Page 26 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

She rang him up, and the guy left.

“That was intense,” Delilah said, looking over at Alexis.

“Yeah. I hope he doesn’t come back.”

“Maybe you should go to Hadley’s and see what they’re offering,” Delilah suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

At the end of the day, she decided to take Delilah up on her suggestion and hung up her apron. She dusted the flour off her hands. “I’m going over there to check it out.”

“Good luck.”

But she was covered in flour, and she felt disgusting, so she went upstairs to shower and get cleaned up. She donned a white polka-dotted shirt and a bright-green cardigan with a pair of dark skinny jeans. She slipped her feet into a pair of comfortable ballet flats and then did her hair and makeup. If she was going to Hadley’s, she wanted to look nice. After all, she never knew when she was going to run into a hot celebrity.

The weather was pleasant, so she walked across the street to Hadley’s. When she got there, she asked for seating for one. She was led right away to the bar where she ordered a glass of chardonnay. She sipped the wine and then looked to the bartender. “Can I get a dessert menu, please?”

“Sure, honey.” The older woman pulled out a small menu and placed it in front of Alexis.

She scanned the list of desserts and pastries. She saw a lavender-peach cake being offered. Anger swirled through her. Why would Owen approve of this being on his menu? Furious, she snapped a picture of the menu and texted it to Owen.

Alexis: Were you aware that you serve a lavender-peach cake at Hadley’s?

Owen: I wasn’t aware of that. Isn’t that something you offer at your bakery?

Alexis: Yes. I added it to my menu about a year ago.

Owen: Are you there right now?

Alexis: Yes.

Owen: Where are you?

Alexis: I’m at the bar.

A moment later, Owen emerged from the kitchen and took the seat next to her. The bartender took a look at him and raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Can I get whatever she’s drinking?” Owen asked and then turned to Alexis. “So, Vincent really is copying your recipes.”

“You didn’t approve this?”

Owen shook his head. “I knew nothing about it. The manager must have approved it.”

“That makes sense.”

“I’ll talk to him. And to Vincent. I don’t know why he’s been sniffing around at your bakery.”

Alexis’s heart warmed in her chest. “It’s sweet of you to care.”

“I do care. I’m not here to run your business into the ground.”

“I appreciate that.” She gazed into his eyes and took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Owen.” He really was a better guy than she was giving him credit for. “I feel like I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“I’ve been rude and suspicious of you. Now I see that you never deserved that. You’ve been good to me. I’m sorry for the way I treated you.”

“Thank you for the apology. I’m glad you see that I’m not trying to hurt you.” Owen smiled at her. “I’ll ask the manager to take the lavender-peach cake off the menu.”

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