Page 16 of How Sweet It Is (Willow Shade Island #3)

I take the batch of gluten-free biscuit muffins from the oven, the smell permeating the air.

They look good and smell even better. The consistency of the flour was different than what I’m used to.

It wasn’t as powdery, but the package says I can use it as a one-to-one substitute, so that’s what I did.

As I wait for Amelia to come in, I get on my phone and scroll through photos of the electric-blue Lamborghini I ordered.

It’s fully loaded, and I only had to pay half a mill, a true bargain in my book.

I ordered it as soon as I got my inheritance.

Tobias is going to freak. He lectured me for an hour about not flaunting my wealth.

Honestly, I don’t care. Tobias needs to live a little.

This beauty will be delivered to me in a few weeks.

Amelia comes in the back door, and I toss my phone down. She hugs her purse to herself and walks toward the office.

“Good morning,” she says in her all-business tone, reflecting her business pants and no-nonsense bun.

“Wait. I have something for you.”

She pauses and eyes me. “What is it?”

I pop a biscuit out of the muffin tin, put it on a plate, and extend it to her. “I made a batch of gluten-free biscuit muffins. I want you to be the first to try them.”

She smiles, and her defensive posture melts away. “I’d love to.” She reaches out to take the biscuit.

“I’ll get the butter.” I set down the muffin tin, take off the oven mitts, and open the refrigerator. I’m going to watch her eat it this time.

She takes the biscuit into the office, and I grab a knife and follow her in there. I hand her the knife. She smiles at me as she sets down her computer. “Eager to have me try it?”

“That’s an understatement.” I stare at her as she gets situated. Finally, she uses the knife to cut open the biscuit. It crumbles apart on her plate, and I frown. “It’s not supposed to crumble like that.”

“It’s okay. A lot of gluten-free recipes turn out that way, especially with the cheaper flours.”

“Oh.” I didn’t realize there were different gluten-free flours. I should have done more research. “What’s it taste like?”

She tries to apply a little butter onto a piece, but it crumbles into a mess. “Let’s forget the butter.” She picks up one of the pieces and pops it into her mouth.

She makes a face, and I can tell it isn’t good. “Mmm,” she says politely.

I reach over and grab some crumbles and put them into my mouth. The taste is gritty, and it’s like eating biscuit-flavored sawdust. I force myself to swallow it. “Never mind. Don’t eat this.”

I grab the plate and rush into my kitchen, where I toss the mess into the garbage. “This is trash.”

Amelia comes in after me. “It’s not your fault. It’s the flour you used. Let me see the package.”

I grab it off the shelf and hand it to her. She examines the ingredients then opens the bag to look inside. “Yep. It’s rice flour and not ground up enough. That’s where the grittiness comes from. The higher-quality rice flours are ground into a soft powder.”

I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I thought I was going to surprise you with something delicious.”

“It’s okay. It’s really hard to make good gluten-free things.”

I wait until Amelia goes back inside the office before I toss the sack of cheap flour into the garbage. I glance at the clock. It’s too late for me to run grab more gluten-free ingredients. I have to stock my display cases.

Frustrated, I vow to do more research next time. I have no idea why I didn’t do more of it before attempting to make something gluten-free. That’s on me. Next time, it will be better. And I’ll be sure to taste test it before giving it to Amelia. I learned my lesson there.

Saturday, September 5

The week flies by, and I don’t have a chance to try another gluten-free creation until Saturday.

But I did my research and found out that a lot of people make their own blend of different types of gluten-free flour, using some things I wouldn’t have expected like xanthan gum and pectin.

By Saturday afternoon, I’m prepared, and I’ve mixed my own blend of ingredients to create a much better gluten-free biscuit muffin.

As I’m getting them out of the oven, Kiera comes in from the storefront. She leans against the counter. “Micah’s here. I thought you might want to know.”

“Be right there.” I pop out one of the biscuits and butter it.

It doesn’t crumble this time, and I tentatively take a bite.

Delicious. I quickly butter another biscuit and put it on a plate.

