"Hi," she says, extending her hand in Mia's direction. "Mia, right? I have the perfect chocolate to go with your apple pie."
A pretty blush crawls up Mia's neck, and it's my turn to watch the unravelling of this particular story.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Mia says, "but apple pie doesn't have chocolate."
"It depends whose recipe you're following," Nicki says, tucking her long hair behind her ear.
"I'd like to follow your recipe."
I have to cover my mouth with my hand, so I don't snort at Mia's clear pick-up line. And I'll be damned if it doesn't work. From the look on both girls' faces, I can tell there will be at least one date on the horizon.
I almost forget the guy is still standing there, and I'm a little mortified with my assumption that he was Mia's boyfriend. I cough to clear my throat before I dare to speak again.
"Please accept my apology. I really shouldn't have voiced my assumptions," I say.
"You don't need to apologize. Mia is great, but even if she were straight, she wouldn't be my type."
The way he says that makes my belly flip a little. Is he saying he's gay?
I mean, he's totally out of my league, so even if he is gay, I know I have exactly zero chance with him.
I'm not sure what to say, so before I put my foot in it and ask him what exactly his type is, I decide to go back to his reason for being at the market.
"So, do you want the pumpkin? Or can I maybe interest you in our root vegetables? This is the season for stews, after all."
He picks up the pumpkin and raises it as if he's inspecting it.
"I'll take this little one, but I'm more in the mood for a pumpkin spice cake. I'm Xander, by the way."
For some reason, his words make my heart race a little. I pick up a piece of paper and write down a website before I hand it back to him. My hands shake as I do.
"There's a great recipe there. Let me know how it comes out."
Even if I've already established to myself that the guy, Xander, is way out of reach, I can't help feeling a little giddy at my boldness.
Calm down, Ash. It's only a recipe. Everyone shares recipes. No big deal.
"Thank you," he says, smiling his perfect smile at me. "I'll be back to let you know."
He pays for the pumpkin and takes it back after I put it in a bag.
I look at him as he walks away, joined by Mia, who's waving back at Nicki with a big smile.
Nicki comes over to tell me all about the date she's planning.
My phone buzzes with a text from Victoria about a bill I need to pay, but I don't let it get me down. Worrying doesn't get the bills paid any faster or make money appear in my account.
I decide I'd rather think about Mia's friendly face and Xander's beautiful eyes.
4
XANDER
I seemovement from the corner of my eye and look up from the manuscript I'm reading.
Mia stands by the door to my office with the biggest grin, holding another manuscript.
"Please tell me you have some talent in your hands because I'm not so sure about this one," I say, raising up the manuscript in my hand.
