Ever since we met at our siblings’ wedding a couple of years ago, I’ve had a crush on him.I was attending culinary school in Paris—and seeing someone in my program—and he was still in college out west, getting his degree in computer engineering, so nothing came of it other than friendship, but I’ve always hoped we’d be single in the same place at the same time.It looks like that wish may finally be coming true.To quote my favorite musical, “I’m not throwing away my shot.”
“Hey, wasn’t your sister a contestant onBigfoot Finds a Bride?”Andie asks as she pipes chocolate frosting onto cupcakes that she’s decorating to look like teddy bears for a baby shower.
I nod, not that Andie can see me with her attention focused on the cupcakes.“She was.That’s how Shelby met her husband.They didn’t end up together on the show, but they met again a couple of years later.They fell in love, got married, and now have a baby on the way.Ollie is Finn’s brother.”
That gets Andie’s attention.“Oliver King is your brother-in-law?”
“No…Ollie’s my sister’s brother-in-law.Ollie and I aren’t related.”
She gives a sly smile.“So you could hook up.”
I feel my cheeks burning, sure they’re as pink as the icing bag Andie is now holding to pipe bows on the teddy bears.
“We’re friends.”
Andie huffs out a laugh.“And friends to lovers is your favorite romance trope!Go for it!”
“His focus is on hockey, not romance.I don’t think he’s noticed me as a woman.Maybe he wants someone as innocent as he is.”I’m not ashamed of my sexual past.I’ve had some lovers, big whoop.Perfectly normal for a twenty-four-year-old woman in this day and age.
“Ooh!”Andie bounces on her toes.“Maybe he doesn’t!Maybe it can be like the “teach me” trope, where the innocent one asks for love lessons from the more experienced one.”
It’s not solely the joy of baking that bonds me and Andie.Our love of romance novels and rom-com movies have brought us closer too.We have a cottage baking side hustle called Snarky Sweet—I’m the snarky one, she’s sweet—where we make cookies, cakes, and treats of all types, often with sassy or risqué touches.Our gray sweatpant sugar cookies with a prominent dick print are a bestseller.We do cute stuff too, like for baby showers and birthday parties.Our boss at the bakery, Jack, doesn’t want to deal with bulk orders or overly decorated stuff.He likes to sell simple cakes, pies, cookies, and pastries for retail customers, so he’s supportive of us taking the orders for events and lets us use the bakery after hours if we need space for an especially large order.Most of the time, we bake in the kitchen of my condo, where we can watch movies and relax.
“Maybe we should start reading some cozy mysteries and lay off the romance for a while, Andie.You’re getting carried away with the tropes.”
“Well,youshould want to be carried away in his strong arms.”
“Let me know when you finally agree to a date with Colby Alvarez, and then we’ll talk.”
Andie narrows her eyes and quirks her lips to the side.“Would you ask Ollie out on a double date if I went out with Colby?”
Gee, twist my arm, why don’t you?I hate it when people force me to do things I want to do anyway.What a hardship.
“Yeah, okay.Whatever.”
She bumps me with her hip and sticks her tongue out when I glance her way.I roll my eyes in response.We finally refocus on our tasks so we can finish our shift and get ready for tonight’s game.I can’t wait to see Ollie again, even if it’s only watching him on the ice.Depending on how late the game goes, I probably won’t get a chance to talk to him after because I need to get back to my sister’s cottage and get some sleep before work.Four in the morning comes way too early.He’ll be moving into my condo once his stuff arrives, so I’ll see him all the time.I can’t wait.
* * *
After checking in on my brother-in-law’s cat Marsha at their cottage and making sure she’s all set with food and water, I set out back to my condo to get ready for tonight.I shower and decide to leave my hair loose.For work, I normally have it tied back with a bandanna over it, and since I’m always working, it’s a treat to have my dark brown shoulder-length hair free to indulge in its natural wave.It’s awkward because it’s not straight and it’s not curly, but rather than fight it with curling or flat irons, I let it be free.Some scrunching and a bit of product, and I’m good to go.
I want to look cute but not like I’m trying too hard, so I go with black leggings, a black tunic, and my favorite blue Converse sneakers.The Devil Birds team colors are blue, gray, and black, so adding Ollie’s jersey to this base should work well.
Andie lives around the corner from me, so I pick her up and drive us to the game.She’s wearing an Alvarez jersey Colby gave her as part of the winning package from the gala.Her brown hair is in a French braid down her back.
“Hey, girlie,” I say as she climbs into my Ford Escape.
“Hey, long time no see,” she replies, causing us both to giggle.We’ve been apart a whole three hours.The drive into Atlantic City takes twenty minutes, and we chat about our eagerness to hear from the Pastry Pro Championships.It’s such a great promotional opportunity for our business.Considering our cramped and nomadic kitchen conditions, we want to have our own permanent space, where we can bake and local clients can pick up their orders.Maybe have retail shop hours too.Someday I want to have a family and not have to get up at four in the morning to bake bread, and having this kind of business would help with that.
I park and we walk into the pier, heading to the will-call window to pick up our tickets.I was expecting only a pair of tickets and my jersey, but we have food and drink tickets, hats, and coupons for the team shop to pick up Shifty the Seagull mascot plushies.
“Wow, they really gave us the hookup,” Andie says as we go to our seats.We’re in the lower section, not far from the Devil Birds bench, but to the side.
Looking around, I see people with signs, and I wish I had made one to welcome Ollie to the team.Hopefully everyone has been nice to him.I feel like a mom worried about her kid on the first day of school.
While we wait for the team to skate out for pregame warm-ups, Mallory Carter and Daphne Morris take the seats next to us.Mallory is the coach’s fiancée, and they’ve commissioned me to bake the cake for their summer wedding.She’s also the older sister of Trevor Carter, the first line center for the Devil Birds.
Daphne Morris is the team’s social media manager and my sister Shelby’s best friend.Shelby and Daphne are both pregnant and due within a few weeks of each other.Neither one knows what they’re having, but are hoping they’ll either be best friends or grow up and get married.I can see Daphne’s husband, Logan, the team photographer, down in the bench area.
