“I know that too,” I added quickly.
But the thing was, the more we said it, the less I remembered why exactly that was.
He turned to look at me fully. “So what do we do?”
I met his eyes. Sinking into the blue deeps for a moment. Just letting myself feel all the emotions neither of us knew what to do with, and then I swallowed the lump that was rising in my throat and glanced away as I tried to pull myself together.
“I guess we taste some cake and try not to combust from sexual tension?”
That startled another laugh out of him. “That’s the plan?”
“Unless you have a better one.”
“I really don’t.”
We got out of the truck and walked toward the bakery. The afternoon sun was warm, and downtown Willowbrook was busy with the usual Thursday crowd. People waved at Dex as we passed. Everyone knew him here, had known him his whole life.
I wondered what they thought, seeing us together.
The bakery was exactly the kind of place you’d expect in a small town. Big open windows displaying all the treats inside. Little cafe tables with seating where you could sit and enjoy the sweet, sugary goodness of everything inside. A bell chimed cheerfully when we walked in, the smell of fresh cookies hit me and my mouth immediately began to water.
“You must be here for the Farrington tasting!” The baker emerged from the back, wiping her hands on her flour-dusted apron. She was in her fifties with kind eyes and a warm smile. “You two are right on time!”
“Thanks for fitting us in, Marie” Dex said.
“Oh, anything for Trace and Delaney. Those two deserve all the happiness.” She gestured for us to follow her. “I’ve got everything set up in the back room. More private that way. You can really focus on the flavors, and Delaney mentioned that you wanted to get a couple of photographs as well.”
She led us through the shop to a small room with a table set for two. Not a group tasting, not a crowd. Just two place settings, two water glasses, and six different cake samples arranged on delicate white plates.
My heart sank and soared at the same time.
“I’ll give you two some privacy,” Marie said with a wink that suggested she thought we were more than just... whatever we were. “Take your time, try everything. There’s water to cleanse your palate between samples. Call me when you’re ready to decide, or if you have any questions. These two are the ones that Trace and Delaney couldn’t decide between and the rest are just because who wants to only try two different types of cake, am I right?”
She laughed softly as she backed away from us, a friendly smile on her face as her eyes darted between the two of us. Then the door closed softly behind her.
Silence.
Dex and I looked at the table. Then at each other. Then away.
“So,” I said, pulling out my camera to give my hands something to do. “We should probably...”
“Try the cake. Right.” He moved to one of the chairs, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.
I sat across from him, which felt both too far and too close. The table was small, intimate. Our knees didn’t touch, but I was hyperaware of how easily they could.
“Okay.” I positioned my camera. “Mind if I get some shots? Delaney mentioned wanting photos of all the details.”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
I photographed the display first: the neat rows of samples, the handwritten labels, the way afternoon light filtered through the lace curtains. Professional. Safe. Something to focus on that wasn’t the way Dex looked in that light.
Then we started tasting.
The first sample was vanilla with raspberry filling. I took a small bite, let the flavors settle on my tongue. Sweet but not too sweet, the tartness of the raspberry cutting through the richness of the buttercream.
“Good,” I said, making a note.
Dex tried his own bite and nodded. “Yeah. Good.”
