma would. “Great. Looking forward to it.”Smooth Lace. Real smooth.

Mr. Whitmore smiles and then turns to Shane. They say their good-byes as they head out the door.

As soon as they’re out the door Beth runs over to me. “We are going out with two of the most handsome men in this town. You realize this right?”

I can’t help but be excited. But this isn’t a date. It can’t be. It was clear this is work related. I mean, it might be a date for Beth and Shane, but for me and Mr. Whitmore this is strictly professional. This is a thank-you-for-investing-in-our-project dinner. That is all. I’m sure of it. Maybe.

Chapter twelve

Jared

My decision to ask Lacey to this dinner party was somewhat selfish. She does deserve to be there, because without her quick thinking and number crunching, I’m not sure these guys would have invested. But my desire to simply see this woman has grown each day and what better opportunity than in the safety of a work-related event. It’s not a date so there’s no pressure for either one of us.

Shane seems cool as a cucumber sitting in the passenger seat playing on his phone. I wish I could say I felt the same way, but there’s a prickly sensation taking over my gut.

“So, is this your first official date with Beth?” I ask.

Shane chuckles. “I don’t consider this a date really. I mean it’s work. We have to do the whole schmoozing thing and it’s not like we’ll have a ton of time to have any real conversation. But I think it’s a good first step. What about you?”

“What do you mean? I’m not dating Lacey, and like you said this is a work thing that I invited her to because she should be there.”

Shane guffaws as he looks my way. “Please Jared. I know you’re into her. I can tell. It’s subtle but it’s there.”

“Shane, even if that were true, she’s an employee. We can’t date.”

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