Page 12 of Midnight Ash

Nicki told me this morning she went on a date with Mia yesterday and they had fun. Mia seems like a really nice girl, so I’m glad things are working out for Nicki.

A small cough gets my attention, so I look away from Nicki to see Xander in front of my stall, wearing a suit that looks so perfect on him it has to be custom made.

And that smile. God, that smile.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi."

He holds out his arms and I notice he has a box in his hands.

"I brought you something," he says, looking down at the box.

I'm not sure what to say. No one's ever brought me anything. Well, except Nicki.

"Um, thank you. What is it?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I looked up the recipe you suggested."

"Oh wow, really?" I know I'm grinning like an idiot, but I can't help it. Xander followed my recipe.

"I haven't actually tried it yet," he says, looking nervous.

I open the lid and find inside a slice of pumpkin spice cake with walnuts and a plastic fork.

"It smells delicious."

I pick up the fork and put it through the cake, feeling the soft texture.

Xander is staring at me, so I stop the fork halfway up to my mouth.

"What?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing. Please, do try it."

I do, and the cake is as soft as it looked when I put the fork through it. But...

"Oh no," he says. "It's awful, isn't it?"

I give him an apologetic grin. "How much salt did you put in it?"

He thinks for a moment. "What the recipe called for. A tablespoon?"

I chuckle. "Tsp means teaspoon. Did you also use salted butter?"

Xander sighs.

"Hey, it's not bad," I try to reassure.

"But it's not good either." He takes the box and fork from my hands and tries some of the cake. "Oh god, this is gross. I'm so sorry I made you try it. I should have tasted it before I cut a slice for you."

"No, don't worry, it happens. Do you still have some pumpkin left?"

"Yes, half of it."

"Then you can try it again, but this time with the correct amount of salt, and make sure you use unsalted butter if you're adding salt."

He stands up straight and puts his hand to his head in a salute. "Got it."