Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Okay.” I took my apron off and hung it back on the hook. I ran my fingers through my hair, smoothing my hands over my jeans. “Do you mind locking the door and flipping the sign to ‘closed’ while they’re here?”
“Ella already did it,” she replied, still looking stunned.
I took a deep breath and started toward the door. “How do I look? Do I look okay?”
“You look great.” I knew she’d have said that regardless of if it were true, and I loved her for it. She stepped aside to let me through the door, following close behind me.
“Look who came to visit us.” Ella beamed at me from where she stood talking to Cash. Brady hung out near the door and waved in my direction.
“Hey, fellas,” I greeted them with a casualness I did not feel. “Did you guys come to load up on some cupcakes?”
“You bet your ass I did.” Dallas smiled broadly as he moved to hug me. “Long time no see, Liv.”
“Good to see you again, Dallas.” I returned his hug, and Jax caught my eye as I did. “By the way, this is Katie. She’s a dear friend and one of our top pastry chefs.” I gestured toward Katie, whose smile was plastered on her face in a way that told me she was internally freaking out.
“Katie, I’m Dallas.” He introduced himself and sauntered over to her. “Clearly we need to be friends, Miss Top Pastry Chef.”
“Liv.” Jax’s voice was soft as he approached me. “Donut look so surprised to see me.” His lips curled into a smile.
“Jax.” I pressed my lips together, laughter threatening to escape me. “Donut come in here with your cheesy donut jokes.” We both burst into a fit of giggles as he closed the distance between us, pulling me into his arms. I inhaled his delicious scent, and my heart fluttered inside my chest. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Dallas wasn’t going to rest until he got his hands on some cupcakes,” he joked.
“It’s true.” Dallas looked up from his conversation with Katie.
“Then cupcakes you shall have, my friend.” I stepped behind the counter. I began to pluck cupcakes and a few pastries from the cases, placing them in our signature Tiffany Blue colored boxes. “What else are you guys getting into today?”
“I’m meeting with a realtor this afternoon,” Dallas answered.
“Really?” Ella asked with her hand on her hip. “Wait, does that mean you’re considering moving here?”
Dallas nodded. “Most of us are. Well, all of us except Luca, because he’s a stubborn ass. We’re all here so much, and the city is great. Derek is out exploring right now, in fact. I really wanted to get the ball rolling, maybe look at a few places while I’m here with time to kill.”
“What about you, Cash?” I asked as I closed the boxes, sealing them with our logo stickers. “Are you making the move too?”
“I’ve thought about it,” he admitted, crossing his arms. “My work has me here a lot, and it’s such a great town. Nashville has a much slower pace than LA. I could get used to that.”
“It’s a pretty great place.” I scooted the boxes across the counter. “I’ve loaded y’all down, so there’s plenty for the other guys too. Would y’all like a drink or something to have now?”
“This is more than enough,” Dallas said. “What do we owe you?”
“It’s on the house.” I smiled.
“I love this woman.” Dallas gestured at me with his thumb before scooping the boxes off the counter, returning to his conversation with Katie.
“Is there a good coffee shop over here?” Cash asked. “We’ve been here a lot, but not to this neighborhood.”
“Frothy Monkey,” I answered quickly and moved around the counter. “If you make a right out of our store, it’s across the street a few yards down. They have a full menu too. It’s a great place for lunch.”
Ella nodded in agreement. “We order from there at least a couple times a week.”
“Speaking of lunch,” Jax said, stepping closer to me. “I know we have plans for dinner, but any chance I could steal you away for lunch too?”
“It’s so crazy you should ask,” Ella spoke up before I could even respond. “Liv wasjustsaying she was about to take off early since we’re a little slow today.” I shot her a warning look before turning my attention back to Jax.
“Then I guess it’s my lucky day.” Jax grinned.
