Page 66 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

Without saying another word, I did my injection on the spot, ignoring Mike’s repulsed looks, then finished my lunch in record time.

Alec had been wrong: Mike Chang wasn’t only after a good time.

But he was, most definitely, one of the most unpleasant men I’d ever met.

The minute lunch was over, I deleted Mike’s number, turned my phone off, and buried myself with work.

After I changed my pump site, I called a friend of Jenna’s who was looking for work. I only had the budget to hire one person right now, and she was so bubbly and nice, I decided to hire her at the end of our call. Then I ordered boxes, paper bags, and stickers with the new bakery name. I’d finally settled on Twisted Sweets, because it perfectly described the concept I was going for. I also signed up for every social media account in existence and posted teasers across all the platforms: photos of some freshly baked croissants and cinnamon scrolls; a buy one, get one free offer for the first opening week; and a short video on how to frost cupcakes.

I spent the afternoon testing low-carb donut recipes with my new oven, experimenting with different fillings. By the time the donuts were cooling on the rack, I’d added three flavors to my menu rotation: cinnamon sugar donut, blueberry cheesecake donut, and my personal favorite, the chocolate hazelnut donut. Before I knew it, it was almost six, and I was turning off the lights when a knock at the door startled me.

“Good. You’re still here.” Alec pushed the door open and strolled in. “I’ve been trying to reach you. You haven’t replied to any of my messages.”

“Oh, hey. I turned my phone off.” I reached into my pocket and switched it back on. There were three new messages from him, the last one an hour ago, saying he was coming to pick me up. “I’ve been swamped with work. And obviously not dressed for a corporate shindig.” I pointed at my T-shirt and old jeans, covered in flour and blueberry stains. “Just tell Jacqui I’m unwell. Give her my regards, will you?”

“We’ll swing by the house so you can change. We just need to show up, chat with her, and shake some hands. It won’t take too long. One hour, tops.”

“The last time you said something similar, we ended up staying there for three hours, and you were intoxicated.” I locked the door as The Kiss That Never Happened suddenly flashed back in clear, vivid images, and I mentally stomped on the memory with a fierceness that could have eradicated whole civilizations.

“That won’t happen again. We’re so close to signing the deal. This will be one of the last things you’ll have to do. I promise.”

After the horrible lunch with Mike, I wasn’t in the mood to socialize and play fake loving couples for Jacqui. But he was right—we were almost at the finish line, and I couldn’t jeopardize this for him.

“Fine. No more than one hour.”

“Awesome.” A big grin split his face, the dimple winking at me, and suddenly the thought of having to endure polite fake chats with Jacqui was worth it. He unlocked his car with a beep and opened the passenger door for me. “Might be easier if we leave your car. I can drop you off here tomorrow morning.”

I paused. “Will I have to listen to your God-awful podcasts again?”

“I only play construction podcasts in the mornings. I listen to history podcasts at night. Halfway through the history of Byzantium right now.”

My eyes widened.

“Did you know the Byzantines loved sweets and desserts more than anything, and they were the first to use saffron in their cooking? So fascinating.”

“Hell no.” I slammed the door shut, nearly dismembering his fingers. “I’m not getting in your car if I have to listen to history podcasts. No offense to history enthusiasts, but that was one of my worst subjects in school, so I’m steering clear of it for the restof my life. Not even if you threatened to tor—” I stopped at his amused look. “Listen, I’m nothing if not generous, so I’m willing to compromise. No history podcast, but we can listen to one of your construction ones on the way there. And we’re putting on my playlist on the way back.”

“I was kidding.” Alec chuckled. “You should see the horrified look on your face. I wish I had taken a picture.”

I could still hear his amused chuckles even after he’d closed my door, sending warm fuzzy butterflies swarming through my stomach.

Leaving me to wonder how I’d survive the next few hours.

CHAPTER 19Descending into Madness and Hell in 3… 2… 1

Halfway through the drive to Seattle, and my mind was blown.

“You know, these construction podcasts aren’t so bad after all. Who would’ve thought?”

Alec was concentrating on the road, but he had a small smile on his lips. “Told you.”

“What this guy is talking about can be applied across any industry.” I paused to catch the end of the episode we’d been listening to. “I mean, of course I knew the importance of innovation, but what really resonated with me was when he said that business owners need to have a specific innovation plan and strategy in place. I’d never thought of that.”

“We have one. Rob and I worked on it not too long ago.”

“I’ll have to prepare one for the bakery. I’m going to share this with Kim, too, for her yarn store. Is Rob coming tonight?”

Alec nodded. “He left before us, so he should be there by now.”

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