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"He didn’t argue with me. He said he kissed me back and that I hadn’t made the decision for both of us." I swallow, looking down at my cuff again. "Then he told me he was still glad I kissed him."

Ellie reaches across the desk and squeezes my hand.

"You don’t have to decide what to do about him this morning. Go get coffee. Eat something. You’ve barely slept the last few days, and yesterday was a lot even before you ended up kissing him."

"I still have to bake today."

"Then bake. He knows where you stand. You told him."

I nod. She’s right about that much. Wolf knows why I pulled back. I don’t need to go upstairs and explain it again, especially when I’m not sure I’d do any better the second time.

Before I leave, I show her Megan’s pictures. She gets excited all over again when she sees the little engagement rings on the cupcakes, then insists I ask permission to post them. By the time I’ve gotten coffee and something to eat from the counter, I have three messages to answer and an order inquiry that needs a quote.

That, at least, I know how to handle.

Wolf is at the island when I let myself in, eating toast with his phone beside his plate. He looks up, and I’m immediately aware that the last time we were alone in here, I was apologizing for kissing him.

"Hey," he says. "How’s Ellie?"

"Busy. She had people packing cinnamon rolls when I left."

I set my bag on the stool and pull out my notebook. He takes another bite of toast while I find today’s list, giving me a minute to remember that I’ve managed to work in this kitchen for weeks without making every conversation awkward.

"How’s your shoulder?" I ask.

"Sore. I checked in with Theo this morning. Same instructions."

I nod, relieved he didn’t just tell me it was still attached. "Let me know if you need me to carry anything today."

"I’ll put you in charge of the mixer."

"That’s probably wise."

He smiles and gets up to put his plate in the dishwasher. When he turns back, his eyes drop to the logo on my sweatshirt.

I look down too.

Shit.

"I’ll change," I say before he can comment. "This is the last clean hoodie I have in my apartment."

"Oh, no. You’ve been robbing me blind with your rules, and you’ve never given me a pass. Pay up, sucker."

"Excuse me?"

"Wednesday night. Your ass in my seats. Ellie can come too."

"Wolf."

"I have a clean jersey in my closet ready for you." His smile widens. "Damn, you’re going to look good in it too."

"You’ve thought about this, haven’t you? Waiting for me to break one of your rules."

He nods. "Every time I’ve stuffed another twenty dollars in that jar."

"You’re a special kind of evil, aren’t you?"

He chuckles. "Bring Ellie. Eat something. Watch me play. Your parents aren’t going to watch my game anyway."