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“Wow. That’s early,” Kendall said.
“I bake the rest of the morning to replenish the case. If we sell out of a customer’s favorite, they’ll be disappointed, and they might not come back. I don’t want them to ever realize they can live without a chocolate croissant or whatever it is they love.”
“That makes sense.” Kendall chewed on her lip. “Can I watch one day? I think it’s called shadowing—like ‘take a kid to work’ day.”
“That’s for parents to take their own kids to work, and I already said we’ll discuss this later,” Mark said.
“Fine,” Kendall said with a huff.
“Why don’t you help Miss Sophie put everything away.”
Kendall dropped the stubborn look on her face and immediately stepped in to take the washcloth I was holding.
I gestured for Mark to follow me to my office. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I was just so excited to have someone interested in baking. I didn’t stop to think about the consequences. That is up to you. I’m sorry.”
Mark’s expression softened. “I want to make sure we’re not taking advantage of your generosity.”
“Oh. Like I said, I don’t mind. She’s sweet and helpful and really interested in learning everything. It was fun.”
Mark’s gaze darted over my face as if searching for evidence to back up my statements. Satisfied, he said, “You’re pretty amazing.”
I’d been told that a lot—when I offered to commute to college to help Ellie with baby Drew and when I held off on pursuing my dreams to take care of my sisters. Each time, my father was appreciative, and I hadn’t minded. This felt slightly different because Kendall was interested in what I did for a living and was so eager to learn.
“I have all this knowledge and love for baking I can’t share with anyone else. Why not Kendall if she’s interested?” My heart rate slowed as I waited for Mark’s reaction.
He’d seemed hesitant to say yes in front of Kendall.
“I understand you want time to think about it, but that’s where I stand.” I moved around him to go back to the kitchen when Mark touched my elbow. It was a light touch, one I easily could have shaken off, but I stopped and looked up at him.
We stood close. The heat of his body emanated onto mine. The hand encircling my elbow felt good.
“Is it okay if she’s here twice a week for lessons?” Mark asked.
I sucked in a breath, surprised he’d agreed so easily.
“Or once a week. I don’t want to impose,” Mark rushed to add.
I smiled. “Twice a week is perfect. If she can come in the afternoon like this, I’ll have more time to work with her.”
He released my wrist and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t want to get in the way of your office work.”
My breath hitched at the seemingly intimate move. “I’ll literally do anything to get out of paperwork.”
He smiled affectionately. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Miss Sophie. Where should I put the dirty washcloths?”
I stepped away from Mark, and his hand dropped away. “I’ll show you where the laundry room is, and then I’ll show you how we sanitize the countertops. Cleanliness is really important.”
Kendall nodded and listened carefully as we walked toward the laundry room next to my office. I thought she might only be interested in learning to bake, not cleaning up, but she was equally invested in both.
When we were finished, we headed out back to see what Mark was doing.
Mark lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his brow, revealing his very chiseled muscles. “I’m just finishing up.”
I think I stopped breathing as my gaze traveled downward, following the happy trail, sidetracking to the defined V-shaped muscle.
My chest was tight. I couldn’t seem to draw in a breath. Was I having a panic attack?
