gentleman and carry these cupcakes for the lady while she pays.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mike said, walking into the shop. Two large boxes sat on the counter, and Mike picked them up, light as pillows, before looking at Rori. “See you at the car?”
Rori nodded.
Wendy held the door for Mike. “Tell your mother hi.”
“Will do,” he said and gave her one last smile before continuing to the car.
When Wendy let the door shut, she leveled an uncharacteristically shrewd gaze on Rori.
Uh-oh. The woman was going to say something awkward.
“Is he always that nice?” Rori blurted, hoping to distract the woman.
“Always,” Wendy said without hesitation. “Known that boy since he was twelve. They don’t come any better.”
Great. That was just great. “How much do I owe you?”
Wendy held up the bag of peppers. “Are you kidding me? A great idea and the ingredients? This one’s on the house, as long as you take note to treat that boy right. Don’t just take when he gives, even though he’ll let you. Give back to that boy. He deserves it.”
Rori glanced at Mike’s retreating form, curious despite herself. “Is that his fatal flaw? He lets women take advantage of him?”
“And then some,” Wendy said on a huff. “He has a hard time saying no. And guys who like to give will always be able to find girls who like to take, so if that’s you then you can take a walk now and just save yourself some time. His sister has gotten to be pretty effective at clearing away the leeches.”
The open challenge in Wendy’s tone got a raised eyebrow out of Rori. The town baker was protective of Luke’s best buddy? Fascinating.
“Note taken,” Rori said. “And that said, I really would like to pay. Money is not something I’m short on.”
“This time it’s a gift,” Wendy said easily, holding up the peppers. “Pay Mike back for these if you want, but I consider it a fair trade.”
Rori gave a slow nod.
“Oh, and what did you think about the croissant?” Wendy added.
To that, Rori smiled. “Better than sex, for sure.”
A concerned pucker pulled at Wendy’s lips. “Please tell me that you’re saying that in light of the fact that you and Mike haven’t had sex yet.”
“Definitely not,” Rori said without hesitation and with no playfulness as she realized that she’d allowed Wendy to believe that she and Mike were a couple throughout their entire conversation. But again, before she could correct the miscommunication, Wendy spoke first.
“Good. Because I don’t care how good a pastry is, some things should never be better than sex with a man like that.” Wendy fanned herself melodramatically before moving behind the counter. “I have some experimenting to do, but it was great meeting you. Have fun with the Cannons tonight. They’re a fun group.”
Rori barely had time to answer before the other woman disappeared into the back room of the bakery with more peppers than an army could eat.
It seemed there was only one thing to do: try to think about what had just happened as little as possible as she drove to the party with the man whose charm had just gifted her with two boxes of gourmet cupcakes.
Chapter 7
The Cannon home was a case study in perfectly orchestrated chaos. Everyone spoke at once, their voices competing not only with each other’s, but with the background music. Luke had stayed at Rori’s side for all of two seconds before disappearing into the bathroom. She’d had the choice of following after him or being left alone in the claws of three curious Cannon women—Mike’s mom and his two sisters-in-law through his older brothers.
Luckily, Rori had brought a distraction with her.
“Wendy’s cupcakes?” Shelly gasped, sending a Rori look of cautious approval. She was the wife of the oldest Cannon son. “You have no idea how much I’ve been craving this frosting lately. Di-vine.”
“Oh, there’s so many,” Mike’s mom cooed.
“Hide them,” Marianne, wife of Cannon son number two, said without hesitation. “The men will wolf them down and swallow before they even taste anything.”
Mike’s mom bit her lip in indecision “Oh, but there’s—”
“Hide them!” Shelly and Marianne said in unison.
Mike’s mom looked undecided up until the moment Luke walked back from his jaunt to the bathroom. The moment she saw him, she became a squirrel with a prize nut, and Marianne and Shelly became her bodyguards. It was almost comical enough to make Rori forget that she was annoyed at Luke for ditching her the very moment they walked in the door.