Page 38 of Meet Me at the Fudge Shop

No, what bothered him had been the strange, almost defeated expression on her face.

He shouldn’t have noticed. But she was hard to miss in that crazy floral skirt and bright blue tank top. Of course it made her blue eyes only that much bluer.

And all evening, as he’d chatted with new business owners, Declan had watched her shoulders get lower and lower.

Aw, he definitely shouldn’t have left the Business Association mixer.

Now he stood outside the closed fudge shop, leaning his forehead against the front door—hand hovering over the doorknob.

He’d expected her to come back when Dani’s meeting had started. But she never did.

And he knew where she’d go, of course.

When Lily was upset, she created.

When Lily was happy, she created too.

At least, the old Lily had. And while they’d both grown up, Declan hoped that was something about her that would never change.

So he’d slipped out of his chair beside Dad, claiming a stomachache. Not exactly a lie, since the fact he was here, about to check on the one person who could destroy him, was indeed causing him great intestinal distress.

Okay. Get in, check on her, get out.

Declan twisted the knob and it gave way.Come on, Lil. At least lock it behind you.

Grunts, thumps, and exclamations spilled out from the kitchen.

Closing the door behind him, he popped the deadbolt in place and headed for the kitchen. What state would he find it in? To his knowledge, he’d been the last one to use it—after his latest failed attempt at making fudge—but Hurricane Lily never took long to leave a mess in her wake.

When he eased open the kitchen door, his eyebrows rose at the sight of Lily, her back to him, leaning over the counter, nose deep in a manual while a large, unfamiliar stainless steel appliance sat on the counter beside her.

As he approached, the door squeaked and Lily jumped, whirling, hand to her chest. “Wha?—?”

“It’s just me.” He held up his hands. “But I do see you’re unarmed.”

“Haha. Funny man.” Lily rubbed her nose, which was slightly red. Had she been crying? Yep, her eyes were puffy.

He stifled the crazy urge to reach out?—

Stop.

If he knew what was good for him, he’d turn around. Sprint out of the shop.

Instead, he loosened his tie and tugged off his jacket. “So, you do know there’s a party going on up the road.”

She shrugged. Then turned back to her manual.

Ho-kay. Clearly she wasn’t going to let him in on whatever made her flee the event.

And now that he knew she was okay, he should go back to the mixer. Hear all the details about the upcoming festival, all the ways he could use it to his advantage as a business owner.

His eyes caught on a few dirty bowls and utensils in the sink, traveling to some dripped cream or milk on the counter beside it. And then they snagged on the top header of the page where Lily ran her finger along some words, gaze intense. “You’re making ice cream?”

She sighed. “Trying. But this thing isn’t working.”

“You do know this is afudgeshop, right?” Declan looked over her shoulder at the manual.

Wrong move, because she smelled sweet—vanilla, maybe? And some sort of floral scent.

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