Page 49 of Off-Limits Love
He inhaled, because once the offer was out there, he couldn’t take it back. “You’d be sure…t-to pass…inspection. If you used…the k-kitchen. In the p-party barn.”
Mak sucked in a breath and blinked at him, and Sam looked as though he wanted to hop out of his chair and dance a jig at the thought of Mak’s dream being one step closer to coming true.
“You’d let me do that?”
He stared into Mak’s surprised expression and wondered if every offer her ex had made had come with a catch or condition. “Yes.”
“Finn, that’s an amazing offer, but it’s a huge commitment. I mean, I wouldn’t want to keep someone from booking the venue because I’m in the kitchen.”
“Don’t be silly. A schedule would fix that,” Sam interjected with a wave of his hand. “Right, Finn?”
He nodded. “Usually empty M-Monday… to Thursday. S-some evening parties.”
“So she could bake during the days while Emi’s at school or playing where she could watch her. Mak could work with that,” Sam said on her behalf.
“Sam, slow down,” Mak said, sliding Finn another questioning glance.
“Why? That’d be perfect for you. You could start baking soon as you get the go ahead and build up your business right now. You’d have your own bakery in no time.”
Sam’s voice thickened, and his gaze got misty, once again revealing his fear that he wouldn’t be around to see that happen.
Determination filled Finn like a live electric line. He might have hesitated if he hadn’t sampled Mak’s delicious creations, but he knew what she was capable of. She was amazing. And what she didn’t know about business, she could learn.
It was a big risk and a lot of work in the time frame surrounding Sam’s health, but Mak obviously had the talent, and he and his brothers—and sisters-in-law—had the know-how.
Mak split her attention between the two of them, looking shellshocked but excited and hopeful too.
“This calls for a celebration,” Sam said, slapping his hands against the arms of his rocker before getting to his feet. “And I’ve got just the thing now that Mak made a trip to the store today.”
Mak watched as Sam headed for the house, leaving them alone. Then Finn felt Mak’s unwavering stare on him.
“I…don’t know what to say. Thank you isn’t enough,” she said softly.
“It is.”
The way she looked at him… Finn felt the kick of her gorgeous gaze all the way to his soul.
“Finn… At the party. After…”
She wrapped her arms around her front, her eyelashes fluttering a bit as she looked at him.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that you need to be sure about this. If I take you up on the offer to use the kitchen… That’s a professional relationship that—that comes with boundaries.”
He saw the question etched in every line of her beautiful face. Could he be her friend? Nothing more?
“A bakery would be my future—and Emi’s. And that’s something I can’t jeopardize. I won’t. Plus, there’s Emi to consider, too. I don’t want Emi to get attached to someone if… Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He hadn’t factored in how dating might impact her daughter in a negative way. He wouldn’t admit it to Hud, but his brother had been right that Mak was a protective mama first. As she should be.
But she was also the loving niece of a dying man who would need more attention and care with every day that passed, and that would take a toll on her as well.
Sam’s news had gutted him, and Finn still tried to process it. The burdens Mak carried had to weigh heavily on her. Yet she shouldered them alone, and he hated that for her more than anything. He wanted to be there for her. “What ab-bout y-you?”
He winced at his blunders and saw her face squinch up a bit as though she was going to fuss at him for giving the mistakes weight.
“What about me?”
“Y-you h-help them," he said carefully. “Wh-who h-helps you?”
