“Here?” Zoe and Ethan asked at the same time.
“Why not?” Courtney waved a cake donut at the blasé room. “All you need is large blank walls, and Zoe has three of them.”
“I’ve been meaning to paint,” Zoe mumbled. Decorating had been on her to-do list, but she was so busy with the actual baking that somehow, she’d never gotten around to hanging pictures or curtains or...anything. Her customers didn’t seem to mind the bare-bones atmosphere.
“That would be great,” Ethan said, smiling.
“Really?” A wave of surprise hit Zoe.
Ethan seemed pleased. “Sure. I have a bunch in my spare bedroom.”
You mean, my spare bedroom.
Ethan couldn’t hear her thoughts, so he continued. “I could put a card with the price and my contact information in the corner of each painting.”
Zoe bit her lip, considering. She didn’t have a valid reason to say no. Ethan’s paintings were gorgeous—although they didn’t screamDonuts! Eat me!
“It would be a win-win!” Courtney declared.
“Would you like to select the ones we hang?” Ethan asked her. “You could come by tonight.”
CHAPTER 3
“It’s not a date,” Zoetold Mildred.
Mildred, nestled in a pile of pillows on Zoe’s bed, rolled onto her back, flicked her whiskers, and pointed her paws at the sky.
“I know you think it’s a date, so I should give what I wear some thought, but it’s not like that.” Zoe turned her back on Mildred and went to her closet to thumb through the clothes. “It’s more business than anything.” But she had two modes of business clothes—the spiffier ones she wore to the bank when she needed a loan or to meet with catering clients, or the jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers she wore beneath her apron when she worked at the bakery. She didn’t have in-between clothes. She came in two flavors—hardworking baker and business owner. That was it.
Ethan had already seen her in her flour-dusted jeans and T-shirt. She usually took a quick shower after her day at the bakery and slipped into her pajamas before a quick meal of soup and bread. Tonight, pajamas were not an option. She cast a glance at the novel lying on her nightstand. That was how she typically spent her evenings—lost in the pages of a book.
Zoe swallowed hard, told herself that she was making too much of this, and stepped out of her clothes and into the shower. The warm water rushed over her and she let it wash away her stress.
Going to Ethan’s wasn’t a big deal. In fact, she was curious to see what he’d done with her family home. After lathering up and rinsing off, she shut off the water and reached for a towel.
Zoe rubbed a clear spot on the mirror and considered her reflection. The steamy bathroom had turned her skin pink and her hair curly. She pulled hair into a quick ponytail, put on a touch of lip gloss, and went to find her most comfortable pair of jeans and her favorite sweatshirt. No point in letting Ethan know that she’d fussed over her wardrobe for him.
