Page 23 of Fairy Cakes in Winter

I furrowed my brows. “She really wants you two to get together.”

“Mom likes tying loose ends into neat bows,” he replied with a shrug. “Giles is my age, gay, and moving to my city. We’ve spent a total of four hours together, but apparently that’s enough to call a minister. Sadly, her enthusiasm isn’t working. I like Giles fine, but he talks too much. And I talk too much. We’re a recipe for disaster.”

“You can’t get a word in edgewise, eh?”

“Nope.” He paused to give me a knowing twinkly-eyed look, adding, “I assured my mom you were a perfect gentleman. I also told her about your bakery and something about marketing, so she probably thinks this is a business meeting.”

I smiled my thanks when a server dropped off our drinks. “Business…right. You know, it’s funny you should bring that up. It’s not why I suggested meeting today, but I wouldn’t say no to some marketing advice.”

“Actually,Iwas the one who asked you out. For coffee.”

“True, but I—”

“I stalked you,” he blurt-yelled before guzzling half a glass of wine.

I widened my eyes comically, unable to resist teasing him. I mentioned I was kind of a dick, right? “O-kay…”

“Not in a creepy way. I assure you my intentions were mostly pure.” He set the wineglass down with a noisytwonkand rested his forearms on the table. “When I googled you and realized that your newest pop-up was close by, curiosity got the better of me and—”

“You googled me?”

“I googled yourbakery.” The splotch of pink on his cheeks went red in seconds flat.

It was pretty damn cute.

Theo was cute. And sweet and eager and…young.

Hey, a ten-year difference might not seem like a big deal, but compared to Theo, I was jaded and old. He didn’t have gray hair, wrinkles, or a bad case of disenchanted apathy.

Being in his orbit felt like tripping on a happy pill. He radiated intoxicating sunny vibes that could make me forget my worries. Christ, I couldn’t remember the last time I hadn’t had to temper excitement with a dose of reality.

I wasn’t sure what the fuck I was doing, but at that very moment, talking about business was the only thing that made sense here. That kiss and that hand job were random blips of madness brought on by exhaustion and close proximity. Reality was a tad harsher, I mused, twisting the stem of my wineglass.

“Ahh. Gotcha. What do you think of my new website?”

“It’s…nice,” Theo replied cautiously.

I narrowed my gaze. “Nice? I paid a fortune to revamp that site. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing at all. It’s just…” He shrugged but didn’t continue.

“What? Boring?”

“No, no. It’s professional, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing,” he assured me.

“But…”

“It’s just…” Theo hedged with a sigh before smacking one hand on the table. “It’s lacking a wow factor. A punch. A pop. Something that sets you apart from other bakeries. To be honest, if you told me you sold stationery and paper goods, I’d believe it. Pretty font and a pleasing layout help, but they aren’t what ultimately sells your product. It’s the—”

“Gimmick,” I supplied, sipping my wine thoughtfully. “I don’t like gimmicks.”

“I was going to say hook. The trick to selling is to make people curious. If they’re willing to take a peek into your shop window, they’re one step closer to buying. It works the same for your Internet presence.”

“Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. I thought the pop-ups were the curiosity factor, but—”

“You aren’t selling a pop-up bakery, though, you’re selling cakes and cookies and tarts. You have to makethempop.” He made a starburst gesture before opening his menu.

“How? I’m not naming desserts after nineties pop stars,” I grumbled, giving a thumbs-up when he pointed at the traditional roast listed under Main Course. “I’m open to suggestions and of course, I’ll pay you for your time.”