He lifted his eyes to Hallie. “You made this?”
She still watched him, expecting his payment no doubt. But finishing the transaction meant leaving, and he couldn’t ignore the overwhelming desire to stay at this booth a little longer.
“I did,” she confirmed with a nod. “It was for a gender reveal last year.”
“Very impressive.”
Her mouth stretched into a stunning smile. She had to stop doing that. “Thanks.”
“She made my wedding cake too,” Tyler said off-handedly, setting Penelope down to assist the young family entering the booth.
Christian turned back to Hallie. “Did you really?”
“I’ve improved a lot since then.” She shrugged.
“What are you talking about? It was amazing.”
Truthfully, he didn’t remember the cake. Tyler got married over two years ago. And Christian’s head had been filled with too many unpleasant things to recall details from the wedding. The first anniversary of Sabrina’s abandonment had loomed, leaving him raw and full of heavy emotions. On top of that, he’d bowed out of all the wedding week festivities besides the actual event because Penelope was sick and teething. He’d left the reception before the newlyweds had even cut the cake.
But he’d give Hallie all the encouragement in the world, even if it meant lying through his teeth. Hopefully, his kids never found out their dad didn’t always practice what he preached.
Christian felt Penelope’s small hands tug on the back of his shirt and he lifted her into his arms. Chocolate smeared across her face, her hands not much cleaner.
Resigning himself to the impossibility of leaving the festival witha clean shirt himself, he opened the binder. The cake on the first page was shaped like a wooden ship withHappy Birthday!scrawled on the sail and a skull and crossbones underneath.
He bent closer to the page to study the details. “This is incredible. It actually looks like a ship. How do you make the wood so lifelike?”
Hallie’s cheeks flushed a light pink. “Lots and lots of practice.”
He flipped through a few more pages, each cake blowing his mind a little more. Every single one was as detailed as the one before, bringing objects to life in baked form. They reminded Christian of the cakes onFood Network,created by bakers with decades of experience. She had just as much talent.
Puffing out a breath, he focused again on Hallie. “I knew you were an amazing baker, but I didn’t realize you were an artist too.”
“The best ones always are.”
“Are you saying you’re the best?” he asked, his mouth ticking upward.
Her coy expression was too exaggerated to be real. “That’s the goal.”
“I have no doubt you’ll get there, if you’re not already.” Christian turned another page of the book, revealing a simple castle with pink turrets, sparking an idea. “Isla, how would you like to have Hallie make your birthday cake this year?”
Isla moved beside him to look at the cake book. “I thought Grandma was making my cake.”
“Don’t you want something better than one from a box?” No disrespect toward Mom or anything. She was a whiz when it came to cookies, but cakes had never been her strong suit. And Hallie’s were, in a word, spectacular. His daughter deserved the best.
Sure, that was the reason nagging at him to hire her.
Theonlyreason.
“Really?” Isla asked, her voice full of hope.
“Would you be okay with that?” he asked Hallie. “It’s on the twenty-ninth. We’d pay you, of course.” Was that a given? He wanted to make it clear he wouldn’t expect her to do it for free because of their existing connection.
So much for tightening your wallet.After this purchase, he’d definitely stop splurging until he got his job back on track.
She pursed her lips, drawing Christian’s attention to them. He sucked in a breath as the picture of kissing that irresistible mouth popped into his mind.
Nope. Definitely not going there.
