Baking Me Crazy (Donner Bakery, #1)(13)

She knew almost every customer as they walked in, and they all greeted her by name when they saw her smiling face. A couple of minutes later, she was mid-pecan sprinkle when her hand froze.

"What?" I asked.

"He's back," she whispered excitedly.

I wiped my flour-covered hands on the front of my apron. "Who is?"

"Cupcake Guy," Joy hissed, her cheeks instantly red and flushed. "Go out there and help him!"

"No way," I said firmly. "They don't need my help up there, and you know it."

Joy's face morphed.

Gone was the sweet, ebullient young woman who'd been my co-worker for the past couple of hours.

Gone was the happiest person in the world.

In her place was determined, scheming Joy. She narrowed her eyes, and I actually sat back in my chair from the force of it.

"Mikey, can I get your help back here?" she yelled to the person who was working the register. "Joss will be right up to cover you."

I gasped. "I'm not ready to work the register by myself."

"Get up there right now, young lady."

Gawking at her for a second, I only started moving when she pointed a finger at the front. "Git," she said firmly.

"Geez, fine," I muttered, wheeling past Mikey, a sweet kid from Green Valley High School who nodded as I begrudgingly took his place behind the counter.

Brad/Chris hadn't seen me yet since he was peering behind the glass case at the daily offerings. No dill pickle and fortunately for me, there was nothing in that case that I hadn't tried yet. Casual as can be, I got behind the register and made a show of straightening the pens and the tip jar, none of which needed to be straightened. Over my shoulder, I looked into the kitchen and saw Joy peeking around the corner.

I really, really wanted to flip her my middle finger, but I was afraid I'd crush some piece of her effervescent soul if I did.

Brad/Chris straightened, and my stomach did an actual backflip when his handsome face transformed from polite interest to a pleased smile.

Oh my Lord, was this what it felt like to have a crush based on little to no information?

He could be a serial killer. He could kick puppies. Maybe he had bad breath or watched True Housewives of Backwoods Kentucky.

But when he smiled at me like that, I imagined all the perfect life choices he must make on a daily basis. The charities he must give all his money to. The little old lady he probably helped across the street. The healthy food he ate, and the exercise he must do to maintain that body.

It was awful.

My fingers twitched, and I dropped the can of pens. Mortification made my face hot at the sound of them clattering to the floor.

"Morning," he said with a smile.

"Wh-what can I get for you?"

He leaned over the counter at the mess of pens, and I caught a brief whiff of him. It wasn't strong enough to be cologne, but I caught it all the same. Just as I had the day before with the scent of the bakery, I filled my lungs with it.

"Unfortunate demise for those pens," he said casually. "And all they did was innocently sit in the jar."

A laugh bubbled up my throat, but I swallowed it down. "They sucked anyway, trust me. Donner Bakery can do better than a basic ballpoint."

His grin widened, and I saw a dimple pop to the left of his lips. Shit, now I was cataloging his facial features, for crying out loud.

"How was the cupcake?" he asked, tucking a hand into the front of his jeans. Again, his forearms were out on display for the entire world to see. A man should be careful when showing those off.

Great, now he had me swooning over his arm porn. I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror after this.

"G-good," I stammered, tucking an errant curl behind my ear. "Better than I thought it would be."

"Same. I didn't dare eat in front of you two yesterday in case I needed to spit it out."

"An unforgivable sin in the bakery world," I said gravely.

He tsked. "I never would've been able to show my face here again."

Oh my word, I was flirting with him. And he was flirting right back.

Brad/Chris glanced behind him to make sure there was no one in line, then smiled at me again. "You know, I realized after I left that I didn't catch your name."

I cleared my throat. "Joss."

Just as the realization hit me, that I introduced myself using my nickname, something I never, ever did, I heard the bell over the door ding as someone walked in.

Levi sauntered through the door, grinning widely at me. Internally, I groaned. Sure, that was perfect. My very first real attempt at flirting with a freaking hot guy who was flirting back, and my overprotective but equally handsome best friend had to walk in.

"I'm Andy," he said, oblivious to my mental freak-out.

"Nice to meet you, Andy," I said as quickly as I could before Levi got to the counter. "What can I get for you?"

Levi winked at me, that happy smile still pasted on his face. Andy must have sensed someone behind him because he looked over his shoulder. "Ah, right, I shouldn't hold up the line."

I smiled politely. "It's okay."

Andy rubbed at his jaw. "Well, since you're a seasoned employee now, is there anything you'd recommend on day two?"