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“I won’t stop you if you’re interested. Technically, it is human friendly.” Emma smirked, a playful glint in her eyes.
“I’ve got a better idea.” Luke walked over to her side, taking the spatula from her hand and turning her to face him.
“Luke, those need to cool,” she said. “You’re distracting me from my work.”
“That’s the point,” Luke said with a devilish look in his eyes.
Before Emma knew it, Luke had pulled her into his arms and was kissing her passionately. The kiss sent shivers through her skin, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, lost in the moment. For a few blissful seconds, nothing else mattered except Luke and the overwhelming feeling of love she had for him.
But their moment was interrupted by a few scratches at the back door, followed by a whine. Emma pulled away from Luke, sighing.
“To be continued?” Luke asked, his eyes dazed.
“Mmm hmm.” Emma nodded.
Luke kissed her once more and turned to the hall. “Where’s his leash? I’ll take him out so you can finish here.”
“Hanging up next to the front door,” Emma called out, turning back to her treats.
She heard Luke grab the leash and attach it to Riley’s collar, then head out the back door. From the kitchen window, she watched Luke and Riley take off down the beach.
By the time Luke and Riley returned, Emma was just starting another batch.
“You’re making more?” Luke asked, brushing his feet off on the matt, before walking into the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’ve got more orders to fulfill this coming week than usual, so I need to get another batch in before I stop.”
A grin formed on Luke’s face. “You know what would make this entire process go a lot faster?”
“And what might that be?” she asked, a tinge of curiosity in her voice.
He reached over, grabbing an apron. “Not sure how much help I’ll be, but tell me what I can do here.
Emma beamed at Luke, gratitude shining in her eyes. “Luke, you’re amazing. Thank you,” she said, her heart overflowing with his thoughtfulness. “So first you gotta start mixing the pumpkin puree. And after you’re done with that, you can get to work on stirring in the peanut butter and cinnamon.”
He chuckled, walking over to the bowl Emma pointed to. “Yes ma’am.”
Emma was surprised by how helpful Luke was as they worked together. He took direction from her with ease, making sure he was doing things correctly. They kept finding ways to make each other laugh, and as they brushed up against each other in her small kitchen, she couldn’t help but feel the sparks fly between them. Soon enough, they finished enough batches for half of the orders that week, and Emma would be able to deliver them all after school tomorrow.
“You do all this by yourself?” Luke asked as they started cleaning. “Even after working full time?”
“Well, yes, but I’ve thought about hiring someone to come help me once in a while. I just haven’t gotten there yet.”
“I think you’ve got a great thing going here, Emma. And I think you should hire someone. If you had someone doing this, say, eight to ten hours a week, you could put out twice as much product, and reach out to more pet stores in the area with the time you’d save.”
Emma’s face lit up at Luke’s suggestion. Chad had never been interested in her business, but Luke was different. He believed in her and offered ways for her to grow.
“Maybe I should just hire you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his chest.
“You could, but I’d never let you pay me.”
“What if I paid you in kisses?”
“Hmm. We might be able to work something out then.” Luke dipped his head to take his first payment.
Emma giggled as she rested her head against him, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. “Are you hungry?”
“I am, but I don’t know if I’m up for cooking after all that.”
