Page 58 of Sweets and Sycamores
Allie straightened at his words, her heart pounding ten times faster than three seconds ago. Dominic could be upset that she hadn’t helped him with the cake. He could also be referring to the tattoo remark, and the simple memory of Allie’s daring flirtation made her cheeks warm.
“I have…more than one.”
Why, Allie?
“Yes?” she asked, a little out of breath.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“What?” Allie blurted.Hemadeherfeel uncomfortable? Not the other way around? “You have not,” she added quickly, shaking her head. “I made you uncomfortable, didn’t I?”
“No.” Genuine surprise took over Dominic’s features. Allie chuckled.
“Then if neither of us is uncomfortable…are we… Are we fine?” Allie knew this approach was cowardly and avoiding the subject, but it was the safest bet if she were to stay here until Hallows Eve. With Dom.
Dominic looked her over just like he had done the night of the wedding, top to bottom, leaving a trail of heat crawling over her body. His frown softened just before he turned around and started for the path out of the forest.
“We’re…comfortable,” he muttered.
Chapter 22
WE’RE FRIENDS, RIGHT?
Dom and Allie fell back into their routine the next morning: she made coffee, turned on the ovens, and cleaned while he reviewed orders and prepared the kitchen for the day. Allie felt better about staying until Hallows Eve after the conversation last night. It wasn’t lost on her that they did not, in fact, set the record straight about what had happened at the wedding. However, she was more than happy to go with the “comfortable” Dom had defined at the end of that conversation. No reason to insist on hashing out a subject that could upturn this…comfort.
Now, the only thing left was to snuff out her crush as she did her fire. Allie should focus on helping Dominic, both with his mission and in the bakery, instead of dreaming of pulling her fingers through his chestnut hair.
She entered the kitchen with that in mind and put her hands on her hips.
“Teach me something new today.”
Dominic stood by the large table, sipping his coffee and flipping through the pages of his notebook. He looked at her over the rim of the coffee cup, a glimmer of amusement in his green eyes. The rich brown turtleneck he wore under the bakery’s apron made his eyes pop even more.
“All right.” He placed the cup on the table and gave Allie a look full of challenge. “Butter, sugar, yeast, salt, flour, and milk. Cold milk,” Dominic clarified, a corner of his mouth ticking up. A smile stretched her lips as she gathered the ingredients Dominic had rattled off. The morning she’d accidentally heated the milk seemed so far away, with her power now warm and calm in her chest.
Allie spread the ingredients on the table and frowned.
“Croissants?”
“Good.” Dominic looked through the end of his notebook and pushed it open to Allie. The quantities list was there, with no other instructions on the recipe. “Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then whisk the milk in bit by bit until the dough thickens. Hand me the butter.” Dominic rolled the sleeves of his sweater to his elbows in two smooth moves, revealing the dark ink of his tattoo. Her eyes rested on it, studying the intricate details of the branches, and how they wove around the muscle— “Allie?”
“Yes. Butter.” Allie did as instructed, embarrassed to be caught gawking. She had seen Dominic roll butter into sheets with extra care and skill dozens of times and was happy he didn’t deem her ready for that step.
Her focus went into the bowl in front of her, but there was movement around her, and the rolling pin kept coming into view. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the mixing task,knowinghow Dominic’s muscles strained when he used the rolling pin.
“Start kneading,” her boss said when the dough got too thick for the whisk. Allie raised her eyes to him and nodded. She sprinkled flour on the table and spilled the dough over it. Cautiously, she squished it in her hand, but unlike the times she’d watched Dominic knead dough, this one trickled through her fingers.
“I think I did something wrong.” Allie raised her hand, dough sliding off it.
“Nothing’s wrong. It needs more flour.” Her boss rounded the table and stood beside her, sprinkling flour over the dough. Dominic’s presence was distracting, with his clean cedarwood scent and his muscular arms right there in her face. “Try again.” She did, but had the same result. “Keep your fingers together and use the heel of your palm. Like this.”
Dominic kneaded the soft dough into a ball with skilled ease, but Allie’s eyes wandered from his fingers up to the arms flexing with the movement.
“Allie?” She shook her head and looked at him. Dominic paused and frowned, worry etching lines on his forehead. “You seem off. Is there something wrong with your power?” he asked, that worry seeping into his gruff voice.
Embarrassment heated her cheeks and neck, and her heart thudded in her ears.
Pull yourself together, Allie.
