Page 16 of Blood Sugar

Sadie narrowed her eyes at me, dimples appearing in her cheeks as her lips pursed. “Okay, well I’m pretty sure that’s how it looks, Mr. Cookbook.”

My jaw clenched, trying to resist smiling. This was too close to flirting, and heat was already prickling under my skin and down my spine.

“Alright, so eggs and then the dry stuff?” she asked, her eyebrows rising hopefully.

My nod was stiff as I turned back to the stove. Behind me, she let her breath out in a hiss, clearly frustrated with me. I didn’t blame her. I was frustrated too.

The night crawled by, and Sadie continuously needed every step double-checked. Despite that, she was making progress. Even if it was messy progress.

At one point, she added too much flour into the mixer at once and managed to coat herself in flour again. I just rolled my eyes. It was just a light dusting, not enough to affect the recipe.

When she pulled the three trays of cookies out of the oven, her huge grin had my heart leaping. “Look, I did it!”

“Good job,” I said as evenly as I could manage. I wanted to pick her up and spin her around the kitchen, but I settled for a jerky nod and a lame thumbs up that I instantly wished I could take back.

Her soft laugh filled the bakery, filling my chest like sunshine. “Okay, what else is left to do?”

We spent the next couple of hours baking together. I took the lead, supervising as she measured out ingredients, and showing her what the different batters and doughs looked like at each step. Every time she brushed up against me, my heart hammered.

As we restocked the bakery cabinet and wiped down the kitchen, Sadie kept glancing at me.

“So, how did I do for my second day?” she asked sweetly.

“Fine, good.” I cleared my throat. “You did great. But these were the easiest basic things. We have some difficult stuff to tackle in the next few days.”

She was adorable as she pouted. “Alright, I’d better get a good night’s sleep—I mean, day’s sleep?” She laughed softly under her breath.

“You’re new to town, have you done any more exploring this week?” I asked, feeling dumb when I realized she’d spent her last couple of nights here with me.

“Not yet,” she said with a brilliant grin. Her gaze flickered over my body, perhaps remembering our first meeting. “So what do you like to do when you’re not working?”

“Oh, um, not much,” I stammered. “See friends, I guess.”

“That’s it? No hobbies?” she asked, cocking her head again in that cute way she did.

“I like music and movies,” I volunteered. “You?”

“Oh, me too,” she said. “I like musicals too.”

It was a flippant comment, but my chest squeezed, my ribs feeling like they’d stab me. She liked the same things as me. It didn’t matter, obviously. Everyone liked musicals, didn’t they?

“So, are we all good to go tonight?” she asked, her blonde curls swaying as she glanced to the door.

“Yeah, here, I’ll take your apron,” I said, holding my hand out.

My mouth went dry as she untied the laces and handed it over, revealing the blouse I’d forgotten about.

I should tell her that top isn’t work appropriate. But then I wouldn’t get to see her in it again. Fuck! What do I do?

“Rowen? I’m gonna head out, if that’s okay. It’s getting late and I need to get home before sunrise, obviously.”

She shrugged like it was a silly little limitation, but the reminder that sunlight hurt her sat like concrete in my stomach.

“Yeah, of course! See you tomorrow,” I managed to say, clenching her apron in my fist. I needed to get both of our aprons in the wash.

After Sadie was gone, I headed up to my apartment to get a few hours of sleep before the bakery opened. But before I fell asleep, I ordered UV blocking film for the bakery windows, and enough for my apartment too, just in case she ever had to stay over—for safety, of course. Better safe than sorry.

That night, I dreamed of Sadie baking, dancing around me with croissants and macarons, and she wouldn’t let me taste any of them.