Page 65 of Riding the Sugar High

“Well, that’s...unconventional,” Josie says, dragging me back into the moment. “But beautiful. Really.”

Logan seems to wake up from a similar trance, and clearing his throat, he focuses on Sadie. “Yeah. I knew then and there that she was special. And I tried to run away from it, because...because I was scared, I guess. But, uh...I’m glad I didn’t manage.” He playfully pulls at her braids, then meets my gaze. “I’m glad we ended up here, Dumpling.”

Everyone has stopped eating but Sadie, and she’s too focused on her piece of pita bread to make any noise, so silence spreads like a thick blanket around us.

Does he mean all of that?

He looked sincere, but that stupid nickname he threw in is making me doubt the whole thing. Maybe he’s just saying all of this because Josie is here—in fact, he probably is, and I just can’t tell the difference between a heartfelt speech and a bald-faced lie.

This is a great chance for us to convince her we’re madly in love. Let’s take it home.

Thinking of the words he said before we came in, I decide it doesn’t mean anything and resume eating. “So am I, Sweety-pie.”

stand up for us

Primrose

“I’d liketo point out that, just like dinner, the dessert was made by Aaron,” Josie says as she sets a chocolate cake at the center of the table. “I imagine it’s hard to impress you when it comes to sweets.”

“Please,” I reassure her. “People think that because I make candy, I must be an excellent baker, and they’re as wrong as it gets.”

“How does one get into candy making?” she asks as she cuts the first slice.

“I started out in high-school and fell in love with it. Friends were always asking me to teach them, so I eventually opened a social media account and, well...the rest is history.”

“So you can make anything?”

I take the plate she gives me with a grateful smile, then hand her Logan’s. “I’m pretty sure I’ve made every single candy you can think of—and came up with plenty of my own too. Kale candy canes, cinnamon bun jaw crushers, bacon gummies, chili pepper?—”

“Baconcandy?”

Logan’s horrified gaze reminds me that I probably should have left that one out. The man lives with pigs. “Uh, yeah. One of my best sellers, actually.”

His mouth widens. He blinks. He scoffs.

Then, before he can say anything, Aaron mumbles, “What’s wrong with bacon? It’s yummy. Right, Sadie?”

“Love bacon!” she says excitedly.

“Aaron,” Josie scolds before addressing Logan. “Don’t engage. He had a bad week at work, and he’s in a horrible mood.”

“Is he?” Logan’s gaze settles on his brother. “Didn’t know the most boring job in the world came with problems.”

“Plenty of problems. Thing is, I’m strong enough to face them.” With a fake grin on his lips, Aaron sips his drink. “On account of all the protein I eat.”

“I eat protein too, ignorant...” Logan covers Sadie’s ears. “Jackass.”

“Guys,” Josie tries to intervene, and as she cuts another slice of cake, my head bobs from one brother to the other. What the hell happened? We almost made it through the whole dinner without hiccups.

“Oh, give me a break. You and this damn veganism.”

“What about me and veganism?”

Aaron smirks bitterly, and with my eyes ping-ponging between the two brothers, I swallow hard.

“If being a vegan was so important to you,” Aaron hisses as he points his finger at the table, “then why did you take the farm, huh? Farms aren’t vegan. When you decided to turn Mom’s business into whatyouwanted, did you even think about everyone else?”

Josie meets my gaze as she smiles sadly, resignedly—as if it isn’t the first time this has happened, and won’t be the last. She stands and grabs Sadie off Logan’s lap.

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