Page 12 of Sweet Temptation
“So... Want to tell me what’s going on?”
I look across the island at Brea adding sugar to her already sweet coffee and snatch away the cream I know she’s reaching for next. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Lexicon. I know how smart you are. You’ve been quiet all day. You are a lot of things, Lex. Quiet isn’t one of them. You’ve been home for what... twenty-four hours? You’re already out of your parents’ house. At least one of your roommates is hot. How bad can it be?”
“The one you think is hot is my brother.” I give in and shove the cream her way and grab my oven mitts as the timer goes off behind me. “I guess I’m not sure what’s bugging me. I can’t quite place the unsettled feeling.”
She shrugs and pours way too much cream into her mug. “The other one is my cousin. So of course, Linc is the hot one. Eww.”
“Because I am the hot one,” Linc agrees as he and Lucky walk into the kitchen, the last of my furniture and bags moved in and unpacked earlier in the day. “Now, what smells so good?”
Saved by the obnoxious brother.
I guess it’s better than a bell.
“You know you don’t live here, right?” Lucky plucks a cookie off the piping-hot tray and winces as it burns his tongue. “Damn. This is good, Lex.”
“Thanks. I wanted to drop some off at Jamie and Ryker’s place as a thank you for helping me today.”
“Chew with your mouth closed,” Brea snaps and smacks his hand when he goes back for a second cookie. “And I’m aware I don’t live here, you ass. Because you fuckers all think your parents are so strict, but none of them hold a candle to mine.”
“Sucks to be you, princess.” Lucky darts around her and manages to snag another cookie before he winks at me. “What are you guys doing for dinner?”
Linc opens the fridge and pulls out a tray of chicken. “Uhh... am I supposed to be grilling this?”
My brothers are such good guys, but sometimes I swear they’re a little slow.
I take the tray from his hands and head for the back door. “Nope. I am.”
LEXIE
She’s meant for a love that lasts forever.
And that’s the cruelest part... She doesn’t have forever to give.
—Lexie’s Secret Thoughts
There’s nothing quite like the smell of Sweet Temptations. Long before my first shift here, it was my favorite shop on Main Street, not that I ever told Mom that.
Amelia Beneventi’s cupcakes are a work of art, and as a little girl, I used to think they were too pretty to eat. Brightly colored, with beautiful toppings that make your mouth water, or pretty pastels that look as delicate as cotton candy, it didn’t matter which, they were all gorgeous, and I could never pick one. Not that I didn’t pick something. I was a kid with a sweet tooth. I typically went with a chocolate chip cookie and called it a daywhile my brothers fought over what cupcakes were going to fill the box Mom was ordering.
As I got older, this place became a safe haven for me. My mom and Brea’s mom own the couture lingerie line, Le Désir, and their flagship store is next to Sweet Temptations. This meant plenty of time doing homework in Mom’s shop while the boys were at whatever sports practice they had that week. You name it, they played it. Eventually, I’d slip out of Le Désir and into my favorite dark purple velvet booth next door, my book bag slung over my shoulder, and my MacBook tucked under my arm as I perused the bakery case.
Eventually, Amelia started letting me taste test whatever recipe she was playing with that week. By the time high school rolled around, taste testing had transitioned into working a few hours a week in my own little slice of heaven, and so my love of baking was born.
Cooking is done on instinct.
You don’t need to measure your ingredients as much as you need to feel them and give it a try. That doesn’t work for me. I’m more of a black and white girl.
I like chemistry, and baking is pure chemistry combined with beautiful artistry.
I like knowing there is a tried-and-true equation behind your favorite cake recipe.
A very specific amount of baking soda added to a measured or weighed amount of flour, and you’ve got yourself the basis of a cake. Well... that and a handful of other ingredients. But the point is, once you know what you’re doing... Once you know that two cups plus two teaspoons mixed with a dash of this and a pinch of that, sifted, mixed and baked for a set time will equal something mouthwatering, you know the basics and can play with the rest.
And playing is when it gets fun.
Creating a new recipe lets me feel like a mad scientist for a few hours.
