Sweet Tooth (Little Cakes, #11)(2)

“The entire list can be altered to fit your volume. That was one thing I couldn’t be sure about. I’ve passed by Nibbles & Bites several times lately, and it’s always been filled with customers, so I assume you do a pretty good volume during the lunch hour in particular. But I have no way of knowing what your most popular selections are of course.”

She blinked at him. Handsome, sexy, professional, and damn smart. Her legs were shaking, and she feared her knees might give out. The only thing that would make this man the most perfect human alive would be if he was also a Daddy.

Nope. That wouldn’t do it. He’d have to specifically be her Daddy. Then he would be perfect. But that was a serious longshot and a pipedream. Plus, how old was he?

Small detail. He looked kind of young. Like maybe in his twenties still. Yikes. Too young to be a Daddy. Darn.

Tom nodded toward the back door. “I brought you a variety of produce to sample so you’ll know my quality is top-notch.”

“Oh. Uh, okay.” She realized she’d said oh several times since he’d arrived. The noncommittal sound kept popping out of her mouth as if she were incapable of actual words, and to be honest, since Tom’s arrival, she had been rather incapable of coherent speech.

“Be right back.” He left her standing in the kitchen and headed out the back door. The man was a whirlwind. Efficient. Eager. Knowledgeable. Her head was spinning.

Moments later, he returned, opened a large box, and started pulling out produce. He told her about every vegetable and fruit as he set them in front of her with pride in his voice. He spoke about how his family didn’t use pesticides and everything was guaranteed to be grown locally on their farm.

Tom told her where the farm was located—incredibly close to town—how many employees he had, how long they’d been in business. He left out no detail.

“Do you have any questions?”

She couldn’t help but giggle. “How could I? You covered everything.”

He smiled. “Well, I try to be transparent and ensure my clients know exactly what they’ll be getting.” He pointed toward the large walk-in fridge. “Can I put these away for you?”

“Oh, sure.” She reached for a pile of carrots and fresh leaf lettuce to help him, kicking herself for once again starting a sentence with oh. “Thank you so much for doing this. You went beyond my expectations.”

He grinned again, showing her perfect white teeth. “I’m glad. I’ll leave you my card. Please call if you have any questions. I’m sure you’ll need some time to think over my offer. I suspect I’m not the only local farmer you’re interviewing.” He pulled a card from his pocket and held it out.

When she took it, their fingers touched, and she swore there was an electric current between them. She shook it off. He’s just being friendly. It’s business. She needed to keep reminding herself of that fact.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your day then.” He took a step toward the door.

“Oh.” Shit. Again? He’s going to think you’re daft. She didn’t want him to leave. But that wasn’t logical. The man had places to be. She considered asking him if he wanted to stay for…what? Coffee? She could make coffee even though they’d already cleaned up the machine for the day. Or perhaps a sandwich. She certainly made a mean sandwich.

She definitely could feed him. After all, this was a restaurant. If he was bringing her produce to try, she could at least show him what she intended to do with it.

But now he was at the door, and it would sound absurd for her to suggest he stay. His presentation was over.

One thing was for sure. She would certainly be contacting him again in the next few days to place her first order. Because his quality was excellent. At least that’s what she told herself. Thank goodness it appeared to also be true. Elizabeth certainly didn’t want to have to lie to the man and make a bad business decision simply because he was attractive and made her palms sweaty.

She followed him to the door, not the least bit sorry when he shook her hand again. Did he linger longer than necessary?

Don’t be silly. You’re reading too much into this. The man probably has a wife and two kids at home.

Elizabeth finally cleared her throat. “Thank you so much for coming. I’ll be in touch.” She watched as he strode confidently to his truck. Hell, she didn’t move from the door frame until he was long gone and all that was left of him was the lingering scent of his soap or aftershave and the warm feeling left behind from his grip on her palm.





Chapter Two





The amount of time Tom had spent basically loitering in and around the strip mall where Nibbles & Bites was located was embarrassing. Ever since he’d found out the adorable woman he’d nearly collided with at the hair salon owned the farm-to-plate café, he’d been drawn to the area like a magnet.

He’d started sitting in the park. He’d window-shopped. He’d purchased flowers for his mom at Daisy’s Blooms, checked out the gym as if he had time for such a thing, and now he was headed to Little Cakes.

He’d done everything he could think of to put himself where he might accidentally run into Elizabeth. Madness. The woman was at work. Across the street. In her café. It wasn’t like she had time for flowers, gym visits, or cupcakes while she was working.