Page 41 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

twenty-nine

Aubrey peered out of the window of the vacant space and exhaled. The wait was almost over. A few more hours, and she’d be either starting construction or beginning an overhaul to make do. The money would’ve been nice, but her dad had always taught her not to spend money until the check had cleared.

Port Fortune PD were busy closing off traffic along Sweet Briar, and work crews had begun to set up for Port Fortune’s Night Out.

She excused herself to the bathroom and took a moment to compose herself. Her anxiety had been tracking upward the closer it got to announcement time. She needed a distraction and began flipping through her social media accounts.

A knock on the bathroom door interrupted her doom-scrolling. “You alive in there?” Ted called.

“Why are you constantly monitoring my bathroom time, you weirdo?”

Tom laughed. “Fuck me for caring about you, dumbass.”

She swung open the door. He gave her a hip bump as she passed by .

“You survived the competition. Now the wait for the winner begins,” Tom said.

She turned to find her best friend standing on the opposite side of the space. “ We did. Why don’t you start taking credit for your work? Petit Chou isn’t just my baby.”

“I do. And I appreciate you offering me credit. But I’m content to be by your side as the business grows. I don’t need the hassle of being an owner or partner.”

Tom meant what he said, so Aubrey only nodded. “Understood.”

They watched as a crew from the rental company finished lining up tables and chairs to form one long table that ran the center of Sweet Briar. A floral team came behind them, laying down centerpieces.

Over 150 people were expected to be in attendance. Thankfully, Aubrey and Tom had settled on croque madames and had all their supplies ready in one of the two kitchen tents.

“Where’s your fam? Are they coming tonight?” Tom asked.

“Dad has a charity gala in DC that he couldn’t get out of. And Daphne’s got that creeping crud, so Chris kept her home.”

“Well, you’ve got me and Liam. We’ll have to do.” He slung an arm around her shoulder.

“What’s he making, anyhow?”

“His take on peri-peri chicken wings, I think. He waffled, and I think that won out.”

“Look at you,” Tom said. “With a new boyfriend and maybe a new restaurant space to boot. You two are good together, boo.”

Aubrey rubbed the skin between her eyes. Even though everyone present would know tonight, the winner wouldn’t be officially announced until Monday morning when the Sunrise Washington segment aired.

As if her friend could read her mind, he said, “Don’t start overthinking, Aubs. Liam looks at you like every day is the Fourth of July.”

She turned to him. “How could you get all that from me rubbing my face?”

“Because I’ve known you for thirteen years, I can read the meaning behind every micro-expression.” He inspected his watch. “Come on, it’s nearly time for you both to be put out of your misery.”

Aubrey snorted. “That sounds rather dire.”

Gary poked his head in. “The reporter and camera guy from Sunrise Washington are here. Liam’s tied up with Mr. Jason Morse right now, but do you have time to be interviewed?”

Her stomach had become an elevator, soaring down twenty floors without stopping. “Jason Morse is here?”

Gary threw up his hands. “The man donated five thousand dollars to the event, so they found a seat for him.”

Before Aubrey could ask Gary for more information, Tom prodded her, “Go ahead; I’ll go to the kitchen tent.”

Swallowing down her nerves, Aubrey followed Gary and put on her best fake smile.

The kitchen tent bustled with activity by the time Damon and Liam arrived. Liam hated being late, but it couldn’t be avoided. When Jason Morse strode into the kitchen, he’d been elbow-deep in the prep sink, trying to get out a clog so big it could have sunk the Titanic .

Jason said he’d had a free evening and wanted to see how the competition resulted. He asked if he could take over a booth at Elevation until the event started .

Liam had barely had time to step into the kitchen tent before the reporter and cameraman from Sunrise Washington hounded him for an interview.

Now, he was running behind.

Then he remembered that the competition had ended. Elevation was closed for the night. After this, he could relax, no matter the outcome.

“Hey, there’s Aubrey,” Damon said.

Liam looked up from counting appetizer plates as Aubrey walked in, Tom trailing behind her.

She wore her usual pink chef’s jacket, her hair in a French braid.

She was so lovely, he wanted to kiss her—and that was the first thing he would do once the winner was announced. Win or lose, he’d have her by his side.

