Page 70 of Cupcake of the Month
“Yes, something definitely happened.” She cleared her throat. “I know you create dishes when you work with Barb, and you have some leeway to do that here, too. But Aunt Eulalee told you specifically which of her recipes you needed to precisely follow and which you could embellish.”
“Yes.” He had followed every ingredient, every measurement, down to the last letter.
“They asked for southern, but they got New York cuisine. Wine sauce with the tomatoes and okra? Who does that? And if you were going to cook with alcohol, you should have made it the house whiskey. And the macaroni and cheese with truffle oil and shaved Parmesan?” Her mouth crooked into a rueful smile. “I tried that, actually. Very tasty, but not what had been agreed upon.”
Truffle oil? Shaved cheese? “The recipe calls for cheddar. Basic, normal cheddar.”
“Exactly. And yet, there it was.” Her tapping pencil picked up its pace. “And the meatloaf gravy had four different types of mushrooms. I didn’t even know there were four different types of mushrooms.”
He hadn’t made the damn gravy. “That wasn’t part of my prep. You know that, you did the scheduling.”
“I know. Anthon did not escape this conversation either.” She took a deep breath. “I also know that what should have been an afternoon of celebration and camaraderie turned into three hours of Benadryl and a whole lot of yelling.”
Son of a bitch. All the times in the past eight years when he had to hold his temper or lose his job flashed through his mind. He clenched his jaw before forcing himself to calm down. “Do you really think I’d sabotage an event like that?”
“I didn’t think anyone here would, but somehow, this disaster still happened.” She gave her ponytail a hard yank.
He pressed his lips together to keep his annoyance in check. He’d never been anything but professional with her, but she could fire him over this. “I don’t boast about a secret agent culinary degree or insult generations of Clayton cooking whenever I take out a recipe card, Wendy.”
“If you didn’t do this, then I’m sorry for needing to have this conversation. But it’s necessary to make sure everyone is on the same page.” Her voice remained calm and sure. “And if it was you, don’t pull anything like that again.”
He took a deep breath. The vote of no confidence shook him more than he cared to admit. “I love working here, Wendy. It’s more than a job.”
It was a family he watched from the outside. Where egos were checked and love and support flowed freely. He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.
She stared at him for a long while, then gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll see you in the kitchen tomorrow.”
It was a statement, but it deserved an answer. “I’ll be there.”
She nodded, slid off the stool and posted the evening menu on the door, and left him alone with thoughts of skewering and frying in hot oil. And not necessarily the food.
When he had sufficiently calmed down, he picked up his backpack, and headed to the stables.
Jordan hugged him with her whole body when he walked in, as if she’d anticipated this moment. He dropped his pack, grateful she didn’t want to talk. Holding the vibrant woman in his arms after years of imagining it was a balm for his soul.
Finally he stepped back from the embrace and smoothed her hair away from her face. “Did you know?”
She didn’t pretend to not understand. “I suspected after I overheard Wendy’s conversation with Anthon last night. And she had asked us to leave the room to her after breakfast. Of course it wasn’t you.”
He closed his eyes and breathed deep, letting her scent overtake the breakfast smells that lingered on his clothes. Her unquestioning belief in him was a drug that gave him a rush of euphoria, leaving him carefree and weightless.
Suddenly nothing else mattered but the woman in his arms. Not his parents, not being reamed out by Wendy, not his shitty life. He let himself be free for one sweet moment where she was the only thing in his world.
“God, I missed you.” He nuzzled her neck, then gently nipped her ear. Her hands curled through his hair, pebbling his skin.
His heart thudded in his chest, echoing around him.
Because he was in love.
Hoo boy.
He closed his eyes and reveled in the messy emotion and all that came with it, the joy, the pleasure, the passion. The fear, the vulnerability, the pain.
He took a step away from her, unable to accept it. He’d never be able to give Jordan everything she deserved.
***
Josh’s hungry touch had sent a trail of fire over Jordan’s skin, a demand she felt in her blood with every heartbeat. All she wanted was him, filling her senses, her thoughts. Filling her.
