One Funeral (No Weddings #2)(13)

I cringed, readying for an all-out brawl. Instead, Cade remained where he was, glaring at Mase as he whipped the shit out of those poor potatoes.

Minutes later, Ben arrived with a wine bottle, six-pack of beer, and a loaf of herbed bread in a paper sleeve from the new bakery near their house. “Ben, you remembered!” I turned off the heat, pulled the chicken from the stove, and embraced him. “You do know the way to a girl’s heart.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He half hugged me, holding the loaf to the side. “I have a way with the ladies. Always show up with at least a foot, wide and firm.”

I winked at him. “Can’t wait to sink my teeth in.”

Cade glanced up from setting the table. “New rule: non-dating includes no flirting.”

“Pfft. This is not flirting. Trust me, you’d know if I turned on my flirt.”

A muscle in Cade’s jaw ticked, but he kept quiet.

I put my hands on my hips, digging my heels in. “No more rules. I agreed to non-dating. Exclusively. That’s it. Push me, and I might start experimenting.”

He growled. “Fine. No more rules.”

I grinned. “Consider it an extension of therapy.”

Cade grumbled something unintelligible, grabbed the uncorked bottle of wine, and began pouring our glasses. Mase, Ben, and I brought the platters to the table. Dinner was a blast, as usual. We chatted about random topics, teased each other mercilessly, and laughed until our sides hurt.

When I rose from the table, Mase and Ben stood with me, chairs flying backward. They raced around opposite ends of the table to me, but Ben made it first, grabbing me in a huge bear hug and lifting me off the ground. “G’night, Hannah. Great to see you.”

Mase shoved him out of the way when Ben held me one second too long. He wrapped his long arms around me and squeezed me with gentle care. Then he pulled back and palmed the top of my head, rumpling my hair until it all fell into my eyes. When I blew it off of my nose, he laughed and brushed it back with his fingers. “Have fun studying. Don’t let Cade step over that clear non-date line.” He arched a brow, casting a pointed look at Cade while still addressing me. “You need muscle for backup, text me.”

Cade slid a hand between us and planted it on Mase’s chest, shoving him backward. Ben and Mase laughed, enjoying harassing the hell out of Cade.

“’Night, boys!” I waved, laughing when Cade knocked my hands away and herded me into his room.

The frequent dinners had become cherished family time—something I missed and, what I’d recently realized, desperately needed in my life. My desire to keep those new bonds strong was one reason I was hesitant in taking things too serious too fast with Cade. Not the only reason, and certainly not the biggest, but a solid one nonetheless.

We’d fallen into a routine with the actual dinner: Cade and I did prep and cooking, then Mase and Ben cleaned up when we retired to Cade’s bedroom to study. Our study time was one disciplined hour of him tutoring me on the latest business theories and principles to help launch my start-up into a thriving business.

We started out our business mentoring under the guise of Cade needing a project for his master’s thesis. I’d been suspicious of his reason from day one, but with the number of outlines and papers growing in quantity and complexity as we progressed, I truly believed this was his project.

“So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” I plopped belly down onto the center of his bed.

He opened his laptop, scrolling. “How about R & D? Any thoughts on product innovation? Offering a product no one else has distinguishes you from the competition, setting you apart from the rest.”

“Like bacon in cupcakes for the cigar lounge?” I grinned.

“Exactly. Hey, did you ever give Roy a call?”

Roy was the owner of the cigar lounge Cade had referred me to. I nodded. “Yep. Brought over samples. He and his guys devoured them before I finished my pitch. He’s got me booked every Wednesday night for the next three months.”

He gave me a stern look over his laptop. “You mean he booked your cupcakes. I’ve booked you.”

Sighing, I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “Yes, Cade. Daniel offered to take those nights. In fact, he worked his way into Roy’s poker games as part of the bargain.” Like Chloe, my other employee, Daniel, had excelled in learning the baking ropes, but he’d also shown great interest in the business side of Sweet Dreams.

Cade raised his brows. “Really? Roy agreed to that?”

“Are you kidding? Daniel insisted, and Roy was bowled over by his excitement. Then Daniel pulled Roy and his guys into a game right then. After twenty minutes of male bonding, I was like ‘Okay, then. Thanks. I guess I’ll just be going now.’ All I got were grunts for good-bye. Daniel has found his people, and I think they were drugged with cream cheese frosted chocolate bacon cupcakes.”

“Huh. Well, I’ll be damned.”

Cade turned back toward his computer and scrolled through pages, switching gears in a heartbeat. He never failed to amaze me with all his diverse facets: serious student, dedicated businessman, cunning jokester, heated lover—or so I gathered with the intensity of the few kisses I’d sampled. He even seemed to be a philosopher at times.

“Were you serious about going to therapy?” I dropped my chin onto my hand, crossing my legs as I kicked them up behind me.