Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
CHAPTER TEN
AUBREE
“Hey, you!” I wrap my arms around Brody’s neck for a hug. It’s Saturday morning, and I’m excited about our date. It will be the first time in a while I’m not at the bakery, but Lacey promised she had it all under control. Since I didn’t have any plans last night, I baked everything for today and tomorrow so I won’t have to bake any more until tomorrow night or Monday morning.
Lacey mentioned that since my social life has picked up, I should consider hiring another part-time baker, but I’m not ready to go there yet. Sure, we’re steadily busy, but in a few months, we’ll be evicted, and I’ll have to find us somewhere to live. Somewhere way more expensive than what I’m paying now, which means I need to save every extra cent I have.
“Mmm, you smell like cupcakes,” Brody murmurs, making me laugh.
“That’s because I baked last night and went in early this morning to get things situated. I swear, no matter how much I shower and scrub myself, the scent lingers.”
“I like that you smell like cupcakes.” He leans in and glides his nose across my neck, sending a rush of desire through my body. “You know what I’m wondering, though…” He places a soft kiss on the sensitive area just below my ear. “If you taste like cupcakes.”
“You’ve already tasted me,” I breathe, remembering our kiss at the end of our date.
“Yeah, your lips, but I want to know if all of you tastes sweet.”
His words cause the area between my legs to clench and my skin to heat as I imagine him exploring every inch of my body to find out. “We better go,” I say, my voice coming out raspy. It’s messy enough that I’m dating two guys. The last thing I need is to add sex to the mix.
Brody chuckles but doesn’t argue, and we head out on foot. He pulls his phone out to check something and then guides us to wherever we’re going. While we walk, we talk, and I enjoy our conversation as we get to know each other. We keep it light, focusing on our favorites, like our favorite food and drink and song. And I find that we have a lot in common.
When we end up at Shell’s Bakery, I give Brody a confused look.
“You mentioned you like to check out bakeries. This one sells products from outside distributors. I was thinking we could check a few out today and see if maybe you can picture your products being sold at any of them…or all of them.”
His admission causes me to choke up. He thought about our conversation, looked into the bakeries that outsource, and planned a day so we could check them out together.
“Hey, if this isn’t something you’re interested in,” he begins, mistaking my tears as sad.
“No, it is. The tears are because…” I laugh a watery laugh. “I keep trying to keep it light with you, but it always ends up going deep.”
“I’m okay with deep,” he says. “Talk to me.”
“For the past few years, even though I have my kids and Lacey and my in-laws, I’ve still felt alone in a lot of ways. Like I’m trying to do it all on my own, and most days, I feel like I’m doing okay, but other days, it feels like I’m failing. And then all this stuff came up with the building being sold.” I sigh, closing my eyes for a moment to get myself together before opening them back up and looking at him. “It just feels really good to have someone in my corner. To think about me. It makes me feel a little less lonely.”
Brody grips the curves of my hips and pulls me toward him. “You’re not alone, Bree. If you let me in, I’d love to be here.”
He presses a soft kiss to my lips that ignites a fire in my belly. “Now, how about we go check out the bakery? See if she needs those addictive brownies of yours?”
“Are we almost there yet?” I ask for the millionth time, cringing when I realize I sound like my kids. But in my defense, Hayden won’t tell me anything, not even a single clue, and we’ve been driving for well over an hour.
“Soon,” he says with a lighthearted laugh, squeezing the top of my thigh. We’re in his Porsche SUV, which isn’t quite as luxurious as Brody’s Lambo but just as techy and pretty.
“Did you have a good day yesterday?” he asks, making conversation. My thoughts go to Brody and our day together. We hit up a dozen bakeries, taking notes on each one and gathering info so I’d have it all to make a decision. It was fun checking out each place and comparing it to mine. I even got a few ideas I’d like to implement at Heart’s.