Sweet Cheeks(95)

I skim through my own account, surprised to find more positive than negative this time around, and notice a lot of people commenting on my cupcake-smashing incident with more amusement than degradation.

“He’s adorable, you know?” I look up to see DeeDee standing in the doorway voicing my thoughts out loud, tissue paper in her hand, and a smile on her face. And maybe it’s because he’s softened me with his humor, but I just stare at her for a moment and realize how lucky I am having her here to help me take this all in stride: making the bakery work and the chaos that comes with Hayes. “His tweets and his posts and everything . . . they’re just adorable.”

“I know. He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to the guys in those romance novels of yours, Dee.”

“Really? In all aspects?” Her eyebrows lift and a coy smile forms on her lips as I recall our conversation about romance heroes and guaranteed orgasms.

“Yes. In all aspects.”

“Damn.” It’s all she says, and I love that my comment has rendered the always-talkative DeeDee momentarily speechless. “What were we talking about?”

I chuckle at the flush in her cheeks. “His adorable tweets and posts and . . . everything.”

“Not many men would put that much thought into trying to win a woman over.”

“I know. He’s being ridiculous.”

“And you love every single second of it.”

I nod. “Yeah. I just wish he’d pick up the phone and talk to me. He’s already won me over.”

“Isn’t that the point though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Winning you over is one thing. But now, he’s telling the world he chooses you. He’s making a statement so you don’t forget. And so they don’t either.”

The phone rings by the cash register and she hesitates for just a moment to make sure I heard what she said. And I did.

Loud and clear.




@SweetChks It’s hard to breathe because you steal my breath every time I see you #10Days #GrudgeCupcake #Determined




There’s no way I could have just heard that correctly. I stop moving ingredients to the butcher block and walk out to the front where DeeDee is in a conversation with a customer.

“Can I help you?”

Dee’s eyes flash over to mine and silently thank me for coming out.

“Yes. One of the function organizers for The Club was saying she was looking for a bakery to supply morning tea on the third Thursday of the month. I am positive she would absolutely love your cupcakes. They’re the perfect combination of taste and presentation.”

“Did you say for The Club?” I swore I misheard her the first time from the back, know I heard her clearly the second time, but want to make sure one more time.

“Yes, dear. You know, The Club.” She pats her hair and smiles. “And pardon me for asking, but aren’t you related to one of the members?”

Once again, I’m left to look around for a hidden camera. This has to be a joke, right? But there is no camera. Just DeeDee’s eyes widening and teeth biting into her bottom lip as she holds back a smile.

This woman thinks I’m related to Rebound Sarah.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, because you could be the long-lost sister of the organizer’s new daughter-in-law. You’re the spitting image of her.”

The irony.

I swallow over the sarcastic laugh threatening to bubble out and try to remain patient and professional with this obviously clueless-to-The-Club-drama customer. “No. I don’t have a sister.”

“Well, good thing,” she whispers and leans over the counter and pats my hand. “The daughter-in-law is a tad . . . how do I put it politely? Pretentious? Conniving?”

“A bitch?” I provide the word for her since she’s too polite to say it herself. Her cheeks flush instantly and the diminutive smile she grants me says all I need to know.

“Something like that, yes. The whole family is for that matter.” She shakes her head indifferently and dismisses the matter. “Now where were we? Oh yes, cupcakes for The Club. It would be a great feather in your cap to get their business. The members have a lot of valuable connections you could benefit from. In fact, I’m so positive the organizer would love these, I’m going to go ahead and place an order for next week’s meeting.”

My smile widens to epic proportions as I lower my voice just like she did a moment ago. “While I’d love to provide them, you make sure to tell the organizer I am currently backlogged on orders for the foreseeable future. Besides,” I shrug, trying to be cordial because she seems like a nice lady, which is a rarity for a member of The Club, “I think my cupcakes might be a bit too sweet for their tastes. Thank you, though.”

“Well, I think they’re delicious. It’s a pity but I’ll be sure to deliver the message.”

“Yes, please do so,” I say in my kindest voice as she nods to me in farewell before turning to leave the store. With a box of cupcakes in her hands.

I’d love to see the look on Uptight Ursula’s face when she receives that message.




“Say, there’s a phone call for you.”

I murmur an acknowledgment, but keep my head down where I’m working on some elaborate icing designs. The convention center’s catering manager requested some samples so they could decide if we were worthy to make their preferred vendor list.