Page 5 of Red, White, and You

“Now you tell me.” I unwrap my own cupcake, remembering the way her smile flatlined the second she saw it. “Her parents asked me to deliver a message, too. That went over about as well as you'd expect.”

“Let me guess—she told you where her parents could stick their business proposition?”

“Pretty much. I barely got two words out before she said ‘hard pass.’”

Joe grins. “That sounds like Gigi. She doesn’t beat around the bush when she’s made up her mind.”

I take a bite of the cupcake, and wow—it might just be the best thing I’ve tasted in my entire life. Rich, moist, and decadent. The kind of dessert that makes you forget you're supposed to care about macros.

“She’s... not what I expected.”

Complete understatement. The woman managed to insult me, dismiss me, and somehow make me want to come back for more in the span of ten minutes. I’ve never met anyone quite like her.

“Yeah? What were you expecting?”

Honestly? I’m not sure. But I definitely wasn’t expecting a frosting-covered firecracker with curves that could stop traffic.

“Someone less... fierce.”

“Fierce is a good word for Gigi.” Joe finishes his cupcake and eyes the crumbs like he’s considering licking the wrapper. “But don’t take it personally. She has her reasons for keeping her distance from anything Hart Health-related.”

“What’s the story there?”

Joe’s expression grows more serious. “I don’t know all the details—Ella’s pretty protective of Gigi’s privacy—but I remember some things from when we were kids. Gigi wasn’t allowed to eat sugar. Period. No Halloween candy, no birthday cake, no ice cream at parties.”

I frown. “No sugar at all?”

“Maybe fruit occasionally, but that was it. Her parents had her on this strict ‘clean eating’ plan from the time she could walk.” He shakes his head. “Can you imagine being eight years old and watching all your friends eat birthday cake that you can’t have?”

I picture her sitting at a brightly colored party table, watching other kids lick frosting off their fingers while she’s stuck munching on carrot sticks. “No wonder she rebelled.”

And no wonder her bakery feels the way it does—warm, joyful, unapologetic. It’s not just a business; it’s payback in frosting.

“Big time,” Joe says. “But she’s proven she doesn’t need their help—or their approval—to be successful.”

I find myself admiring that more than I should. Most people would cave under that kind of family pressure, especially when there’s a multi-million-dollar empire on the table. But Gigi carved out her own path and made it work.

“Can’t really blame her for not wanting to hear what they have to say,” I admit.

Joe raises an eyebrow. “Phoenix Wood, defending the woman who just turned down your corporate peacekeeping mission? That’s interesting.”

“I’m not defending anyone. I’m just saying I understand her position.”

“Uh-huh.” Joe’s grinning like he knows something I don’t. “Well, since you understand her so well, maybe you won’t kill me for what I’m about to ask of you.”

I narrow my eyes. “What did you do?”

“I may have volunteered you to help Gigi run her booth at the Independence Day festival.”

“Youwhat?” I set down my cupcake. “Joe, she threw me out of her bakery. Twice.”

“Exactly.” Joe claps me on the shoulder hard enough to rattle my teeth. “If Gigi really didn’t like you, she would’ve ignored you completely. The fact that she’s actively antagonizing you means you got under her skin.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing.”

“With Gigi? It’s thebestthing. Trust me, I’ve known her for years. She only bothers arguing with people she finds interesting.”

Interesting?I can work with that.

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