Fake It Till You Bake It(15)

“He said he’d love to hire you.”

“Because he had no other choice. You sign his paychecks.” Jada groaned.

“Be that as it may, he’s a very nice man.” Jada caught herself before a snort escaped. “More importantly, he recognizes how fleeting a career in professional football can be and has set himself up nicely to continue to succeed after his playing career ends. I wasn’t wrong. You can learn a lot from him.”

Jada’s shoulders slumped at the reminder of her aimlessness even though Grams hadn’t meant it to be a slight. “I told you I could find a job by myself.”

Grams’s eyebrows lifted. “And have you?”

Jada glanced away. “No. But we just talked last night!”

“I know, sweetie. I’m not doing this to punish you. I actually think it could be fun. It’s a cupcake shop. That should be—what’s that word you young people like? Oh, yes. Lit.”

Jada groaned. “Grams, please never use that word again.”

Grams shrugged. “Why not? I own a football team. I have to be able to communicate with my players.”

“Grams…”

“This is my final offer. It’s time for you to apply yourself. Time to stick to something for longer than a month.”

Jada knew that. Had known that before she went on My One and Only. That didn’t mean she wanted to work with him. But she couldn’t voice that opinion without rousing suspicion. So she went with her next best option. Facts. “I don’t cook. I can’t cook.”

“Luckily, you’ll be baking. I’m sure Donovan will be more than happy to give you some pointers.”

No, that was the last thing she wanted or needed. Spending more time than necessary with Principal … “Grams, what’s Donovan’s last name?”

Grams sighed in clear despair about her granddaughter’s lack of knowledge about her life’s work. “Dell. His name is Donovan Dell. He’s only one of the best defensive ends in the league.”

Whatever that meant. She had a full name now. Donovan Dell. She rolled the name around in her head. A strong name to go with a strong-minded and physically strong man. Not that any of that was important. “I’m sure Mr. Dell has more important things to do than look after me.”

“You’ll be working in his business. I’m sure it will be fine.”

Grams had an answer for everything. Now Jada was desperate. Grasping at straws. “As true as that may be, Grams, do I look like the type to wear a polo and, God forbid, a hairnet? That’s not really my style.” She waved a hand down her figure. A visit with her grandmother was no excuse not to look cute. Casual, but cute. A red-and-white-striped romper paired with some cute Jimmy Choo sandals. She’d pulled her hair into a sleek high ponytail and gone for a natural makeup glow. A perfect look for a sunny San Diego day.

Grams leveled a hard look on her. “I know you like fashion, and I’ve always encouraged that interest, but spare me the ditzy routine. I know you are anything but.”

Jada’s shoulders deflated.

“Haven’t I always had your best interests at heart?”

Jada nodded, unable to deny that claim. Her grandmother had always had her back.

“What’s really going on here?”

“I guess I thought I could figure things out on my own.” She hadn’t expected Grams to actually have a plan in place before Jada stepped foot in her office. She also hadn’t been positive that her grandmother had been serious. She’d thought she could cajole Grams into giving her early access to her trust fund. But Grams was deadly serious.

“And you still have time. You’re only twenty-five. This is temporary. When your six months are up, you’ll have your trust fund and fully become the captain of your own ship. I have faith in you.”

Jada wasn’t so sure. She’d rarely succeeded or stuck with anything for long. She didn’t know how this situation would be any different—not working for that man, anyway. But she did want her trust fund. She stifled yet another groan. Who was she kidding? She needed a job now, forget the trust fund. Money was money, and in less than two weeks, she wouldn’t have any coming in. She couldn’t tell Grams what her parents had done. She didn’t want to be the source of a potential rift between her mom and her grandmother.

What was a little flour, hairnets, and a polyblend polo compared to all that? It was only for a few months. Donovan couldn’t be the only person who worked at Sugar Blitz. She’d hang out, ignore him, make enough money to buy groceries and pay her bills, and collect her trust fund at the end of her sentence, thank you very much.

Great. It looked like her nemesis had become her mentor. Absolutely freaking great.



* * *



Donovan jumped like a skittish cat when the bell over the front door chimed. His shoulders slumped when a harried man in a business suit rushed inside. “It’s my daughter’s day to bring in snacks to her first-grade class, and I completely forgot.”

Donovan smiled. “No worries, man. I got you.” He welcomed the distraction. He’d been antsy since he woke up that morning.

Not that he was counting down the minutes until his newest hire, Jada Townsend-Matthews, arrived. He just didn’t know what to expect, that was all. He liked order and sensible actions. Jada promised neither of those things.