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Hunter cleans the gooey chocolate on his mouth with his forearm. “Aunt Tara is a great baker. She bakes when she has boy trouble.”
Will nearly chokes on his cake. “Problems with Kent?”
“He hasn’t tasted my cupcakes yet.”
This time, Will does choke. He is in a coughing fit that has Tara pounding on his back with an eye roll as he regains his composure. She might even leave a lingering hand on his back to assess the physique.
She looks at me and mouths,Wow.
Hunter looks up at Tara. “You made a lot of cupcakes. You should take him a tray. You know, the boy who won’t eat your cupcakes. I bet if you made him try one, he’d love it.”
I laugh out loud and then pull my cute kid to me and kiss him on the head. “Go upstairs and clean up and tell Izzy to come down and talk to me before Dad picks you up for the weekend.”
I ruffle his hair before he runs upstairs, singing at the top of his lungs.
Tara places her hands on her hips and gives Will an intense staredown. “I’m not one for spilling the tea, but I’m getting a little confused. Your boy acts like he’s very interested. Calls every night. Sends sweet texts during the day. We’ve been on a bunch of dates. But he’s slow to—”
“PG, please. Kids are in the house,” I remind as I grab a spray bottle and clean the counters.
She quirks a brow. “Put the beater in the bowl, if you know what I mean?”
Will glances at me, and I shrug.
He wipes his hands on a napkin and tosses it in the open trash can. “Well, Kent is a gentleman. I’d guess, if he’s taking his time, it’s because he really likes you.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to spare my feelings,” she says.
He crosses his arms and looks down at his sock-clad feet on the polished floor. “When a man is really interested in a woman, he doesn’t want to fuck it up, so he takes it slow.”
“I get slow, but maybe he could take a nibble. That wouldn’t be so bad,” she suggests.
“Not all men are purely out for … cake. Going slow sets the pace for intimacy and connection.”
“Damn, you are smooth,” she muses. “Do you mean to tell me you could spend evenings with a woman you’re attracted to and who … baked all day for you—and I’m not talking a store-bought mix; I’m talking beautiful, made-from-scratch cupcakes with cherries on top—put it all on a serving platter, and you wouldn’t take a bite?”
Will’s eyes glance in my direction. A wave of nervous energy zings through my body. I move to the sink and start cleaning the dishes.
He lifts his chin. “I could wait forever if that meant I still got to hang out with her in the kitchen. Plus, when I finally do get to savor it, I bet it’d be the best damn meal I’d ever have in my entire life.”
My insides growl.
I suddenly feel famished.
“The only way you’ll know is if you just ask him,” Will states.
She throws her hands up in the air. “Aren’t you his friend? Can’t you just tell me what he talks about?”
“This isn’t high school. Men, at least my friends and me, don’t sit around and talk about our relationships. If we did, I probably wouldn’t have been in one I didn’t belong in for so long. I’m meeting Kent for a drink later. Why don’t you join us?”
I glance over my shoulder. “Don’t you work tonight?”
Tara gives me a stare like it’s amusing to her that I know Will’s schedule. I don’t know a ton about Will, but over the past three weeks since Hunter’s accident, he’s been over as many times to work on the show and stays for a while to chat.
As per Dad’s suggestion, I haven’t asked Will to stay for dinner again. It’s intense enough, having him work with Hunter. I don’t want to have them build this incredible bond, and then the man ghosts him after the talent show and breaks his heart.
Right now, I see him like a teacher. All kids have teachers they connect with, and that ends after the class. This is magic class, plus some conversation at the end with Mom. After the show, Will won’t have a reason to be around anymore.
“I worked last weekend for a friend who needed the night off, so we traded. Plus, it’ll be nice to be in bed before midnight. I’m gonna be in a big show tomorrow.”
