Page 73 of Whisking It All

“It’s your call, Gav. Do you think we can sell two hundred tickets?” Jamie asked.

Gavin caught the tennis ball on its next pass across the office, sending Jamie a smug smirk behind Baz’s back as he set the ball down on Jamie’s desk, out of Baz’s reach. “Early sales are going well, especially now that the social media ads are going with the photos Kyla took.”

The photos in question were much more suggestive than the first batch Gavin had used on billboards and print ads. The ones Gavin and Kyla had selected for the social media campaigns were borderline indecent, the sexual tension between Tessa and Jamie practically crackling off the screen. He and Tessa had looked through them together that morning right before she rode his face while swallowing his cock.

Jamie adjusted himself subtly under the table and forced the vivid memories from his mind. He could not think about those things while talking to her father.

“I saw those photos,” Ethan said with a grimace. “You guys conveniently left them out of the last batch you sent me.”

“I thought you looked very nice in the photos, Jamie,” Ethan’s mother called to the camera as she passed by behind Ethan, a basket of laundry balanced on her hip.

“Mom, I’ll take care of that after my meeting,” Ethan said. Louise waved him off and continued on her way. He turned back to the camera. “Mom printed out some of those shots from Facebook and has them on the fridge. Every damn day I have to look at your face when I go for the OJ.”

Every inch of Jamie’s skin was on fire, shame eating him alive as he thought about the photoshoot, about the way he’d practically come out of his skin with wanting every time Tessa smiled at him, how badly he’d wanted to smear her lipstick. Those heated thoughts were practically burned into his gaze in the images, the flirtatious curve of her smile like a dare. To think those photos were on her grandmother’s fridge was unbearable.

“You were saying something about the sales picking up?” Jamie asked Gavin, once again trying to steer the conversation away from him and Tessa.

“They won’t really pick up until next week,” Gavin continued. “Locals will wait until the last minute to buy their tickets.”

“The packages Natalia put together are selling fast. There are only three or four spots left in the girls’ getaway package,” Baz said, reaching for his tablet to pull up the numbers.

“Is that the one with the manicures and massages?” Ethan asked.

“And the lingerie fittings and boudoir photo shoot,” Baz confirmed. “Even the guys’ weekend packages are more than half sold at this point. Paintball and axe throwing are a big hit.”

“What about day passes? Seats to the opening dinner?” Jamie asked.

“Both are doing well, but not as well as the packages.”

Just as Tessa had said would happen. Her strategy was working, better than any of them had expected it to. Jamie couldn’t help the flare of pride in his chest.

“We’ll see an uptick in those sales after Jamie and Tessa go on Sunrise in the City,” Gavin chimed in.

“Sunrise in the City?” Ethan asked, his eyes wide. “You guys have been busy.”

“Well, we can’t all fuck off to Florida for two months,” Baz joked.

“Sebastian Graham, I heard that!” Ethan’s mother said, appearing at the edge of Jamie’s screen, just behind her son. Baz’s face went red, and Gavin barely hid his laughter. “You watch your language, young man, or I won’t send Ethan home with any cookies for you.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Hart,” Baz grumbled.

Louise winked at Jamie and then disappeared from the screen again.

“Don’t worry, Baz. Mrs. Hart would never actually withhold cookies,” Gavin said.

“And, with any luck, I’ll be delivering them before the festival,” Ethan said.

“You’ll be home that soon?” Gavin asked, sitting on the edge of Jamie’s desk so he could better see the screen.

“Dad’s doing really well. It looks like he’ll be back to his old self with just a couple more weeks of therapy. Well, minus the bacon and Big Macs. He’s really pissed off about that last part,” Ethan chuckled. No one loved a Big Mac like Henry Hart.

The throbbing in Jamie’s head moved behind his eyes and an uncomfortable weight settled on his chest. As much as he missed his best friend, Ethan’s return to Aster Bay would make whatever was going on with him and Tessa significantly more complicated. Would they have to end things before she left town? No, that would be unbearable. They’d just have to figure out how to keep their secret once Ethan was home.

“That’s great news. Tessa must be thrilled,” Gavin said, beaming.

“She’s so busy with Sugar Grapes and the festival she’s hardly had time to miss me,” Ethan said, a hint of sadness coloring his smile. “You three are doing such a great job of making her feel welcome. She can’t say enough good things about you all. Especially you, Jamie. The way you jumped in and helped in the kitchen on opening day—” Ethan broke off, shaking his head. “It means a lot to us both. Thank you, man.”

Jamie’s stomach twisted. “Yeah, of course,” he said, looking away. If he looked in Ethan’s eyes, even through a computer screen, he might vomit. That or tell him everything. Neither was an acceptable option.

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