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I served four more customers before he replied.I asked for shrimp dumplings for Jenny and I, and got a thumbs up and a heart emoji in response.
He was so utterly different to Seb in every way, but that wasn’t the only reason why I liked him so much.
Perhaps it might’ve had something to do with it in the first place, but now Rick gave me a reason to like him every day we saw each other.He was kind, smart,sofunny, generous.And the sexiest guy I think I’d ever been lucky enough to kiss.
“Maddie?”
I jerked out of my reverie of thoughts of Rick to feel Jenny tugging my shoulder.“Sorry!”
She smiled.“You’ve got a little drool here.”She touched the corner of her own mouth.
“You think you’re so funny.”I busied myself with the already perfectly-arranged pastries in the refrigerated counter.
“Luckily, we had a quiet moment there, so no one had to see you openly fantasizing about getting into my brother’s pants.”
“Jenny!”
She rolled her eyes.“Okay, then tell me that wasn’t what you were imagining.”
I went away to tidy the shelves of pre-packed sandwiches.
Jenny just cackled.
Aunt Laurie arrived around lunch, and I started to tell her she needed to go home and rest, but she held her good hand up, palm out, in the universaltalk to the handgesture.
“I’m here to run the register while you two take turns to eat.You’ve got to have lunch, haven’t you?”She scrutinized my face.“You look pretty good for someone so hungover that you sounded like ten elephants leaving my house this morning.I bet your dad still does, too.Annoyingly good genes.”
“Um, sorry?And thanks?”
She shooed me away just as I saw Rick’s truck pull up through the big front window.I swore that my insides turned immediately to jelly.
Spellbound, I watched as the driver’s side door opened and he stepped out.His scarred work boots and ever-present resting stern expression made him look rough and competent.The warm rays of the midday sun kissed the koi carp tattoo on his forearm, highlighting the muscles flexing there.
He wasgorgeous,and what made him even better was that he’d gone to the trouble of bringing mexiaolongbao.
I wanted him to bring me dumplings every day.I wanted to eat lunch with him in the sunshine, ask him about his day, hear his funny little anecdotes in his deep voice.I wanted to be there to celebrate his good days and console him on his bad ones.I wanted to curl up inside his huge heart, make myself cosy there, and never leave.
The wedding – and getting to hold his hand and be with him in front ofeveryone– couldn’t come soon enough.A real date!
Everything else fell away as he walked towards the bakery in long strides.When his gaze met mine a few steps from the door, he broke into a grin.
Aunt Laurie gave me a shove with her one good hand.
“Sweetie, sexual tension doesn’t sell cakes.Go get him.”
Jenny chuckled.“But make you sure give me my lunch first!”
I untied the apron from around my waist and helped my aunt put it on.“You don’t have to stay.”
She tutted.“And have you drop even one of these beautiful cookies on the floor because you’re too busy looking at Rick?No, thanks.I like this place to turn a profit.”
Rick stepped into the bakery behind a mother with two young boys chattering about chocolate cookies, and Laurie started talking to them.
I grinned at Rick as he held up two takeout bags with kawaii-style dumplings emblazoned on them.
“Lunch is served,” he announced.
I rounded the counter so fast I almost tripped over my own feet.I honestly couldn’t say whether I was more excited to see him or eat the soup dumplings.They would betheperfect temperature to eat right now.If you ate them straight away, the skin always popped and all the taste buds were burned off your tongue by gelatinous soup hotter than the sun.
