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“Time’s up,” Starla said, emerging from her office.
Gina threw her a look too, but with her face turned away from Blake, he couldn’t see it. “I have three more minutes.”
“Do you?”
Gina bent over her cookies on the counter. “Look at the clock. Three minutes.”
Blake found the nearest clock, and the analog minute hand wasn’t straight up. The digital clocks on the row of microwaves straight in front of him all read one-fifty-seven. As he watched, the seven flipped to an eight.
“We’ll find a spot at a table in the dining area,” Starla said, holding her chin high. She didn’t like being argued with, but Blake could see how Gina thought she had more time, even if it was only two minutes. She couldn’t be expected to synchronize her clock with Starla’s.
He stepped back and opened the plastic door for Starla to go through, which she did. He followed her when it became obvious Gina wasn’t going to give him a single second of her decorating time. She moved with surety, her hands making quick movements as she piped on decorations.
Out in the dining hall, Blake sighed as he sat next to Starla. “How’s she doin’?”
“Honest opinion or what you want to hear?”
“Start with honest,” he said. “Then tell me what I want to hear.” He grinned at her, and Starla finally broke. She smiled back and rolled her eyes.
“They’re actually the same,” she said. “She’s good, Blake. The moment you told me you’d hired her, I knew she’d be good.”
Blake ran his hand down the side of his face, his beard getting a little long. His mother hated all the extra hair he allowed to grow, but he loved it. He liked how it curled out from underneath his cowboy hat, and he liked the gray that had started to appear in his beard. “Do you think she’ll fit in here?”
“You know what?” Starla asked as her phone chimed the top of the hour at her. She quickly silenced it. “I do.”
In the very next moment, the door opened again, and Gina came out of the kitchen carrying a silver platter. A legit silver platter that Blake had only seen used at Christmastime. She smiled like she’d won a terrifically amazing contest as she approached, and she slid the tray between him and Starla.
“Okay,” she said. “I’m having Nash bring out the rest.” She turned to see if he was coming, and Blake followed her gaze. His brother did emerge from the kitchen with another tray, and then Holly and Jesse did too. Blake could only blink, because Gina had charmed them all already.
Himself included.
He looked up at her, wonder pouring through him like water over a tall cliff. With Nash, Holly, and Jesse’s trays on the table, it filled right up with pink, purple, and blue daisies. The yellow icing had gone in the white centers as little pollen drops, and Blake had never seen anything so beautiful and so mouth-watering.
His eyes traveled back to Gina. Except maybe her.
He banished the thought as Starla reached for a treat, bypassing the cookies and going for what looked like a pinwheel. “Gina, explain to us what we have here.” She looked at the treat in awe, and Blake was just glad he wasn’t the only one.
Gina took a deep breath. “Okay, so that’s a s’mores pinwheel. It’s a rustic, ranch-inspired take on a rice crispy treat. But I added graham cracker crumbs to the cereal, a layer of marshmallow fluff and then chocolate. That got rolled and chilled just to set the chocolate. Then, I cut them into rounds. Pinwheels.”
She exhaled, and Blake knew the sound of that. She was actually nervous. Did her eyes not work properly? Could she not see how perfect these desserts were? She hadn’t gone uppity, like he’d feared. She’d gone in a sophisticated direction, but one that still fit with Longhorn Ranch. How she’d done that when she hadn’t been here in forever, he’d never know.
“Go ahead,” she said. “They’re not poisonous.”
Blake reached out and picked up a pinwheel. He could see the layer of chocolate and marshmallow as they wrapped around themselves, and he smiled at the treat. Their guests would love these. He met Starla’s eyes, and he knew she was thinking the same thing.
They both lifted their crispy treat pinwheels to each other in a silent toast and then each took a bite.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Gina’s muscles quivered while Starla chewed. A moan came from Blake’s mouth, but she was expecting that. The man had enjoyed everything she’d ever made—and she’d seen all those biscuits and gravy on his plate this morning. His taste buds clearly liked anything.
Starla, on the other hand… Gina watched her chew, Starla’s face one blank slate. She went in for a second bite, which had to be a good sign. Still, Gina couldn’t relax.
“This isamazing,” Blake said. He shoved the rest of the pinwheel into his mouth, and Gina offered him a thankful smile.
Starla finished her treat, really drawing out the agony for Gina. She dusted her hands together and said, “It’s delicious, Gina.”
She sagged into the table, catching herself with both palms flat against the top of it. “Thank you.”
