Page 22 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

While Sasha ate her feelings, Liam stopped at the Port Fortune Roastery booth and bought them both coffees.

“You’ll do better after a guy like Ryan. Maybe don’t go after douchebag DJs, okay?”

Sasha set her coffee on her knee. “Are you gonna tell me who you’re checking on messages from or what?”

As if his phone was in on the joke, it chimed again.

Sasha snickered. “Hand it over. It’s not like I don’t know your passcode, anyway.”

Liam hoped it was Damon texting to add to his market order. But of course, Aubrey had picked now to respond.

Um, you’re my competition, so mum’s the word, motherfucker.

Sasha swiped his phone, ignoring his protests. “You stuck your butt into my love life. I’m returning the favor.”

“Hey, your shithead ex showed up, causing trouble at my place of business?— ”

“Oh my God.” The words came out in a rushed breath. She raised her gaze to meet Liam’s. “It’s Aubs, isn’t it?” She gestured toward the dark-haired chef emoji he’d assigned as her contact, along with the letter A.

“We compete, so we talk occasionally.”

“Don’t make me have to bleach my eyeballs after reading your sexts to prove my point.” She scrolled for a moment more before handing it back to Liam.

“Christ, you’re just as bad as Ma sometimes.” He shoved his phone into his pocket without replying to Aubrey.

Sasha whipped her sunglasses off and turned on him. “In that, we both want you to be happy? Then take my mug shot and book me in, bro.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. You’re both busybodies.”

Sasha snickered. “What do I get for not telling Mom?”

A couple passed nearby then, making Liam shush his sister. “Why must we Linleys bribe each other for silence? And jeez, will you shut the hole in your face? This is brand fucking new between us.”

She wasn’t the only skittish one. But his nerves were for a different reason. He was falling for her. But he couldn’t forget about the competition. He had to win, even if his family—the main reason he wanted to stay in town—were getting on his last fucking nerve.

None of this made sense. He wasn’t the commitment type, especially not with a woman like Aubrey. She was older, wiser, and a mother. She was like exploring a new continent.

Sasha clasped her hands together. “I’m excited for you both. But I repeat my question, I mean, my bribe.”

Liam sipped his coffee. “I didn’t tell Mom about the Ryan shit show, you don’t tell her about Aubrey.”

If Sasha’s eyes could have rolled back into her head, they would’ve.

“First of all, fuckboy was arrested. Mom checks the criminal reports like it’s her version of The Real Housewives .

She’s just waiting in the wings like a vulture to swoop in and tell me how disappointed she is in me. So, try again, William.”

As happy as he was, Sasha felt well enough to bribe him, but he wasn’t going to play into her hands. “How about you do this as a favor to your big brother? To repay me for all the good deeds I’ve done for you over the years.”

She inspected her manicure. “Nice try, but no.”

“Sasha, seriously? We’re not kids anymore.”

“I’ve got it. A day at the Black Pearl Spa for me. The deluxe package. It’s two blocks from Elevation, so that you can make a booking on your way to work.”

He kicked his foot against hers. “Was this all just some long con to get me to pay for your spa day?”

Her smile faltered. “You know, I really wouldn’t tell Ma. And I am a poor student.”

He put his arm around his little sister’s shoulders. “I’ll do as you ask. In the future, spare me the bribing, okay?”

She looked up at him. “I’m happy you and Aubrey are together, bro.”

He didn’t need Sasha to get ideas, especially when he and Aubrey hadn’t decided what was happening between them yet. “It’s new, so don’t make it a huge thing, okay?”

“Aubrey’s worth taking your time for. I’ve always known she was special. I’m glad you finally realized it, too.”

Aubrey’s life had become a three-ring circus, with Gary as ringmaster. She’d almost canceled when a calendar alert reminded her she had a morning booked at the Black Pearl Spa for a facial, massage, and waxing.

They’d had two dessert orders to get out and the daily order from the Port Fortune Roastery to stock their baked goods case. But she needed to take care of herself and could carve out an hour or two, even if it meant coming in early and staying late.

After a (mostly) relaxing early morning appointment, she followed her waxer to the front desk to pay. When she caught Liam at the front desk, she worried she’d hallucinated him. His deep voice carried through the marble reception room, so he had to be real.

That anxious, no-good side of her brain tried to tell her he was buying a spa package for another chick.

Before her anxiety could rise to DEFCON eleven, Liam turned around. His face lit up. “Aubs! What are you doing here?”

“Maintenance,” came her quick reply.

His brow arched, and damned her sensitive lady bits for betraying her. Once Liam and Aubrey had wrapped up their transactions, they stepped onto Garden Street under a sky that threatened rain.

“I was buying a spa day for Sasha. She’s torn up about the fuckboy situation.”

Aubrey exhaled. “What a great older brother you are.”

“Extortion was involved, so don’t think too highly of me. She saw your text and threatened to tell my mother. Only half seriously, though.”

Aubrey shoved her hands into her pockets. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

He inclined his head toward Tulip Turn, one long shopping street that connected Garden Street, at the rear of the town, closest to the Rappahannock River, and Sweet Briar.

At this early hour, most of the shops were closed.

Even fewer people were out and about, given that the sky was overcast and gray.

They passed by the only available restaurant space in the city, a too-small Thai carryout that had recently closed.

Liam paused to peer into the empty storefront. “Damn shame they went out of business. Their Tom Yum soup was out of this world.”

“It’s kind of a shitty location.” Aubrey pressed her thumbnail across the tape holding down the FOR RENT sign.

Liam looked over and pressed a quick kiss against the side of her head.

She let out a laugh and stepped away from him. “Port Fortune is a city, but a small one. People will talk.”

