And what about the sparks that flew up her arm when their hands touched? She’d had a few boyfriends over the years, and none of them had ever caused such an instant reaction to an accidentalhand touch. Maybe her body was rebelling against Christian’s off-limits status.
Off-limits. Yes, she needed to keep reminding herself of that.
Hallie rose from the bed, tossing the pillow onto the mattress. “We’re jumping to major conclusions here. Maybe he’s just throwing a really big party.”
Beej flipped onto her stomach and slid her cousin’s abandoned pillow under her chest. “Big enough for three cakes? That would be A LOT of kids.”
“Sounds awful.” Kendall shuddered.
She wasn’t as anti-kids as her comment made her sound, but she’d been very vocal in the past about not wanting them. Especially since she adamantly claimed she had no intention of ever getting married.
“Why be shackled to a loser when I can live my life the way I want on my own?” she always asked whenever their conversations steered toward men. It would take a very secure man to break through Kendall’s fierce independence. Not that she needed one to be happy. But if the right man wanted to win her heart, he’d have his work cut out for him.
“I should call Christian and give him a chance to back out of the order.” Hallie sighed. She could really use the money those cakes would bring into her business. Still, she didn’t feel right about being the cause of his buyer’s remorse.
Beej’s eyes lit up and she sat up a little straighter. “Or you could put that poor man out of his misery and ask him on a date.”
“I willnotbe doing that,” Hallie said as she rose from the bed and headed for the door. “And before you say it, you better not find a way to stalk him to do it for me.” She knew her cousin too well.
Without turning back to witness Beej’s reaction, she stepped into the hall. The jitters returned to her stomach as she reached her own room. Perhaps settled wasn’t the right word, though. Her nerves were performing complicated steps like a whole company of tap dancers. She’d never been this nervous to call a customer before. But Christianwasn’t any customer. Against her better judgment, he might be rivaling the Hawthornes as her favorite.
She grabbed her binder full of client contact forms and plopped down on her bed. Foxie, standing sentinel in her usual spot right by Hallie’s pillow, fell over with the sudden movement.
After locating Christian’s order form, she dialed his number, stopping before initiating the call.
Her finger hovered over the screen as she blew out a breath to calm the stomach flutters. Before she could talk herself out of it, she jabbed at the green call button. Immediately, she second guessed her decision not to wait until morning to contact him. It was after nine o’clock. He could be putting the girls to bed. What time did kids that age even go to sleep?
As her brain began forming the message she’d leave once his voicemail kicked in, she heard a click on the line.
“Hello?”
The flutters took on a new round of dances as the deep timbre of Christian’s voice vibrated all the way down to her core. How could one word sound so sensual?
Sensual?
Ugh … Absolutely not.
“Hey, Christian. It’s Hallie. Sorry to bother you so late. Is this a bad time?”
“No, I just got Isla to bed.” A hint of fatigue touched his voice. “What’s up?”
Hallie bit her lip, unsure of how to bring up her concerns. “I’d like to double check your order.”
“What’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem.” She hurried to explain. “Three cakes is just kind of a lot, more than most people order for a single party. I wanted to make sure you still wanted them all.”
“Is it too much work for you?” he asked, and Hallie immediately picked up on the hesitation in his voice. Oh man, did he think she was lazy now, like she couldn’t handle making that many cakes?
She lifted her shoulders to her ears then lowered them again,hoping the movement would relax the tension seizing her body and slow her mouth. “No, of course not. I’m not bothered by the work. Obviously, there is a time constraint. It takes several hours to make one cake, with the baking and the assembly and the decorating. But I can figure that out. I’m more concerned about the cost. And what would you evendowith that many cakes?”
A soft chuckle cut through the line. “Do you always analyze your customers’ orders?”
Great, shewasanalyzing. How unprofessional and inappropriate. What he did with the cakes was none of her business.
“Before you write your scathing review, citing your atrocious customer service experience, let me tell you that no, it isn’t like me to question what my clients order. But I also haven’t had anyone spend almost five hundred dollars on only cakes.”
“What can I say? I’m just extra,” he deadpanned.
