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SCOTT
Damn, she was gorgeous. Even without the head-to-toe glitter she’d been sporting the last time they’d seen each other.
Had it really only been five months?
It felt both like only a minute had passed, and also a lifetime. Their day together at Mountain Mania had left an undeniable imprint on his life. He’d hardly been able to quit thinking of her.
“Hi, Sparkles.”
Scott watched as the expression on her beautiful face went from confusion to recognition and then back to confusion. “Scotty?” She turned and waved a hand to the truck. “Youare Scotty?”
“The one and only.” He took a step toward her, unsure of the proper way to greet her. They’d only spent one day together, and although that day had ended with the two of them becoming quite familiar with each other after she’d beat his buns—literally—in the multi-town bake-off that had them pitted against each other, that was a long time ago and a lot could change. He needed to proceed cautiously.
Behind him, he could have sworn Brody chuckled. “You two know each other, then?”
Scott only half turned to his new friend, unwilling to take his eyes off Georgia, lest she disappear again. “We do.”
“Good luck, man.” Brody didn’t bother to hide his laughter that time. “I’ll pop around to check on you, but Jace will get you fixed up.”
“You’re broken down?”
Scott spun completely around to face Georgia. Her face had once more morphed, this time to annoyance.
“As in, you can’t move your…this…thing.”
“It’s nice to see you, too, Sparkles.”
He once more used the nickname he’d given her when she’d arrived for the bake-off covered in pink glitter. It was a name that stuck when, later that night, he’d noticed the flecks of gold in her eyes that sparkled just like the glitter. Scott waited and watched her closely, still unsure how she was going to receive his unannounced arrival. They hadn’t spoken since their day at the fair. Not because Scott hadn’t wanted to. He’d forced himself not to call her after finding the phone number of Sweetie Pies online. And he’d only scrolled through her social media once—okay, twice—in that time. Truthfully, there weren’t many updates.
After what seemed like hours, Georgia’s lips curled up into a smile. She shook her head slowly and laughed a little. “Hi.” Her voice had softened considerably. “Itisnice to see you, Scott.” She stepped forward but stopped just shy of a hug.
Were they huggers?They’d certainly done a lot more than hug the last time they’d seen each other.
“This is your…” She turned completely so they stood side by side and stared up at his food truck. “I thought you had a shop in Cedar Springs? What is…”
“This is my new venture,” he offered. “Scott’s Stop is still going strong in Cedar Springs, but I was feeling restless and needed a different challenge.” He’d debated telling her that the need to see her again had contributed to his decision. Finally, the need to be at least a little bit upfront, because why the hell not, won out. “Besides,” he added. “A food truck is a lot more mobile, and that means I can travel around to towns like Glacier Falls.”
She turned, her long, dark ponytail swinging over her shoulder, and stared at him. The late autumn sun caught the gold flecks in her eyes, and they sparkled, just the way he’d remembered. “TownslikeGlacier Falls?” she asked. “OrGlacier Falls?”
Right to the point. He liked that.
“Honestly, Glacier Falls is my first stop.” He reached for her hand, but she moved quickly away before she could even see the gesture. He followed her as she walked toward the front of the bus to stare at the engine that had finally stopped smoking.
“It looks like it might be your last stop, Scott.” She put her hands on her hips, which had the added benefit of pushing her chest out against the T-shirt she wore under her baking apron.
He tried not to stare, forcing himself to focus on the bus and the situation at hand.
It was a losing battle. He couldn’t look away from her. “At the moment, I can’t think of why that might be a bad thing.”
“Scott, I…” Georgia’s gorgeous eyes crinkled with concern. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a breath. “I don’t know what to say here. I’m—”
“Not happy to see me?”
Georgia opened her mouth but closed it again before speaking. She bit her bottom lip, sucking it between her teeth in a way that sent a shot of desire straight through Scott. “I didn’t say that,” she finally said. “But Mountain Mania, that was—”
“A fabulous day.” Maybe if he didn’t give her a chance to object, she wouldn’t. It was a childish strategy, he knew. But now that he stood in front of her again, it was going to take a lot for him to walk away.
“It was one day. I told you it couldn’t be more than that.”
