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Chapter Four
Smoke. Now that I wasn’tdistracted, the heavy smell hit me hard. I rushed to the kitchen. My only priority was finding the source and shutting it down.
Violet was already at the oven, muttering and pulling out smoldering trays of cupcakes. The panic in her expression grew when she saw me. “I’m so sorry. I had a customer, they kept me longer than I realized. I’m so sorry.” Red splotched her cheeks and deep creases marred her forehead.
She was typically too detailed and aware to let things like this happen. The freaking out she was doing right now was rare.
“It happens. It’s okay.” I was stressed too, but I didn’t blame her. “I need you to shut off the fire alarm. Call the fire department and let them know there’s nothing wrong. Clear people out of the shop and open all the doors.” As I talked, I ticked off the list in my mind. Lists made me calmer. “Anyone currently here gets a $5 gift card for their next visit. Put a sign on the counter that gives everyone 5% off pastries for the rest of the day, as an apology for the smoke smell. Do you have all that?”
Violet nodded.
I knew she would. She was my store manager for a reason. “You all right?” I softened my tone. “This isn’t a big deal. No one got hurt. Everything will be all right.”
“Okay.” Her smile was weak, not hiding the lingering stress. She headed toward the alarm shut off.
As soon as she left the room, I sank against a nearby counter and let the panic overwhelm me. I’d already had a long day with baking and everything else. This would only add another hour or so onto the end of my day, if everything went perfectly, but I was going to be exhausted by the end of the original schedule.
Emotion indulged, I breathed in and out slowly several times to force it away. I turned to grab my apron.
When I saw Owen and Kingston near the kitchen doorway, I jumped in surprise, and my heart lodged in my throat. Why did they follow me?
I didn’t have the time or patience for this. I tugged on my apron, never making eye contact with them. They’d seen me crack, but they wouldn’t see me break. “Something I can help you with, that we haven’t already discussed to death?”
“Actually, we’d like to help you.” Owen was calm. Smooth.
No, really. I had zero time. “Are you going to magic a hundred chocolate and vanilla cupcakes out of thin air.”
Kingston smirked. “Sort of.”
I was learning to love-loathe his sexy, smug face. Was that a thing? I was making it a thing.
“I did two years at a Cordon Bleu school in Massachusetts. You tell me what you need done, and I’ll do it,” Owen said.
Of course he had. Mister sexy, rich businessman was also a baker. I’d read it on his profile on his company’s site, but I figured it was just words to give their investments in cafes some credibility. I looked at Kingston, waiting for a similar boast. “And you?”
He shrugged. “I did two years of being a short order cook. I can follow instructions like no one’s business.”
“Why would you help me?” I didn’t understand.
“Because you’re sexy and stressed.” Kingston’s flirting didn’t seem to be just for show. He slid into it without hesitation.
I shot a glare at him. “Try again.”
Owen had probably been the straight man for as long as they’d known each other. “Because you’re catering under a label we’re trying to purchase, and at the end of the day, we’d rather its reputation stay solid.”
That actually made sense. “This isn’t going to change my mind.”
