Page 101 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

Love.

You.

CHAPTER 30It All Ended with a Grand Romantic Gesture

For the next few days, I ignored the envelope, giving it a permanent home inside my desk drawer instead. I avoided it as if it might trigger an unseen bomb, detonating and obliterating the bakery, the neighboring shops, and even the nearby Port Benedict Plaza.

Carmel got in touch to place a new order for Jacqui’s party. It was the same varieties and quantities as their first one, with a few hundred extra mini cupcakes to be boxed up as party favors. With only a week to finish the order, my new routine was leaving home at crack-of-dawn o’clock and coming back past midnight.

By some miracle, we managed to finish everything in time. It was an hour before I was supposed to deliver them to Jacqui’s mansion, and I had been rushing to load the boxes of baked goods in the CR-V when the door to Kim’s shop opened and she strolled out.

“Hey. You need any help?”

“Thanks, but I’m nearly done.” I stacked the last two boxes and closed the car door.

Kim raised her eyebrows at me. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

I glanced down at my pair of faded black jeans and old blue-and-white stripy top. “Yes. Something wrong with it?”

“Not if you’re going for a walk on the beach. But massively inappropriate if you’re a guest at a property tycoon’s party.”

“I’m not invited. Well, I was, but after all that’s happened, I’m sure she doesn’t really want me there. I’ll just deliver the cakes, find her to say hi, and then go.”

Kim wrinkled her nose. “Still. That’s not how you dress to go to a party of the rich and famous, even if you’re just delivering an order. You should know that, of all people. What if you run into Alec there?”

Hearing his name sliced my heart into tiny little pieces.

Kim must have noticed the look on my face, because she sighed. “Seriously? You still haven’t opened his envelope?”

“No.”

She gave me a shrewd look. “Because you don’t want to? Or because you’re afraid?”

“Afraid? What should I be afraid of?”

Kim folded her arms. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re madly in love with him, and you’re afraid that whatever’s in that envelope will prove he isn’t the bad guy you’re making him out to be. Then you’ll have no choice but to find him, to kiss and make up. But of course, you’re terrified that he’s going to hurt you again.”

“Nope. Couldn’t be further from the truth.”

She gave me a smug smile. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Then her expression turned serious. “Ellie, I wouldn’t be saying this if you weren’t my friend. But for the love of all that is holy, open the envelope and give the man a call, will you? You’ve been so mopey and cranky, and I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with your blood glucose levels.”

“How do you know? It might.” My tone was defensive.

She gave me a look that said,I wasn’t born yesterday.

“Fine. I’ll think about it. But no promises.”

“That’s what you said two days ago, and two days before that. I’m going to ask you again in another two days, and if youstillhaven’t done anything by then, I swear to God I’m going to rip the envelope open myself, then lock you in a room with it until you tell me you’ve read and memorized every single word.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned and started back toward the bakery. “I have to run. See you when I get back.”

Kim only shouted at me, “Open the damn envelope!”

Glancing at my watch, I realized I only had forty-five minutes left before the agreed delivery time. I hurried inside, grabbing the paperwork I needed, and quickly rifled through it to make sure I had everything. Tugging my desk drawer open, I rummaged inside to find a pen and saw Alec’s white envelope.

Kim’s words echoed in my brain, egging me on.

I made a swift decision right then and there to read it, even if just to tell her I’d done what she’d asked me to do. Then his letter was going straight into the trash bin. I tore the envelope open and pulled out the folded pages.

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