Page 21 of Just Desserts

There was no reason to even be thinking about Myles, but before I could stop myself, flashes from our lunch at the hotel filled my head. The food was delicious, and Myles was excellent company. The first half of the meal I mostly listened in bemusement as Wes and Myles took turns telling embarrassing stories about each other.

I remembered what Wes was like at 18, almost like a puppy whose paws were too big for its size. He was all energy and bravado. I wondered what Myles was like back then. He had an assuredness about him now that gave him an aura of easy confidence.

Was he always like that? So steady and sure? They took turns trying to one up each other with details of their college shenanigans until our food arrived. Then we started to eat, andthe meal was better than I could have dreamed of.

I love food - it is one of the few things that gives me genuine joy. Usually when I wake up in the morning, one of my first thoughts iswhat should we have for dinner?It was my reward at the end of a long day, the carrot dangling at the end of the stick.

I loved everything about food; eating, cooking and sharing it. By the time Sully joined us I had already drunk his Guinness and was eyeing his steak after I had finished my poached salmon. It was delicious and I was technically full but his plate was sitting there looking so pretty and the food was getting cold...

Myles must have Spidey senses because while I was eyeing Sully's plate, Myles was sliding some of his steak and potato onto mine for me to try. It sent a flush of appreciation through me. Jonathan hated when I ate off people's plates, he said it was low class and indulgent. I, on the other hand, could never decide what I wanted to order and depended on my dinner guests to be open to sharing with me.

Without even having to ask, Myles noticed my interest in the steak and made sure I got to try it. He also went ahead and ordered a few desserts for the whole table to try. Wes had to go and ruin that moment by announcing it didn't matter how good their chef was there was no way they could outdo me when it came to desserts. I blushed furiously and shushed Wes.

"You bake?" Myles asked, genuine curiosity in his eyes.

"Ha! She has her own bakery over on Midland Ave. Everything she makes tastes fucking amazing. Maybe since I helped with this situation you can finally loop me in on the friends and family discount." I pretended to think about it seriously then shook my head in the negative.

"No way, you would eat me out of stock as soon as I allowed that. You pay full price like everyone else. Except your Mom... and your Dad..." I trailed off laughing at his frustrated face. I may give my Aunt and Uncle free baked goods but they always tipped twice the cost of what they bought so it didn't really count.

Myles was looking at me seriously though and peppered me with questions about the bakery. He seemed genuinely interested because despite my attempts to change the subject to something else he wouldn't be deterred. Lunch ended far too quickly in my opinion and all of a sudden it was time to leave.

I was gathering up my stuff, my giant purse and the leftovers Myles insisted I take home, as I heard Myles and Wes make plans to hang out again soon. I took the time to go over and thank Sully again and let him know he had an open invite to Sugar & Spice. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed anything at all. Much to his discomfort I hugged him again before coming face to face with Myles.

"So, is there an open invitation to your bakery for me as well?" That damn dimple popping out as he smiled boyishly.

"Of course!" I replied all too quickly, feeling my face flush with heat. Myles' smile grew bigger and he also reached out to give me his card with his cell phone number written on the back.

"Call me anytime - if you want a room here or need someone to kick Wes's ass, I'll come running." I believed him too.

There was a feeling in the back of my mind that if I called him to help change a lightbulb he would be at my apartment with bells on. It scared me. The attention was both overwhelming and incredibly comforting. He wasn't doing anything overtly sexual or romantic but in the brief time we had spent together he had already shown himself to be a different kind of manthan Jonathan is.

God, am I doomed to spend the rest of my life comparing everyone to Jonathan and Alyssa? Was I so jaded now that every interaction, the smallest sign of kindness deserved suspicion?

Confused and overloaded from the day the ride home was short and quiet - Wes ended up driving us both home since I wound up having more than just Sully's beer. That reminded me, I had to go back to the hotel today to get my car. I sighed, annoyed with the extra task but immediately had an idea that cheered me up.

Thank you treats! I had a feeling neither Sully or Myles were going to venture out to my shop soon, so what better way to thank them than to bring them some goodies when I go to pick up my car? With that thought in mind I texted Wes to guilt him into driving me around for the day then dragged myself out of bed finally.

I walked into the kitchen to start the coffee pot and stared around the mostly empty space. After deciding not to take anything from the old house, Aiden and Jen had taken me furniture shopping. Unsurprisingly I was incredibly overwhelmed and indecisive. We checked out a few shops but I hadn't decided on anything other than a mattress.

Over the last few weeks I had checked out several stores myself until I finally found a bed frame that called to me. It was at a local furniture shop where the owner and his son made all the pieces themselves. It was a beautiful sleigh bed, the wood stained a dark cherry. I had bought bright teal bedding that popped against the shiny wood. A white fluffy rug lay underneath so the cold floors didn't shock my feet when I hopped out of bed.

The bedroom was by no means finished but it was the room with the most stuff in it at the moment. It was taking me longer than I expected to figure out exactly what I wanted which brought me back to this moment

staring at the empty apartment. My Uncle Charlie insisted on taking me to find a couch and TV, claiming it was for when he and Wes came over.

I picked a large L shaped couch with a chaise attachment that was perfect for curling up to read on. The TV was all the boys though. It was huge and mounted on the wall across from the couch. It required two remotes and had more apps than I recognized on it. The rest of the room was woefully bare.

Well, maybe I'll check out some more stores for ideas this weekend. I chugged my coffee, both for warmth and caffeine then hopped into the shower. After drying my hair and throwing on my work uniform of stretchy jeans and a Sugar & Spice logo shirt, I texted Wes for a ride to the bakery.

I locked up the apartment and headed downstairs. I had grown to know my doorman Frank since I moved in and he was a total sweetheart. We usually spent time together in the morning. I would bring down a treat and he would tell me about the latest projects his wife Ellen had roped him into. They were a lovely couple.

He brought her to my shop on his day off. It filled my shriveled heart with joy to see the love radiating from the couple. They had been together 40 years and their adoration for each other was palpable. Now whenever Ellen stopped by the shop, I always made time to sit and have coffee with her.

I was chatting with Frank at the front desk when a series of honks sounded from outside the front door. I saw Wes banging on his wheel and rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. Frankseemed amused by it and gave me a pat on the hand as I said goodbye.

I hopped into Wes's truck and scolded him for making so much noise outside my building. After he patiently listened to my lecture, I let him know my plans to bring some baked goods over to Myles and Sully as a thank you.

"So do you think that's a good idea? Do you know what they would like or at least Myles?" I asked, turning to look at his face. I couldn't exactly read his expression at the moment which was curious, Wes was usually an open book.

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