Page 5 of Crack the Ice

“It tastes expensive, but I don’t think I’d eat it again.” Lily doesn’t spare anyone’s feelings, and I love that about her.

My eyes slide over to her brother. “Cade?”

He picks up a piece of frosting that was in the corner of his lips, and he gives me a solid nod. “I don’t hate it. It’s pretty good. But my brain is having a hard time realizing it’s a cupcake.”

“It’s definitely for those a little older, with a palate that doesn’t want to live in a constant state of chocolate coma,” Lana adds.

I clear my throat. “Moving on.” I point to the bread, and we move through everything on the table with them giving me positive feedback, that is, until we get to the last cupcake.

“What’s this one?” Maverick asks with a lift of his brow.

My eyebrow arches in his direction, as if you can’t tell by looking at it.

“S’mores, Mavy. Duh,” Lana chimes in, saving me from having to say it.

He looks down at the cupcake on the table, a soft breath passing through his lips. If I weren’t so tuned into him, I would have missed it. But that tiny breath carried the faintest hint of a smile, making me wonder if he knows where my head went with this one.

“You remind me of a campfire, Mav,” I say as he spins me around before his hand lands on my hip again. I’ve been trying to teach him how to dance so he can surprise Lana at the “heros” dance they’re having at their dance studio. She’d asked her mom earlier this year, and unfortunately, she died before she could go, and hasn’t had the courage to ask her brother yet. Or maybe she thinks he’s going to say no. Either way, I’m not going to leave him hanging when he asks for help.

“A campfire?” he asks, lips twitching as he tries to keep from smiling. His thick hair falls in front of his face a little, and I fight to keep from pushing it back. I do it with my brother’s hair all the time, but his hair is unkempt and more often than not, longer than it should be. But Mav isn’t my brother, though he may act like it.

“Yeah, you’re warm and cozy, but sweet at the same time.” We spin together this time. “Like a s’more.” I smile, and to my delight, he smiles back.

“A s’more, huh?”

I giggle when he steps on my foot and mutters a curse. “Yeah, crunchy on the outside, but ooey gooey on the inside. The ultimate comfort food.”

His hands fall from me as he gawks in my direction. “I’m not crunchy.”

My hand raises, my thumb and pointer finger mere centimeters apart as I shrug and say, “Un poquito.” ⁠*

I shake the memory from my head, not willing to take that painful walk down memory lane. She cuts it into slices again, divvying it up between them. Kelsey moans, eyes rolling back into her head, but Mav keeps his heated gaze on me the entire time. I hear Lily squealing in the corner, notice the way Cade is staring at it like he’s trying to dissect every ingredient, yet none of it is landing.

No, my mind is playing dirty freaking tricks on me, throwing up image after image of the last time I had those half-lidded eyes on me. The way they roam my body like a physical touch, the appreciation they hold in them, the love that once lit me up from the inside out.

No, Cecilia. Not again. He doesn’t need you or your mess.

“This one is my favorite,” Mav declares before he takes the last bite and sucks the crumbs off his fingers. I can’t look away as he slowly pulls his thumb from his lips.

Did I leave the oven on? Why does it feel like I’m standing feet from the sun? Oh, let’s be real, everything this man does is hot, which is precisely why I’ve become an Olympic gold medalist in avoiding him.

I grab a few empty plates and put them in the sink to rinse before loading them into the dishwasher, all while hoping no one else is privy to the internal battle I’m currently fighting. The one between self-preservation and hope. The one that tells me I left for a reason, and that reason is standing in the room.

I can’t go back there. I take a steadying breath before turning back around, only to be left utterly breathless when I realize he’s looking at me like he wants to devour me next.

Clearing my throat, I clap once in front of me, gathering all their attention instead of just his. “So, thoughts? Should we open with these, or is there something you think might sell better? Obviously, when we get closer to the holidays, the rotation will be more festive. But I think this is a good place to start.”

“I think this is great, Cecy. I think this, like anything else, is a matter of trial and error. But there isn’t anything on this table that I don’t want more of. So it’s a win in my book.” Kelsey wraps me up in a hug. “I’m proud of you. You’re doing it, sis.”

“Thanks,” I choke out.

She pulls away, squeezing my shoulders before locking her arm through Lana’s. She looks over her shoulder at Cade and Lily before winking at me. “Come on, kiddos, I’ll get you to school so Mav can find his hobbies.”

“Bye, Cecy, see you later! Thanks for letting me get all hopped up on sugar first thing in the morning!” Lily says, running out the door with her arms behind her.

I snort. This kid is such a nut.

“This was so good, Cecilia. Thank you,” Cade says, but before he can turn and walk away, I hold up my finger, silently asking him to wait.