Page 13 of Cakewalk
I nodded very seriously. That was when my sister pushed her way through the back door, holding a white open box. Inside were six cupcakes with the same pink frosting as Madison’s dearly departed cake. She set it on the counter. “How do these look?”
“Perfect,” Griffin said, then my sister rang him up. With the box of cupcakes secured in his hands, he thanked her and tilted his head in a nod at me before heading back out. I let out a breath, relieved to see him go.
Courtney watched him as he left, then turned to me and smiled mischievously. “He has a cute butt.”
I shot her a look. “You shouldn’t be checking guys out with your perfect husband and sweet little baby on the way.”
“I was checking him out foryou, silly. I think it’s about time you start dating again.”
I leaned my head back to let out an exaggerated groan. But she was right. It had been a long,longtime. I just wasn’t sure I was over what happened the last time I fell in love.
I shivered as I tried to forget it.
“I think he was checking you out too,” my sister mused, picking up the cleaning supplies again.
“Nuh uh.”
“He even nodded at you before he left. And he lingered, for just a moment, as if he wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay, now you’re imagining things,” I said. She was not.
“You know the pickings are slim around here. Want me to chase after him and get his number for you?” Courtney had a look in her eyes like she was just about ready to do it.
I quickly waved her off. “No, please! I already have it anyway.”
Courtney gasped. “What? You got his number while I was back there for two minutes?”
“I got it earlier.” I groaned. But then again, it would’ve been nice to get at least half of the truth out there. “I ran into him with your cake this morning. He’s the businessman I told you about. He gave me his number so he could set up the refund.”
“Wow.” Courtney pointed back at the cupcakes in the display, then at the door he had left from, and I could see that she was putting some things together. “That’s why he ordered strawberry cupcakes with pink frosting!”
“Yep,” I mumbled.
“He is totally sending you a message, Jade! You have to text him.”
“God, no.”
“Why not?”
“He’s, uh…” I gulped. “He’s also our new tenant for the apartment upstairs. I think it’d be extremely inappropriate for me to have any sort of relationship with him, given I’m basically his landlord. Speaking of which, I need the paperwork for the lease whenever you can dig that up.”
Courtney forgot all about her cleaning supplies as she firmly planted both hands on her hips. “Whenwere you planning on telling me all of this?”
Courtney clearly didn’t know how much worse it was. “Tonight. It sorta just happened all of a sudden, and—”
“You know that technicallyI’mhis landlord, since I’m the one on the lease, and the one who can sublet.”
“Yeah—”
“And I haven’t even decided on what would be a fair rent!”
“I told you when I quit that I’d take care of all of that for you. You’re already stressed enough. So please, Court, let me handle all of it. All the paperwork. And don’t worry about the rent. He’s paying a premium just for the convenience.”
“The convenience of what?”
“Of… Of being on Main Street, and living so close to such a great pastry shop.”
Courtney’s eyes narrowed on mine as she looked for any signs of weakness, but I managed not to flinch. Finally, she sighed and returned to cleaning off the display case. “Fine. I hate paperwork anyway. You can take a percentage, you know, if he really is paying a premium. Call it a finder’s fee. I know you could use the money, and this business is yours too.”
