Mostly because it had been Jocelyn’s idea, and if she wanted to sell these cupcakes, then she should do it herself. She didn’t have to give this idea to Zoe.
Though Grant needed to check with Cam on that. Did Jocelyn have a contract with Zoe that would prevent her from baking for profit outside of the bakery? If Zoe didn’t have a contract like that, she maybe should. But he wouldn’t be the one suggesting that now because he was absolutely Team Jocelyn.
Which meant he probably shouldn’t bring it up with Zoe’s brother, who might mention the idea to her.
Dammit. This little town and this group of people was so intertwined, everything got complicated very easily.
“Oh, they should absolutely do this,” Ollie said. “And if you think I wouldn’t send each of you cherry-cream-filled pussy cupcakes on your birthdays, you are crazy.”
“Pussy cakes for everyone,” Dax agreed.
“Um…”
They all swung toward the feminine voice.
Whitney Lancaster, their VP of Marketing and Sales, the granddaughter of the Hot Cakes founders, and Camden McCaffery’s ex, was standing in the doorway.
6
“I can come back later,” Whitney said, looking very much like she would love to turn around and leave, in fact.
Aiden sighed. “No. You’re right on time. Come on in.”
“You could have warned us, Piper!” Ollie called out. “Or her!”
“No way! This is way more fun!” Piper called back from her desk.
“Sorry,” Aiden said to Whitney, rising, and rounding the desk.
Whitney cast a glance toward Cam but then gave Aiden a smile. “Guess I’m not used to the changes around here yet. My dad doesn’t have much of a sense of humor.”
Cam snorted at that and Grant looked over at him. His eyes fixed on Whitney.
“Hey, Whitney,” Dax greeted as he popped up from his chair, offering it to her while he propped himself on the corner of Aiden’s desk.
“Hi, Dax.” She gave him a smile as she accepted the seat. “Hi, Ollie.”
“’Mornin’, Boss,” Ollie greeted.
She actually laughed lightly at that. “I told you before that nickname wasn’t going to stick.”
Ollie grinned. “Trust me. After you tell them all your new idea, it will. You should definitely be the one in charge around here.”
Grant agreed. Whitney had grown up in the company and had been officially the VP of Marketing and Sales for the past ten years but functioned very much like a CEO. Her grandparents had started the company. The idea and recipes and original baking had all been her grandmother’s, but her grandfather, Dean, had been the one to truly grow it into the national brand that it was today. Whitney’s father, Eric, had taken over after Dean retired, but Eric had never been enthusiastic about Hot Cakes and had focused his attention and time on growing another food brand based out of Dallas. Whitney had stepped up and taken the reins at Hot Cakes even though her father had never given her a change in title.
Grant and the guys were fortunate that she’d been willing to stay on when they’d taken over. What they lacked in knowledge about, well, everything having to do with running a commercial snack cake factory and business line, Whitney had been able to help with.
If it hadn’t been for her past with Cam, they would have likely already offered her a partnership. As it was, they were happy to have her in charge of marketing and sales for them as well, with a hefty salary, and wait for the dust to settle a little before they made any huge changes.
Of course, that meant that Cam was Whitney’s boss now.
One of them anyway.
“What new idea?”
On cue, Cam spoke up. He stretched to his feet and approached Aiden’s desk and the chairs in front of it. He stayed off to one side, near the potted tree by the bookcase, but he was intent on the meeting suddenly. He had his arms crossed and seemed unable to stop looking at Whitney.
Whitney, on the other hand, seemed determined to not look in his direction.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t seen each other. Every time Cam was in town it seemed they ran into each other. Always unintentionally. Though sometimes literally. Like when he’d almost hit her in the crosswalk at Christmastime, causing her to drop her box of cookies and bag of panties all over Main Street. And then had to help her gather those panties up off the icy pavement.
Grant was sure that interaction had stayed with them both.
“New product,” Ollie said. “Whitney thinks we need something new to