Fake It Till You Bake It(19)

Jada started. “Right. Three strawberry vanilla and two chocolate peanut butter coming right up.” Earlier, while she’d loitered behind the counter, she’d also studied Ella intently. She grabbed a box first, then scooped the desserts up and placed them gingerly in the box, snapping the box closed with a jaunty gesture. Kendra paid with a credit card, a payment type the cash register made easy to accept.

When the receipt printed without delay, Jada did a little shoulder shimmy. Hey, maybe she wouldn’t be so bad at this after all.

“Perfect.” Kendra pointed to the napkin Jada had set aside. “See you here tomorrow and next week at book club. The location is a little up in the air right now, but we should have a place nailed down soon. And no, ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary.” She winked. “I can’t wait to get to know you better, Jada Townsend-Matthews.” She exited the store like a whirling dervish.

Jada’s mouth dropped. Kendra had known who she was. But she didn’t have much time to think about it because more customers entered. Ella let her handle them all, and she quickly fell into a rhythm, welcoming them to the store, taking orders, not dropping cupcakes, and taking payment with Ella there to guide her when someone asked for a special cupcake only available on Wednesdays.

She enjoyed talking to the customers, learning about how their days were going and why they chose the flavors they did. If the next few months went like this, her trust fund would be hers in no time, giving her the freedom to chart the course of her life on her own terms with no interference from her loved ones.

As she wiped some crumbs off the counter, her motions stilled. The atmosphere in the room had changed. Become charged. Electric. Exactly like when she’d touched Donovan’s hand earlier. Her eyes zeroed in on the spot where Donovan was rounding the corner, followed by the other two men. They were a striking group, all large, fit, and each attractive in his own way, but she only had eyes for the one she’d met. He stopped in front of the counter and stared at her.

She lifted an eyebrow. She wasn’t intimidated. She couldn’t be. She was Jada Townsend-Matthews, even if she had a hard time figuring out what that meant on any given day. But he didn’t know that. He’d been coerced into having her here. Oh, well. She wasn’t going to act desperate to have a job. Even though she totally was. Besides, it wasn’t like he could fire her. Her grandmother would have his hide. At that thought, her lips split into a grin.

His shoulders stiffened, his spine going ramrod straight. Poor dude. If he didn’t stop doing that, he would end up frozen in that position, and oops, there would go his football career. Her smile widened.

He cleared his throat, no doubt expecting everyone in the room to give him their undivided attention. Just like a principal at a school assembly. “Jada, I’d like to introduce you to my partners, Nicholas Connors and August Hodges.”

She squinted at them. “Let me guess. You guys play for the Knights, too?”

Nicholas sidled up to the counter next to his teammate. “What gave it away? Our aura? Powerful physiques?” His gray eyes twinkled. Flirting was obviously his natural state of being. He probably flirted with every woman who came into the place. And while he was definitely good-looking, she felt not an ounce of attraction to him. He was harmless.

Playing along was no hardship and equally harmless. She tilted her head to the side. “Powerful physiques? I hadn’t noticed.”

Beside her, Ella snickered. “Jada, you’re my new best friend.”

Nicholas side-eyed the teen before returning his gaze to Jada. “Oh, wow. Ruthless. Dagger to the heart, lady.” He slapped a hand over his chest.

Jada laughed. “It’s the only way I know how to be.”

He leaned an elbow on the counter, shot a quick look over his shoulder at Donovan, then winked at her. “I like you. You’re the woman of my dreams.”

Jada laughed, recognizing the joke for what it was. She liked him. He clearly didn’t take himself too seriously, and she’d missed laughing. Had almost forgotten how good it felt to indulge in the activity.

“Chill, Nicholas,” Donovan said, that stern principal voice making a reappearance. “Don’t you have some baking to do?”

Nicholas winked at her again, clearly not fazed by his business partner, and stepped aside. “I just finished, as you know. I’ll be right back. Yes, Ella, I was going to tell you I’d finished my latest test batch, not that you deserve to taste my latest culinary effort.” He turned back to Jada with a hand over his heart. “Please promise you’ll still be here when I return.”

Jada nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

While he departed, the other man, who’d been silently observing the scene, held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m August.” His voice was gruff and deep and slightly hesitant.

She shook his hand. Unsurprisingly, his large hand swallowed hers, but his shake was surprisingly gentle. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jada.”

August nodded once and said nothing else. Obviously, he was a man of few words, but he had kind eyes. Curious, too, but his quietness worked in her favor there, so she’d take it.

Nicholas returned a few seconds later, carrying a tray of cupcakes. Jada’s mouth watered. She could smell the marshmallows all the way across the room. Her stomach rumbled when he reached the counter and she got a good look at the desserts.