AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They are super detailed.” He leans in closer, and I catch a whiff of his aftershave.
I groan internally. Why does he have to smell so good? Like the outdoors and fresh pinecones or something? This is not helping! I need to find one flaw with this man before I start swooning and ignoring the fact that he’s about to turn my life upside down—and not in a good way.
“Thanks, but I need some space.” I try to wiggle my elbows, brushing against his chest in the process.
“Did something happen? Are you mad at me?” he asks, concern in his voice.
“No, why would I be? Do you have something you might want to tell me?” I ask but refuse to turn to look into those eyes.
His eyes make me melt, and I need to stay focused. I can’t be distracted by a little aftershave or his charm.
“No, nothing new. I was just wondering if you wanted to go hiking?” he asks.
“Nope, I don’t think so. Sorry.”
“I didn’t even tell you when.” He moves in front of me, forcing me to meet his eyes. “What’s up? Is this another bad day with your mom?
“No.”
“Customer issue?”
I shake my head.
“Did I do something?”
For a moment, I consider telling him what Missy said. But I know he’ll just make excuses and I’ll end up getting angrier. It’s best to just wait until there’s something important to discuss. So, I straighten my back and try to maintain my professional demeanor as I urge him out of my kitchen.
“I’m just really busy with these flowers,” I say, choking on my lie.
“I see,” he replies and moves away from me.
I feel empty without the warmth of his body next to mine. The scent of him fades, and my heart rate returns to normal. I don’t dare turn around to see if he’s gone yet as I put my headphones back on. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, but I refuse to let this situation break me. I inhale and move to pipe the flower for the third—or maybe fourth time.
Smack!
I stop mid-squeeze, not sure what just happened. Turning slowly, I see Caleb with a mischievous grin, holding a small bowl of frosting. I reach up to wipe away the frosting he slapped onto my nose.
“If you don’t talk to me, I’ll do it again,” he warns playfully.
“Did you just slap frosting on my face?” I ask in disbelief.
“Yep,” he responds, holding up a spatula covered in frosting. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
“You are crazy,” I tell him, quickly grabbing some frosting and flinging it at him.
“I’m crazy?” Caleb retorts, pulling back his spatula for another hit. But I quickly duck under the table.
We both burst into laughter as more shots are exchanged.
“Truce,” I call out, raising a dish towel above the table. “I surrender.”
“Good,” he says as I move upward to see his face. “I ran out of frosting.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be fair to attack you while you’re down,” I agree.
“Exactly,” he sighs. “How am I going to explain this to anyone?” he sighs, glancing down at his shirt which is now covered in colorful blobs and streaks of frosting. It’s quite comical and definitely going to raise eyebrows.
“Just say it was a frosting industrial accident,” I suggest with a smile.
