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He pulled me into his arms, not caring about the watchful eyes. “Take care of yourself. I mean it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Slash leaned close and said, “I know you’re sassing me, but I like it when you call me sir.” He kissed me quickly and then pulled away. “Jazz, make sure she rests and eats and hydrates and stuff. She’s growing a baby, yeah?”
“You got it,” Jazz said.
I watched Slash walk out of the kitchen and then I sighed.
“Well, if our stove ever fails, I know where we can get some heat,” Eddie quipped. “You guys are fire.”
“Yeah, I was wondering if he was about throw you down across the counter and have his way with you.” Connie fanned herself. “I need some of that in my life.”
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “Who’s dipping the strawberries?”
* * *
By three in the afternoon, I was already dragging and apparently doing a shoddy job of hiding my exhaustion. Brielle marched me over to a stool and thrust a bottle of water into my hands. “You are in charge of the cake,” she commanded. “We’re doing everything else. You can inspect for quality control, but you can’t run around like you’ve been doing. Slash wasn’t wrong when he told you to take it easy.”
I reluctantly nodded. As I sipped on the bottle of water, I realized that as my pregnancy progressed, my schedule would need to ease long before I actually had the baby. Slowing down was hard for me. I wasn’t sure I knew how to do it. But it wasn’t just about me anymore. The truth was that I didn’t need to worry about the business the way I used to. Brielle and Jazz could handle administrative and organizational tasks, and the actual baking would now be done by Connie and Eddie.
“When is the insurance agent supposed to stop by to assess the damage?” Connie asked.
“Tomorrow,” I admitted. “But it’s going to be a while before I get a check and I’m able to hire a contractor to get the bakery all cleaned up.”
“And Kurt?” Brielle asked. “Have you figured out what you’re going to do about him?”
“Slash is handling it,” I said slowly.
“Handling it?” she repeated. “What does that mean?”
“It means it’s off my plate and I don’t have to worry about it anymore. And that’s all we should say about it,” I replied pointedly.
She nodded immediately. Brielle wasn’t slow on the uptake.
“I need a break,” Jazz announced. “If I have to dip one more strawberry into chocolate, I’ll turn them all into puree just for the hell of it.”
“Let’s all take a break, “I said. “Everyone take a few minutes, hydrate, get a snack.”
“Good plan,” Eddie said. “It’s too soon to turn on each other. We have six more days of this.”
“Not to mention the actual wedding weekend,” Connie pointed out.
“Killjoy,” Eddie said to her.
She grinned and stuck out her tongue at him.
“I’m going to get some fresh air. I’ll be back in a minute.” Jazz grabbed a protein bar and her phone from her bag and then she was out the door.
“Hey, what are we going to do about this commute thing to and from The Rex every day?” I asked. “We’ve got too much work to do, and the hours are going to be long.”
“My sister lives about twenty minutes from The Rex. I’ll crash with her for the week,” Eddie said.
I looked at Connie.
“My boyfriend lives a few blocks from here, actually. I’ll be staying with him.”
“Good,” I said. “I’m glad to hear that.” I looked at Brielle. “You?”
