Undone by Her Tender Touch (Pregnancy & Passion #4)(33)

Pippa laughed and then excitedly hugged all her friends.

Half an hour later, the doors opened and the customers surged in. There was much laughter as all of Pippa’s friends helped serve the crush of people.

For two hours there was no end to the line of people. As fast as they could ring customers up, others came in droves.

It was past noon when Pippa looked up and saw Cam stride through the front door, shoving his way past a line of customers. He sought her out and then fixed his stare on her as he moved toward the counter.

“Go on,” Ashley whispered. “I’ll take the register for a while.”

“You sure?” Pippa looked doubtfully at her friend. “You’ve been on your feet for a long time, Ash. Maybe you should take a break. Devon’s going to kill me for wearing you out.”

Ashley smiled. “I’m having fun and I get to eat all the cupcakes I want. Total win!”

Pippa grinned back and then stepped away from the counter to meet Cam around the side.

“Looks like you’ve drawn a huge crowd,” Cam said when she got close enough for her to hear him.

“It’s fantastic! I can’t believe it. We’ve been hopping all morning.”

Cam smiled. “Can I get a cup of coffee and a few minutes of your time?”

She glanced over at her friends, who were waving her on and giving her the okay signal that they were fine handling the customers. She waved back and said to Cam, “Okay, you’ve got me for a few minutes.”

She poured him a cup of coffee, grabbed a pastry, a croissant and a cupcake and then motioned him into the kitchen.

They walked through to the office at the very rear of the shop. She closed the door behind them and then took a seat at the small desk. Or rather she sagged into it.

“Oh, my God, I may never get back up.” She groaned.

His eyes narrowed in concern. “When was the last time you slept? Have you been here all night?”

“It’s been a while,” she said ruefully. “And yeah, I was here all night getting ready.”

“You should rest. That can’t be good for you or the baby.”

“I won’t argue that point. I plan to go straight home and sleep about twelve hours before I get up tomorrow and do it all over again.”

He was silent a long moment. He looked for the world like he wanted to argue. His lips were set in a line and his jaw ticked. He ran a hand through his hair. To her surprise, he seemed unsure of himself.

“I wanted to come by to see how it was going. But mostly I wanted to say once more that I’m sorry for what happened at the clinic. I’m trying, Pippa. I know you probably don’t believe that, but I am trying to deal with this.”

She pushed the coffee and the plate of yummies at him, her heart melting just a little at the vulnerability she saw in those troubled eyes of his.

“Tell me how awesome I am,” she teased as she held up the cupcake.

He looked suspiciously at the cupcake piled high with fluffy pink icing. Unable to resist the opening, she swiped a finger full and then smeared it over his lips.

He reared back in surprise but his tongue automatically came out to lick away the sticky frosting. Then he took the cupcake from her and carefully peeled away the wrapper. He took a cautious bite and then stared down at it as if trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe.

“Okay, you’re awesome.”

“I know,” she said smugly. “Damn good, isn’t it?”

He took another bite and then smiled. “Yeah. Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

She cocked her head to the side and decided to let down her guard. “That depends on where you take me to dinner tonight. I’m starving and I want a steak. I’m sugared out from eating my own goodies. Me and baby want red meat.”

She waited for the flinch. The inevitable reaction when he was reminded of the son she carried. But he didn’t react. He actually seemed hugely relieved that she’d taken the matter in hand and barged forward. Well, that was typical Pippa. Bull in a china closet and all that.

“I’d like that,” he said in a somber voice. “I’ll make early reservations for us so you can get home and rest. I have a meeting in a little while but I’ll swing back by at closing time, run you by your apartment if you want to change and then we’ll go eat.”

“That sounds awesome,” she said with a sigh.

He rose from his seat and then held a hand out to help her up. “You’ve done a great job making this place your own, Pippa. By the looks of that crowd, I’d say they agree with me. You have a solid success on your hands.”

She squeezed his hand as she came around the desk. “I owe a lot of it to you. If you hadn’t gotten me this great place, I’d probably still be looking for space to lease.”

“I was glad to do it. You’ve worked hard for this.”

Part of her was saddened by the slight awkwardness between them and the almost formal way they danced around each other. She longed for the easy friendship that she’d come to rely on over the past few months. If she couldn’t have a more intimate relationship with him, she’d at least take friendship. Anything but this unease between them.

She gave him a quick hug to convey that she was seemingly unaffected by all that had transpired and then herded him back through the kitchen and out the front, where there was still a steady stream of customers spilling into the shop.