Page 6 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)

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Tom’s spur-of-the-moment idea had gone over like gangbusters.

Over two hundred likes within an hour of posting.

Two hours later, there were closer to four hundred.

It’d been her idea to put on that pink dress.

She’d sent Ella to her home to get it, along with her makeup bag.

She had to admit that the dress flattered her, and Samantha and Ella had applied her makeup to perfection.

She’d brushed out her hair so it hung dark, wavy, and loose over one shoulder and added a bubblegum-pink lip to match the dress.

She usually didn’t make much of an effort with her appearance. Hair in a bun or braids, minimum makeup, and chef’s pinks were her usual uniform. It was nice to dress up—even if it was just for social media.

On her way inside, she scrolled through the comments. Several people tagged Liam, asking for answers. She nearly dropped her phone when she saw the man himself listed among the people who’d liked the post.

After filling her father in on the competition, she checked in on Daphne to ensure she was asleep. She crossed the hall toward her room and shut the door behind her. She perched on the edge of the bed, phone in hand. Liam had left a comment.

Are we starting a social media war? You fired the first shot, but this is a war you’re gonna lose, Aubs!

She set down her phone and exhaled. It felt like she was in school again, the agonizing wait for her crush’s reaction as he read a note she’d written. This was bordering on ridiculous.

While she pondered a reply to Liam’s comment, a text came in from her ex-husband, Chris. It was like he could smell her happiness in the wind and needed to take a big ol’ dump on it.

Hey, did little bug mention that Kayla and I rented a house in Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving? I know you have her for the holiday. I hope we can rework.

Seeing as until recently, Chris resided so far up Kayla’s vag, she’d wondered if he got mail there, Aubrey wasn’t keen to engage in the “Darling Daddy” game now.

But she was grateful he’d messaged her before her fantasies about Liam could get ahead of her.

That’s why crushes suited her better. You couldn’t get hurt if you never tried.

She didn’t want to dwell on that depressing thought, so instead, she replied to Liam’s comment.

You might not want to make boasting statements like that where everyone can see them. They might come back to bite you in the .

Before she could chicken out, she hit send. She groaned and opened the text messaging app to reply to Chris.

She did tell me. For the record, please don’t ask our daughter about plans until you run it by me first. In her words, she’d rather stay here for Thanksgiving, and I’m for doing what Daphne wants.

She fired off the text and flicked on the bathroom light. She pulled a washcloth from the wall hook and washed the day off. Maybe she should wear makeup more often—if only for herself.

Her phone chimed with a text alert from the other room. She flung the washcloth in the sink and stomped over to retrieve it.

I don’t know why I thought you’d work with us. Maybe it’s time to restructure our visitation agreement.

Chris liked to trot out this threat when she didn’t give in to him. He’d been prone to tantrums throughout their marriage, too.

Then I’d be happy to tell the judge how you’ve managed to see your daughter a paltry fifteen times over the last twelve months despite living less than ten minutes from us. You don’t get to play dad when it suits you.

She threw her phone on the bed and continued her nighttime skin routine.

Her phone chimed again with another message.

Look, I get that I’ve been a dick in the past. This would mean a lot to us. We’re going through a bit of a rough patch.

She wasn’t shocked that Chris and Kayla’s relationship was on the low end of the rollercoaster again. He liked to play happy family, but reality differed. Her fingers flew across her keyboard.

I’m sorry to hear that, but our daughter is not your emotional support animal. My answer remains unchanged. Start stepping up to be part of Daph’s life. Then, we’ll talk about restructuring visitation.

His reply came through almost instantly.

Okay, fine. You win. You get her for Thanksgiving. I’d like to discuss possibly taking her to Disney World in January.

Their daughter was a million times more interested in anime and Japanese culture than Disney. Chris would know that if he bothered to ask. She would let Daphne field that alone and back her up if needed.

We’ll talk about it later. Goodnight.

Chris responded with a thumbs-up emoji when, at the same time, she received a notification from Liam.

There’s nothing wrong with confidence. And hey, putting it out there right now: if I lose, I'll eat a whole chocolate cake. Okay, wait, not an entire cake. I’d probably barf. But a slice. Deal?

Her phone dinged again, alerting her that Liam had followed her Instagram account. She set the phone down again and finished her skincare routine.

Instead of feeling happy that she and Liam were connecting (she’d once dreamed of him following her on social media like a lovesick teenager), an odd feeling settled over her. Reality was quite different than a daydream.

She appraised herself in the mirror. Anxiety crept around the edges like a vine, threatening to encircle her. She’d always struggled with anxiety, but she’d gotten a lot better at dealing with those overwhelming thoughts. Or so she’d thought.