Aubrey hugged Damon. “Save a plate of wings for me; I’m starving.”

“Anything my lady desires, she will have.” Liam tipped an imaginary hat.

Their plates went out one after another. Once they were finished, there was nothing to do but wait. A nervous pit settled in his stomach like a stone in a peach. He glanced over at her, her face a mask of worry.

He sidled up next to her and slung an arm around her shoulders. “You see Gary wielding the envelope?” He leaned in and pointed to where Gary appeared with a golden envelope as if he were Willy Wonka.

“I also see Jason Morse.” Her shoulders stiffened.

“Yeah, he about scared the hell out of me, turning up unannounced. He has an interest in how the contest turns out.”

“Guess he’s taken a shine to you, huh?” Her gaze stayed straight ahead.

“I guess I’m this week’s lucky penny, I don’t know. Are you sure you’re okay?” He started to massage one of the knots out of her shoulder.

She allowed herself to relax under his touch for a moment before stepping away. “I’m fine, I promise. I’m going to clean up a little. I can’t stand here and wait.”

He started to tell her there were other ways they could pass the time, but she rushed off. He exhaled. Hopefully, it was just nerves getting to Aubrey. Once the announcement was made, they’d have to have a serious conversation.

About the future.

Their future. He’d never been more confident that he was in love. It wasn’t a word that came easily to him, but when he thought about Aubrey, it was the first word that came to mind.

It used to freak him out when things got serious with a woman. This was the first time he felt like he was the one in a bigger hurry to make things official.

Gary tapped the golden envelope against his thigh. A jazz trio had set up at the far end of the long table, sending tinkling music into the air. It was one of the last warm nights they’d experience until spring. He smiled at the thought. Life would be different, then.

Different wasn’t always a bad thing.

“What do you think the odds are we’ll be DC-bound?” Damon appeared at Liam’s side. “Because if we are, you’ll have to deal with the Mrs.”

Liam rubbed his hands together. “We’ll find out soon, I guess.”

“I think DC would be awesome, man. We could all move up there and make a go of it. Or if you win, we’ll look for a bigger house in Port Fortune. A lot’s riding on this for all of us. No pressure.” He gave Liam a gentle jab to the ribs.

Gary walked over to the reporter and cameraman, and Liam’s nerves hit him like a ton of bricks. No matter what happened, his life was about to change. He motioned for them to follow him.

Liam exchanged a glance with Damon before following Gary. Aubrey already stood at the head of the table, chatting animatedly with one of the city council members. She’d taken her hair out of her long braid, and it flowed like a wave over her shoulder.

She was confident and beautiful—how had he never truly seen her until this competition?

One of his assistants gave Gary a microphone as Liam stepped beside Aubrey.

Liam bent down to whisper, “To the victor go the spoils. Good luck.”

She gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Good luck.”

Liam focused on Gary, who’d started a speech. The camera guy zoomed in on Gary.

“As much as I’d love to blather on about this competition, most of you already know the gist of it.

Our competitors were equal at one win, with three points each, upon entering the Sunrise Washington challenge.

Chip, Diana, and I cast votes, each worth one point. It came down to two votes against one.”

Liam swallowed. Here it came. He reached for Aubrey’s hand. She intertwined her fingers through his. Her palm was just as sweaty as his.

“Drum roll, please!”

The assembled guests began to drum on one tabletop, rattling plates and glasses as the seconds ticked by.

Gary turned to Liam and Aubrey. “The winner of the Sweet Briar vacant space and ten-thousand-dollar cash prize provided by the Port Fortune Chamber of Commerce is…” He gestured to the crowd to increase their drumming, sending more than one wine glass tumbling off the table and crashing onto the street as he ripped open the envelope. “Aubrey! ”

For a moment, the chaos around Liam went silent as he processed the news. He felt like the runner-up in a beauty competition, determined to keep a smile on his face. He’d had a sneaking suspicion the space would go to Aubrey. At least now the waiting was over. They could be together, officially.

The crowd rose to their feet, and people began to make their way over to congratulate Aubrey.

Before the crowd arrived, he reached for Aubrey. He brought her in for a kiss, not caring about the camera.