He stepped away from the window. “At least in public, they’re more polite than online.”

They both laughed. She followed him onto the Turn, and he stepped closer to her.

“So perhaps we can firm up our plans?”

“Firm up, heh heh,” Aubrey said.

Liam elbowed her. “Hey, I’m younger. I should be making the dumb jokes.”

She elbowed him back. “You don’t mind I’m older?”

“Of course not. Age is nothing but a number, anyway.” He regarded her with those chocolate-drop eyes. She turned away and sighed in a fashion that reminded her of the British period dramas her father watched when he wasn’t binge-watching war documentaries.

This was the perfect time for her to confess the truth about the depth of her feelings for him. It would be better to do it now than later, when he may be annoyed with her for not being upfront.

“You okay? ”

She looked up, finding his gaze full of concern. “I’m fine, but there’s something I need to confess first.”

He stopped in front of her on the cobblestone. “Do you have a superfluous third nipple? It’s okay. I can take it. Who knows, I may even be into it.”

With a laugh, she waved her hand. “I’m not sure what led you to that conclusion. Anyway, I’m probably making a bigger deal of it than it is.”

Just get the words out.

She hesitated again, but he settled a hand on her shoulder. “Aubs, there’s very little that scares me.”

“I’m not trying to scare you. I guess…” She ought to get it out already. “You know how you asked what you’d done to me? The answer to why I treated you differently than everyone else?”

“Of course. Will you finally tell me what I did to offend you?”

She toed her boot over one of the cobbles. Now or never, let the damn words out. In the worst-case scenario, he’d freak, and this would end.

Tension melted away when he took her hand. “I kept you at a distance because I’ve had a crush on you for ages. And I felt so stupid, so it was easier to treat you indifferently.”

Liam’s eyes remained on her, but he stayed silent. Her heart raced, as if it were trying to escape her chest. Had it been a wrong move to admit her feelings?

His breath escaped in a half-sigh, half-laugh. “Are you serious? I thought you considered me some no-good kid, terrorizing Port Fortune with my modern cuisine.” He pretended to shake a stick at her. “I wish you had said something sooner.”

She barreled on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Having a crush is so much easier when you don’t actually get to know the person. Not that you’d probably know what that’s like. ”

“What makes you think I’ve never had a crush?” He slipped an arm around her shoulders. Her breath loosened.

“You’re also a pretty boy, just like my ex-husband. It all made sense, y’know?” She laughed to herself. “That’s a lot, I know. I don’t blame you for running for Hollow Hill.”

Liam snorted. “I’m starting to understand where you’re coming from.”

She turned away. “You were like a celebrity crush, but one I knew in real life. Like if Henry Cavill lived down the street.”

A fat raindrop landed on Liam’s cheek as he started to speak, so he motioned for them to start walking again. “I’m no Henry Cavill, but I get what you’re saying.” He traced his hand down the inside of her arm. “You have to know the hot chef nickname is tongue-in-cheek. It’s not who I am.”

Maybe it wasn’t, but she still hadn’t reconciled the Liam she’d imagined to the real man he was. “It was easier to keep my heart covered in barbed wire. The crush felt harmless. Now, I’ve gotten to know you and see who you are.”

“And is it better than you’d imagined?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Better and different. That’s kind of why I want to take things slow. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hung up on my ex-husband anymore. But it took me a long time to get over the betrayal.”

He pulled her in for a hug. “Slow is fine by me. I want to spend more time with you, Aubs. We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

God, there he went again, being so damned patient and kind.

“I appreciate that.”

The rain intensified as they approached Sweet Briar, so they sped up.

“You’ve got to admit, it’s kinda cute, you having a crush on me.”

She smacked his arm. “I guess you’re never too old for crushes. I think my dad has one on the mail lady.”

He laughed. “The butcher has the hots for my mom.”

The clouds opened up, and they ran for the alley behind their businesses. They came to a stop under the awning above Elevation’s back door.

Liam took a step back. “Would tonight work for our date? I thought I’d get off early, but we had a couple of callouts, so I won’t get off ’til late, but?—”

She didn’t want to drag this out. It was time to be bold. “Tonight’s fine. Call me when you’re roughly thirty minutes from closing. We’ll figure something out.”

He grinned. “Well, alright. I’ll see you tonight. Be gentle with me, though. I have rugby practice at the Field House before work tomorrow.”

Before Aubrey could finalize a vision of Liam in his rugby gear, he gave her a parting wave and ducked into Elevation. As she turned away, he popped out with an umbrella for her.

“You took the day off, right? Wouldn’t want you to get wet.” He chuckled to himself and leaned forward, his mouth against her ear. “Well, not yet.” Like the cad he was, he closed the door with a grin.

Still in a lust-filled daze, she headed toward a cute woman’s boutique called Blue Skye. Even if she and Liam were taking things slow, she still needed some new underthings, since most of what she had were granny panties.

Her feet hardly touched the ground. She and Liam were going to have sex. Maybe tonight, maybe not.

Her head was so high in the clouds that she didn’t notice Chris until he was directly in her path.

He’d stepped out of Our Daily Bread, Port Fortune’s oldest bakery.

An institution in town, it carried a far more extensive array of bread than she did at Petit Chou.

It wasn’t surprising that her ex would patronize the closest thing to competition she had in town. He could be petty as fuck.

“Aubs.” Chris’s umbrella knocked against hers.

She ducked around him. The last thing she needed was an interaction with her ex, not when she was trying to put all those doubts out of her mind.

“Sorry, I can’t talk. Have a good day!” For once, not even her asshole ex could put a damper on her mood.

But his presence was a reminder of what could happen if you were too free with your heart. As she ducked into Blue Skye, Aubrey was grateful she’d finally told Liam the truth.