Sebastian (The Billionaire Boyfriend #1) - Christina Benjamin Page 0,16

She isn’t blinded or star-struck by my fame or reputation. She treats me like any other person on the street, and though we bicker and butt heads, it’s possibly the most real connection I've had with anyone in a long time.

The only ones who actually treat me in a similar manner are my mother and sister, both strong women in their own rights. Holly reminds me of them, fiercely independent but sweet at the center of it all. Even with her gorgeous hair and supple body, her strength and honesty are probably the sexiest things about her.

“See!” she says triumphantly, bad mood vanishing like a rain cloud as she points a victorious finger toward the highway ramp.

I glance over, catching a brief glimpse of cars lined up on the road. It’s just like she said. We would’ve been stuck there for God knows how long if I'd insisted on going straight.

“I suppose even a broken clock is right twice a day,” I say playfully, chuckling when she rolls her eyes but continues to smile.

Fortunately, her bad mood seems to have gone for good.

“What in the world are they doing down there?” I ask, focusing again on the road as I steer further down the highway and check the GPS for our next location.

“It’s a little league tournament. It happens every couple of months around this time.”

When the GPS instructs me to, I pull off the highway and onto a small side road. Though I'd thought we were headed toward another grocery store or boutique like the previous couple of stops, we turn into a tiny parking lot of an equally tiny café.

Holly leaps out before the van has even come to a complete stop. She heads to the back and pulls out a case of cupcakes bigger than she is. She seems to carry it with ease, declining my offer to take it from her.

“You can carry that one,” she says, gesturing to a box barely bigger than a coffee cup.

Shaking my head, I grab the light box and follow after her.

The back door of the café swings open and an elderly woman with silver hair steps outside. “Good morning, Holly!” she calls with a cheery wave, her movement freezing when her eyes land on me. “And just who might this handsome fellow be?”

“This is Sebastian Titus, he’s helping me with my errands this morning. Isn’t he a wonderful delivery boy?”

“Oh, that’s good. You work too hard, sweetie,” the woman murmurs, still visibly appraising me like one would examine beef steaks at the meat counter.

As Holly passes into the café, the woman sticks her hand out toward me. I shake it, grinning at her.

“Mary Perkins,” she beams, “I own Perkins’ Perk Up. Holly brings us some of her treats to sell with our coffee. Can I get you something? We have the best cappuccinos in town. I just fired up the machine a minute ago.”

“We actually just had some coffee,” Holly begins apologetically, finding a spot on the counter to rest the box, but Mary’s already headed to the machine.

The old woman glances back at me eagerly, wiggling her silver eyebrows.

“That sounds lovely, Mrs. Perkins,” I say, sliding into one of the chairs.

Holly pauses, gazing at me with curious eyes, but eventually follows suit. Now that she’s already set down the big box of her confections, she reaches over to take the smaller one that I still carried.

“I made this for you,” Holly says softly as Mary pours our cappuccinos into to-go cups and hands them over. “I don’t know if it was appropriate but—”

“Oh, Holly . . . sweetie . . .” Mary gasps, opening the box and gazing down at a single cupcake. The woman’s hands shake slightly, the edges of the box wavering in the air. Her expression is stunned, her jaw slightly slack.

To me, the dessert inside the box looked rather simple. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a single strawberry on top.

“I'm sorry if I overstepped,” Holly adds hastily. “It just felt odd, not bringing one.”

Mary swallows hard and closes the box, “Thank you, dear. This means a lot. I greatly appreciate your thoughts.” Dabbing at misty eyes, she glances at me with a small smile. “My Hal passed eight months ago,” she explains. “Every year on our anniversary, Holly would bring us a cupcake to share. She’s been making them for us since she was a girl. Her mother was a family friend.”

“Mary was my first customer when I opened Holly Cakes,” Holly says