Page 42 of The Bright Side of Brooding
I blinked and bought time by taking a sip of water from my bottle. Did I trust him? I guessed I did, at least on some level. I had no reason to suspect he’d do anything to harm me, and the fact that the others seemed to know what this was and were excited for me to go do it…okay then. I could play along. I could pretend like an unplanned thing on my to-do list that I didn’t see coming was completely fine and I welcomed the adventure.Suuure.
“Okay.”
He nodded and gave me a card with an address on it. “Cabbie knows where you’re going, but just in case. Call me if you have any problems, and see you in a few hours.”
Someone shoved my purse in my hands, and then off I went, walking through the halls, down the stairs, out the exit to find the black cab waiting.
“Applegate?”
I nodded, and he opened the door for me, then jogged around to his seat. I got the impression he didn’t normally exit the vehicle, but the sun was out, and maybe he’d been waiting for a while. Inside, he confirmed the address Nick had provided and then pulled onto the road.
I didn’t know quite what to feel as the streets slipped by. I’d visited London before and done most of the must-do touristy things—saw the landmarks, visited the Abbey, took a tour of the Tower of London, saw the changing of the guards at the palace. I liked getting those classics out of the way in favor of the less obvious things, and tomorrow afternoon, we’d have a little time for that.
For that matter, I’d planned on some sightseeing this evening, maybe in conjunction with a dinner out, but who knew where this little journey would take me, or for how long.
Twenty minutes after leaving the event center, we pulled up alongside a nondescript-looking building to a side door. Good thing I trusted Nick, because otherwise, I might suspect I was about to get murdered here in the warehouse district of London.
I exited the cab, thanked the man, and was just about to knock on the only door in sight when it swung open. “Ms. Applegate?”
My eyes widened and my confirmation stuck in my throat. I nodded instead so I wouldn’t seem like a total dunce.
“Great to meet you. I’m Paul. Come join us. We’re just getting started.”
Still unable to speak, I nodded again and followed, total confusion and glee and starstruck wonder bursting in my belly. I, like so many, loved a certain British baking show, and here was one of the famed judges. I’d just shaken his hand… the hands that’d shaped a thousand beautiful bread loaves. Andwow, he was handsome on TV, but in person, he looked even more like a silver fox. And yep, there were those glacial blues. Whoa.
What the heck is happening?I
I followed behind the man, still struggling to comprehend what was going on. Through a hallway, we entered a large room that looked very much like the set of the show itself. Twelve butcher-block covered work stations outfitted with KitchenAid mixers and crocks of utensils sat waiting, each occupied except one at the front right of the room. My spot.
A bolt of pure excitement shot through me.
“I’m sorry I’m a little late. My friends signed me up for this, and I didn’t know about it until you opened the door.” If I sounded a little breathless, I couldn’t be blamed. The man was a legend, a TV star now, and I was about to take a class from him.
“Not at all. Find your spot, and we’ll get on with it.” He gestured to the empty station, and I quickly took my place.
He centered himself at the front of the space and clapped his hands together. “So, everyone ready?”
Heck yes, we are!I stopped short of cheering, but the glee had to have been showing on my face. I knew I was beaming, just like everyone else there. And while the bulk of that joy came from being here and having this opportunity, there was one more source. I’d felt it bubbling up with the curiosity and excitement from the moment he’d sent me out to the car. And now, he’d clinched it.
Nick had set this up for me.He knows me.
Truly reveling in that reality right now would take away from the incredible experience, so I wouldn’t. But tonight—tonight, I would let myself simmer in the reality that a man I only barely knew had done something like this for me. A man whom I wanted to know me even more, and who I hoped would, very soon.
