asked her to come by later to discuss the details of what she wants. I want to make sure it’s something you feel confident doing before we commit to anything.”
Ben nodded, leaning back against him.
He sure as hell wasn’t complaining.
“I asked you to test a few recipes but then blindsided you with my brilliant idea to offer cake samples to the lunch rush. I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t fair to work you that hard without a plan.” She glanced up at her brother, then back at Ben. “Forgive me?”
Ben screwed his features and looked upward, as if debating an answer. “Only if I can take my lunch break now with your brother.” He was far too polite to add alone to his request, but the message was clear.
Natalie slowly raised one eyebrow. “You two are disgustingly perfect for each other. Fine. I’ll do you one better. I’m going to lock up the front while I walk to the food truck down the street and grab you a cheeseburger and fries. Does that work?”
Without question, his sister knew Ben’s weakness.
Ben raised two fingers.
“Fine, two. You drive a hard bargain.” She gave Bull a firm glare. “And I’ll be the grateful sister and grab you one too.”
“Thank you,” Bull said.
“I’m leaving now,” she said and then turned to walk away. “No fucking on the table. Health inspectors don’t appreciate that.”
Bull was thankful his sister had turned away before yelling that little jab. He didn’t want to risk scaring off Ben or have him hold back from taking the initiative again.
He brushed the hair away from Ben’s face when he turned in the embrace, smiling as those big green eyes stared at him. “Did you talk with Nat this morning about the job?”
Ben nodded, his eyes holding back a wealth of emotions. Bull hadn’t wanted to let on that his sister had already filled him in on wanting Ben to be more than an employee.
“Are you happy?”
Ben nodded again and buried his face at the crook of Bull’s neck.
Bull wrapped his arms around Ben and pulled him close. Slowly but surely, things were coming together for Ben as he settled into everyday life again. Bull had noticed the changes since their first encounter. Ben was growing more confident in his skills and himself. And he no longer hesitated to say no when necessary.
A sense of peace enveloped Bull with the simple intimacy of just holding each other close. Pressing a kiss to Ben’s hair, he took a deep breath and asked himself the same question, knowing the answer was crystal clear.
Yes, I’m happy too.
Early April—final week at Halfway House
Ben sat at the kitchen table, arms crossed with his chin on his wrists.
The last three weeks since their date had been great. Gabriel now spent most of his time at the shop, helping at the front while Ben and Natalie baked items for the catering orders. Ben certainly wasn’t complaining. Having Gabriel near and stealing kisses during breaks was a heck of a lot better than a late-night video chat with a small screen display. And the customers seemed to love Gabriel’s charisma and smile almost as much as Ben did.
“With his tight T-shirts and your cakes, I’m totally fine feeding a mob of pervy customers with a sweet tooth,” Natalie had said with a smile.
What she lacked in cake-baking talents she more than made up for with innuendo aimed at them. Ben smiled with each of her remarks, but Gabriel would respond, fueling that sibling-sparring glint in her eye. She loved having more time with her brother. And the thought that Ben had somehow played a small part in bringing them closer made his heart swell.
He straightened and leaned back in the chair with a sigh. He was anxious for the end of the week to arrive when his time would be up at Halfway House and his sentence complete. He loved the guys in the house, but with the full-time job waiting for him, he wanted the freedom to spend more time at the bakery without the work program schedule restrictions.
But there was one big bump in the road…
Finding a place to stay had been the thorn in his side and was stressing him out. His list of budget-reasonable places had consisted of run-down locations and small rooms built out in garages. But that morning, he had finally found a one-bedroom condo within his budget. He wasn’t thrilled about the twenty-minute walking commute into work so early in the morning, or