Oh, Fudge (Hot Cakes #5) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,49

lot of women. A lot of her friends, for that matter.

“So you’re going to manage the petting zoo and otter encounter?” she asked Mitch. She wasn’t going to think about him with kids. That didn’t work with her. She had nieces and nephews. She liked kids fine, but she wasn’t ga-ga over babies or little kids, and her biological clock wasn’t even wound up not to mention ticking.

“No. I’m building the pens and enclosures,” he said again. He gave Tori a look.

She sighed. “You’d be so good.”

“You want me puttin’ up fences with my shirt off?” he asked, giving her a small smile. “I can do that.”

He should absolutely do that. And charge admission, for sure, Paige thought.

But she noted his smile seemed forced.

Interesting. He didn’t want to be more involved with the animal portion of the business? Why not?

“Well, at least that,” Tori teased. “You’d just be so good talking about the animals. You love them. And you’re as charming and sweet and funny as Josh and Owen.”

“Hey, now,” Josh said. But his tone was light.

Tori shot him a smile. “You know what I mean. All the charm you turn on for the tourists. Mitch can do that. I’m not talking about the you-and-me charm.”

The way she said charm made Paige’s eyes widen. It looked like the sweet, small-town farmgirl had been a little corrupted by the Louisiana boy who was now giving her hot looks over sweet, small-town muffins and coffee.

Paige glanced at Mitch. She understood that. She really did. She wanted to be a little corrupted herself.

“There’s no other charm like that, babe,” Josh said, his voice dropping low.

“Okay,” Paige said, squeezing Josh’s hand to remind him not to eye-fuck Tori across the table in the bakery.

Tori fanned her face and gave Josh a wink, but she said to Mitch, “And you love the otters. Admit it.”

“Otters are cute.” Mitch shrugged. “Everyone likes otters.”

Tori blew out a breath.

“I’ve got Fletcher and Zeke helping me,” Mitch said. “They can take care of the tourists.”

“His mom specifically told me we’re supposed to call him Ezekiel,” Tori said with a grin.

Mitch and Josh both laughed. Mitch looked at Paige. “Zeke’s one of my cousins. Fletcher too. But Zeke and Zander are twins. Their mom hates that we shorten Ezekiel and Alexander.”

“But the family’s been doing it all their lives and they’re twenty-six,” Josh said. “You’d think she’d be used to it by now.”

Tori shook her head. “I think she was hoping that since I’m kind of new, she could at least get me to do it right.” She looked at Paige. “In the Landry family, the more something bugs you, the more likely it’s going to continue. You have to learn to roll with things on the bayou.”

Paige couldn’t deny she was fascinated.

The conversation about Mitch’s role with the tourists had gotten sidetracked. She was pretty sure he’d intended that, but the whole topic seemed to be an ongoing discussion. Paige wanted to ask him more about it later. Then realized that it was none of her business what Mitch did with his job and his family’s business. If he didn’t want to do more, that was his choice. She didn’t know what that was about and it didn’t matter.

Paige opened her mouth to ask a question when suddenly there was a murmuring in the crowd and the sound of chairs scraping and people started to pivot in the same direction.

Paige frowned and looked as well.

“I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I’m absolutely crazy about you.”

Elliot, one of the programmers who worked for Aiden, Grant, Cam, and Oliver, the guys who had bought the Hot Cakes factory, was standing in front of the bakery case. He was facing his boyfriend, Max, one of the factory workers, who everyone in town adored.

Max’s eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.

“When I bid on you at the bachelor auction, I knew we were going to have fun,” Elliot said. “But I had no idea what I was actually winning.” He dropped to one knee in front of Max. “A chance at everything I’ve always wanted.” He was holding a red velvet cupcake in one hand and a gold band in the other. “Max, will you marry me?”

The entire bakery sucked in a breath all at once and not a single person moved.

Including Max.

He just stood staring down at his boyfriend.

Paige felt herself leaning forward. Holy shit, was Max going to turn him down in front of everyone?

But