I deliver it to Amelia before heading out to the storefront.

I wanted to watch her eat it, but Micah’s more important.

I know he wouldn’t be here without a reason.

I find Micah sitting at a table. He’s ordered an Italian soda, and I silently thank Kiera for sharing that idea. We’ve sold a lot of them the past two days, since we added them to the menu. I pull out a chair and sit down. “Hey, man. You here for the weekend?”

Micah nods then sets his soda on the table. “Yeah.”

“How is school going?”

Micah stares at the floor. “Fine.”

I know my brother, and I know when he’s not saying what he’s thinking. I kick his foot under the table. “Come on. You can tell me how it’s really going. Are the classes hard? Do you hate your dorm?”

He rakes his hand through his long hair, but that only pushes it out of his face for a second before it falls back. “It’s just different than here.”

I can tell there’s something he wants to say, so I wait. When he doesn’t elaborate, I say, “And?”

He lifts his gaze to mine. “Something happened the other day, and it kind of freaked me out.”

Micah doesn’t get freaked out about anything. He’s the most laid-back kid I know. A customer comes in and starts chatting with Kiera. I lean closer to Micah so I can hear his low voice. “What happened?”

Micah picks up his soda and plays with the straw. “I was in the cafeteria, and people were talking to me, and all of a sudden, all the people and noise got to me. I couldn’t breathe in there. I felt like the walls were closing in on me, and everyone was staring at me. I had to leave.”

“What did you do?”

He takes a sip of his drink. “I went to my dorm room and ate granola for lunch, even though it was stale. I felt so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. You’re going through a huge change in your life. College is a big deal, and you’re from a very small town. There’s no way it’s not going to affect you at all. Give it some time.”

Micah exhales. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Take it slow. If eating in the cafeteria is too overwhelming, get your food and go eat it somewhere else. You don’t have to adjust all at once. If it feels like too much, there’s no shame in taking a break.”

Micah’s gaze snaps to mine. “Really?”

“Of course.”

“So, if I take a day off from classes, can I crash at your place? I wouldn’t want to go home. Tobias would freak if he found out.”

I laugh and clap him on the shoulder. “You can sleep on my couch anytime, bro.”

His face brightens. “Thanks.”

Amelia comes out of the back and scans the bakery until she sees me. She marches over to our table, her fists on her hips. “Was that biscuit really gluten-free? Because I swear, if you gave me gluten…”

I hold up my hands. “I swear it was gluten-free.”

Her mouth pops open. “No. Way.”

I bite back a grin. She must have really liked it. “Yes. Way.”

“That was the best gluten-free biscuit I’ve ever eaten. No, that’s not true. That was the best biscuit I’ve ever eaten, period. That’s including the ones filled with gluten.”

Micah chuckles. “Levi’s great in the kitchen, isn’t he?”

Amelia nods like a bobblehead and points at Micah. “You are not kidding. That biscuit melted in my mouth. I still can’t believe I’m not going to get sick from eating it.”

“Well, things shouldn’t get… explosive… around here.”

Amelia laughs, and the sound of it washes over me. I want to make her laugh every day. “Whatever you did, it was brilliant. I would not be offended if you wanted to try croissants next. I haven’t eaten a croissant in years, and I died a little not eating the one you gave me.”

I grin at her. “I’ll take on that challenge.”

Her smile widens. “You’re the best.” She takes a step back. “Sorry for interrupting. I was just so sure you’d fed me gluten, I had to come check.”

“No problem,” I say.

She motions over her shoulder. “I’m going to go back now. And I might eat another biscuit… or two.”

I chuckle as she scurries into the kitchen.

Micah kicks my foot. “You and the librarian?”

I snort and roll my eyes. “No way.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Your mouth says no, but your entire face says yes. You lit up when she came out.”

“I did not.”

“Whatever, dude. I have eyes. You’re totally into her.” Micah stands and tosses his empty cup into the trash can. “Thanks for chatting with me. I’ll take you up on your offer.”

I walk to him and give him a quick hug. “Of course. Just text before you come.”

“Will do.”