Joey holds his hand up, halting my response. “One that doesn’t sound appetizing at all. Banana cake with caramel cheesecake mousse.” He grimaces, sticking a finger in his throat to mimic throwing up.

I shove his shoulder. “It’s going to be a beautiful cake. The bride wants sugared orchids cascading down one side. I love that. And those flavors work really well together.” Reese walks back through the doorway, twirling his keys on his finger. I walk around the display case to join him. “We’ll be back soon. Play nice, you two.”

Joey wraps his arm around Brooke’s shoulder. “Who? Us? There’s nothing but love here.”

I stop at the door, eyeing him suspiciously over my shoulder. Brooke is staring up at him with her own, as he wears the biggest teasing grin I’ve ever seen. “Did you get laid last night?” I ask. His playful eyebrow wiggle answers for him. Brooke pushes away from him, scoffing in the process as I roll my eyes. “Later, bitches.”

31

“So, what exactly did you drink last night? Do you remember?” I ask as I weave in and out of traffic.

“I remember everything.”

I glance over at him, seeing his set profile. “You do?”

He runs his hands down his face, dropping them to his lap before responding. “Yeah. I know I drank whiskey. A lot of it.”

“Do you remember getting home?” I steal another glance and see him drop his head against the seat.

“I remember everything, Dylan. The way you looked at me after you stopped the alarm. The conversation on the stairs. Everything. I promise you’ll never see me like that again.”

I pull over in front of The Tavern and put the car in park before I grab his hand. He immediately threads his fingers through mine, keeping his eyes focused on them. “I didn’t mind taking care of you. Not last night and not this morning either. It’s my job.”

His eyes meet mine, flashing with assurance. “It won’t happen again. The only thing that makes me lose control is you. Nothing else. Okay?”

I give his hand a gentle squeeze while his other grabs the door handle. “Okay. I’ll meet you back at the shop?”

He leans over, pressing his lips against mine. What starts off as the lightest touch quickly dissolves into a searing connection. I fist his shirt with both hands, holding him to me as he devours my mouth. His lips tease my jaw, my neck, the delicate skin below my ear. He has me worked into a wild frenzy in a matter of seconds. Breaking away, he pants loudly against my mouth before licking his bottom lip.

“You taste like your coffee.”

“Sorry.”

He smiles. “Don’t be. I love how everything tastes on your tongue.” His lips meet mine once more, briefly, before he opens the car door. “I’ll follow you.”

“Good luck keeping up,” I tease, earning myself a warning look before he steps out. He closes the door, and I watch him walk to the driver’s side of his car through my rear-view mirror. I lick my lips, tasting the combination of sugar and coffee.

Apple turnover, caramel macchiato, and Reese Carroll.

I’m doubting anything has tasted better.

“Why do you use eggs at room temperature? I never got that.”

I register Brooke’s question over the sound of my brand new mixer, which is an absolute dream. Not only does it have all these settings my old mixer failed to come with, but it’s also whipping my ingredients in record timing. After depositing the bags of flour and sugar onto the worktop, I answer. “Because they mix better into the batter. And it makes the finished product fluffier. I can always tell when someone doesn’t use room temperature eggs.”

“It’s a tragedy when cold eggs are used,” Joey adds, sticking his head through the doorway. “Brooke, grab me the container of blueberry muffins. We’re almost out up here.”

I measure out my dry ingredients as Brooke hands off the Tupperware container. She returns to my side, brushing the flour along the wood with her finger. “Do you always make wedding cakes a few days in advance?”

“I like to. Especially if I have more than one to make. We’ll knock out the cake layers today, and I’ll freeze them overnight. That will help lock in the moisture. And tomorrow afternoon, we’ll focus solely on assembling the cakes and all the intricate detail work.” I look over at her with a playful expression. “The fun stuff.”

“This is so cool. I can’t wait to see the finished products.”

I see that familiar excitement beaming off Brooke that I always have when I make wedding cakes. Maybe this will be her niche. Maybe she was always meant to be a baker. I step to the other side of the worktop, motioning toward the measuring cups I’ve readied for her. “Can you add those in after the batter turns a light, golden color? That’s when you know the caramel is fully mixed.”

“You’re not going somewhere, are you?” she asks with wide, startled eyes.

I laugh, grabbing the bowl of bananas in front of Reese. He lifts his eyes off his phone screen to give me a quick wink before returning to his task. Whatever he’s looking at, it’s kept his attention for the past hour.

Looking over at Brooke, I shake my head and begin peeling the twenty-five bananas I made Joey run out and get this morning. “No, I’m not going anywhere. We’re doing this together.”

She opens her mouth to respond when the sound of Reese’s cell phone ringing halts her.