Page 44 of Can’t Say No

Connor perks up at that.

“Oh, I could go for a snack.”

The boys all snicker.

“You’re down so bad for her, Majors!” Sanjay shouts.

Connor responds with an over-the-top glare that does nothing to temper the boy’s laughter.

“God forbid I want to spend time with my girlfriend, Sanjay. At least I have one.”

The boys hoot and holler and half-tackle, half-drag Sanjay towards the rollercoaster.

“And it’s Mister Majors to you!” Connor shouts after them, voice thick with humor.

When he turns back to face me, he’s all smiles.

“I fuckin’ love giving them a hard time. What kind of snack are you thinking?”

His arm around my shoulder, he draws lazy circles on my bare skin, waiting for my answer.

My stomach dips from his touch like I’m still on the damn roller coaster. Last night, in our teeny tiny shared futon, I woke up twice fully spooning Connor. To his credit, and maybe to my disappointment, Connor did not reciprocate. But my traitorous body can’t seem to stay away.

Shaking out and away from his embrace for the sake of my sanity, I answer.

“Uh, I don’t know, I read something about cinnamon bread here?”

“Oh my God, yeah!”

Connor bounces on the balls of his feet, his face lighting up with excitement like a kid on Christmas. “You haven’t tried it yet?”

Without waiting for my answer, he threads his fingers in mine and guides me down a meandering sidewalk. The park is a far cry from the ramshackle rural attraction I’d imagined in my head. It’s well-kept, packed with rides, and beautiful with the early fall foliage. I make a mental note to talk to my team about scheduling a performance here.

“Prepare to have your life changed,” Connor says, all serious, as we step into the line at the bakery. “I’ve been eating this shit since we were kids, and it still holds up. You’re gonna love it.”

Vanilla and cinnamon mix in the air in the most intoxicating way. The bakery is just as picturesque as the rest of the park, and for a moment, I’m transported to a simpler world that revolves around delicious baked goods and nothing else.

“Delaney James, over here!” The familiar click of a camera’s shutter instantly kills the quaint, cozy vibes.

So much for spending the day undercover.

A small media team greets me as we round the corner to the bakery counter, and a man with one of those absurdly tiny microphones steps into my space. Connor tugs me closer to his side and against my better judgement, the protective gesture makes my heart soar.

“Hi, I’m Chester with CelebsRUs. When I heard the one and only Delaney James was spending the day at Dollywood, I knew I had to track you down! Are you ready for a game of Rapid Reactions?”

I’m not.

What I am ready for is to sit in the corner of this cute-ass bakery and eat a ridiculously large, overly sweet piece of bread.

But what I want isn’t a factor in this equation.

“Of course,” I reply, turning on the charm as I lean in to speak directly into the ridiculous mini mic. “I love watching your show online.”

Lies on lies, but I’ll say anything to get this over with. No doubt this popular celebrity gossip site was sent here by my dad, and the last thing I need is for word to get back to him that I was difficult.

“Okay then, you know the drill; Rapid Reactions is all about your gut instinct. Don’t overthink the questions. We want real, raw, Delaney.”

Chesters flashes a smile that is probably meant to be reassuring, but it comes across as creepy. Connor must think so too because his grip on me tightens.