AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tomorrow’s grand opening will be a huge accomplishment. It’s too bad I won’t be able to brag to friends and family until we’re no longer Top Secret and I can finally speak to them about the amazing turn my life has taken.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Noble
I don’t think Jenna wants to admit it, but she’s nervous. Besides working at double speed, sometimes she chatters so fast it’s impossible to get a word in edgewise. At other times, she’s so distracted she doesn’t act as though she hears what I’m saying.
I consider urging her to sit and have a cup of coffee, but I think she’s had more than enough of that for the day.
“Why don’t we set a timer and take a ten-minute break?” My tone is calm, as if it’s just a suggestion. If she doesn’t take me up on it, though, I’m going to carry her to one of those ridiculously tiny bistro chairs and force her to get off her feet, if only for a few minutes.
Brock broke one of them a few days ago. Jenna felt terrible for not considering the physics required to hold up a three-hundred-pound splicer. She immediately ordered sturdy replacements, but they haven’t arrived yet.
“I don’t have ten minutes.” Jenna barely looks at me as she rushes from the kitchen to the storefront area.
“Yes. You do have ten minutes. You’re going to sit down, have a cupcake, and take a breath. It’s not a request.”
Perhaps it’s my tone that grabs her attention, but her eyes focus on me for the first time in hours and she nods her head, giving me the tiniest smile.
“Right. You’re right. I’m going to make a mistake or drop a plate full of cupcakes if I don’t slow down.”
“Sit!” I point commandingly at one of the chairs as I grab her a decaf, then ask, “What type of cupcake do you want?”
“Maple walnut.”
“Ah, ah, ah,” I scold. At one point a few days ago, she said she wouldn’t serve anyone if they didn’t ask for the cupcake by its entire name.
“Really? You’re going to hold me to my own ridiculous edict?”
“I want to hear you ask for it. It’s such a spectacular name.”
She rolls her eyes, but dutifully gazes at me as she asks, “Please, kind sir, may I have a Maple Walnut Cupcake Spectacular?”
“Coming right up.”
I dish her the one with the candied walnuts artfully perched on top, then rearrange the platter so no one will ever know one is missing. Pausing a moment to decide which savory cupcake I want, I decide against the Claw-berry. Even the Lion-chovy doesn’t appeal.
I snag the Fox-tastic, put it on a plate, and feel like the most competent waiter in the world when I carry two cups of coffee and two plated cupcakes the few steps to the table. I’ve been practicing.
She takes a deep breath, and her shoulders relax for the first time in days.
“Thanks for making me stop. I’ve been going in circles for the last hour. I’m sure we’ll manage to get everything done by tomorrow, even if I take a ten-minute break.”
I don’t mention that it’s been at least two hours since she’s been working at maximum efficiency.
“You’re worried. I know that, Jenna, but everyone likes you. And your cupcakes are amazing. You should hear the discussions in the males’ barracks. Tomorrow’s grand opening is almost all they talk about. I’m glad you made twice the amount you thought you’d need. I think they’re all planning on eating their weight in your wares.”
Her pretty face, though it was finally relaxed, now takes on harsh lines.
“Did I tell you the Colonel had the audacity to ask me to price my goods? He planned on handing out a limited amount of artificial scrip to each person and having them pay for their food. Thought it would teach them about the real world.”
She punctuates her statement with an irritated grunt from the back of her throat and then blows a stream of air to move a stray strand of hair off her face. When I lean forward and gently use a claw to tuck it behind her ear, our gazes connect, and all the longing we’ve been shoving under the surface roars to life.
“What did you tell him?” I slowly remove the wrapper from my Fox-tastic cupcake, having learned it makes things taste even better when I savor it.
“That it was a great idea. For another day. Not at my Grand Opening. I want everyone to have a wonderful time, not struggle to make change.”
Watson and Barton have set up shop in the vacant store next door, but we know they’re monitoring our every move. If they weren’t, by the warm look in her eyes, I know Jenna would lean in and brush my lips with hers.