She let out a long exhale as she flicked off the light in the bathroom. Once in bed, she picked up her phone again. After following Liam back, she responded to his comment with the cake emoji and a simple, I’ll hold you to that , before putting her phone on Do Not Disturb.

She grabbed her e-reader and settled into bed. She’d had quite enough excitement for one day.

A rainy, miserable night meant a typical slowish Monday was a downright snooze. Since they hardly ever had nights this slow, Liam treated his crew to a rare early closing. He doubted they’d have another anytime soon.

He flicked the sign on the door from open to closed.

“Aren’t you worried your Challenger will melt if it gets rained on?” Sasha asked as she tidied up the dining room.

Liam lived in a one-bedroom apartment above the restaurant. After the restaurant closed, he just had to round the corner and go up two flights of stairs to be home. His one beef with the place was the lack of covered parking to protect his beloved Challenger.

“It’ll be fine. I think the more pressing question is, you’re not going out with that fuckboy again, are you?”

She rolled her eyes. “His name is Ryan. ”

“I thought he answered to the name of fuckboy after you caught him on a dating app?”

Sasha waved her hand. “We’re not talking about our romantic entanglements, remember?” She picked up her phone and began texting.

That meant the little shit was inbound. He wanted to warn his sister against Ryan’s type, because Liam had been friends with plenty of Ryans in his younger days. But Sasha wouldn’t hear it until she was ready, so he stayed silent.

A combination of booming bass and squealing tires alerted them to Ryan’s arrival.

“Tell the shithead not everyone wants to hear his awful DJ mix tape.”

Sasha reached for her coat and umbrella on the rack by the door. “I’ll be sure to do that. Bye, brother dear.”

Sasha opened her umbrella and stepped out into the rain. Fuckboy didn’t bother opening the door for her, leaving her to bang on the window. But the little prick had a pretty face, which was why his sister put up with his BS. Liam shook his head as they tore away into the night.

After flicking off the lights, he pulled up the hood on his jacket.

He exited into the alley and finagled with the gate on the wrought iron fence leading to his building. Once inside, he shook off like a dog. He skipped the elevator and ran up the stairs to his place on the top floor.

He scanned his key fob at the door and stepped inside. Light spilled in from the street, illuminating the small, tidy space. Liam didn’t need much. A place to sleep, a couch, and a TV to watch Netflix or play a video game on when he had the time.

“Mrowr.”

Teddy Spaghetti, his ten-year-old malcontent Maine Coon, rubbed between his legs, not caring that his pants were wet .

“Hey, Teddy-o. Let me get your vittles.”

Teddy formerly belonged to his older brother Brandon’s family until his middle son, Alex, developed an allergy. The old grump always loved Liam, probably because he’d never fussed over him like everyone else. He did a fair share of fussing now.

Liam kicked off his shoes and hung his coat in the closet. Then he padded into the kitchen and took out the old man’s $4 can of food. He had crystals in his urine, and if he didn’t eat it, peeing hurt like hell.

Teddy hopped up on the small pony counter that divided the living room and kitchen as Liam dumped the stinky mess onto the plate and pushed it toward Teddy.

He absently petted him with one hand. Teddy refused to eat unless his long fur was stroked.

While the old man chewed, Liam scrolled through his phone.

He had another text from Dani, this one inviting him to come over tomorrow night.

He’d stopped petting Teddy, who’d started butting his head against Liam’s forearm.

“Sorry, old man.” He resumed his petting, and Teddy ate.

He ignored Dani’s message and clicked over to Instagram.

Aubrey had followed him back. She’d also liked his most recent comment.

He scrolled through her profile. He paused at a photo of Aubrey and her daughter, taken from behind.

She was in the same eighth-grade class as his nephew Brody.

The kid never said the words, but Liam could tell he had a crush on the little girl.

He tapped up to that pretty photo of Aubrey in the frothy pink dress. Damon might be right—there was something about her. When he’d called out his friend for putting ideas in Liam’s mind, Damon replied that you couldn’t plant an idea that wasn’t already growing .

Teddy finished his plate and hopped off the counter toward his water bowl. “Guess it’s just me and you tonight, dude.”

He glanced at the photo of Aubrey again, slightly annoyed that it turned him on. He had to keep his energy where it mattered: the competition, not his newly found realization that his opponent was fucking sexy.

He swept Teddy up into his arms and snapped off a quick selfie with the caption:

@aubspetitchou isn’t the only one readying herself for the biggest competition Port Fortune’s ever seen. Consulting with my general on battle plans!

He posted the photo, and his phone immediately began buzzing with notifications. He put his phone on night mode, and, at least for tonight, he only had his cat for company.