Before I did anything though, I finally found the balls I’d been missing for weeks and dialed her number.
“Hey, Tyler, what’s up?”
My heart leapt in my chest at the sultry voice floating in my ear. I was an eternal fool for this girl and had to do something about it, but I was too busy right now to figure out what.
“Hello, your majesty. The line is around the block and all the customers seem to be ordering the same thing. Any idea why?”
“I may have a little idea.” She chuckled. “Helen brought your chocolate cream pie over to my mom’s yesterday, and it was so damn good. That picture was of the second slice I had. I’m glad it’s bringing people in. I told you I had a little power.”
If she only knew the power she had—especially over me. Not just pissing me off as we grew up, but how she’d invaded my almost every thought for weeks.
“Little power?” I scoffed. “I have to go get enough ingredients to make pies all night and probably all day tomorrow. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m very happy you’re getting new customers, but if I didn’t think this pie was so good, I wouldn’t have recommended it. It’s a big reason I keep this quiet, so family and friends don’t ask me for promo when I don’t feel comfortable doing it. I would have made that post whether I knew you like I do or not. So enjoy it—you deserve it.”
The idea of Oliviaknowing me like she didbrought back all the memories I’d been trying to forget. Despite being adversaries for our entire lives, sex was never that incredible with anyone else.
“Know of anyone I could put to work tonight? Help me navigate through all this good fortune they dropped into my lap?”
I smiled at her chuckle.
“The last time I baked anything was with you and my Easy-Bake Oven. But I could stop at the store if you tell me what to get and how much of it?”
“A few of my bakers are coming back in at eleven, and I have enough stuff to keep things going before then, but I could text you a list and then help you bring it in.”
A long pause lingered between us. Why couldn’t I just ask to see her again? Not just to thank her, not just for fucking groceries, because I wanted to. Because the one night we shared wasn’t enough.
“Sure,” she finally said. “I can do that. And even if I have no baking skills, I can at least clean up. Can’t have you make my recommendation lose its validity, right?”
“Exactly. Can’t let that happen, now, can we?” My cheeks ached from my wide grin as I leaned against the counter.
“All right, I’ll be there. Now stop wasting time. Hang up and text me what you need. I can be there around five.”
“Okay,” I said, already anxious from the anticipation of seeing her again. As a child, I’d just felt dread when my mother would warn me that Olivia was coming by. How times had changed but, once again, Amy was right. Olivia had captured my focus and thoughts for longer than I’d wanted to admit.
“It may be a late night. Half the cookies in the display are gone and most of the cakes in the window,” Eli said, leaning against the wall. “We’re gonna need a bigger place.”
“Don’t get cocky—it’s a rush for the moment. Let’s give them what they asked for and hope they come back.” I shrugged, trying to act like a thousand butterflies weren’t ricocheting around my stomach from all the possibilities swirling around in my head.
I exhaled a long gust of air, squaring my shoulders before stepping back outside. My eyes fell on my cousin Ross, chatting with a confused Staci as he held his wallet open.
“Oh, hey, Tyler,” he said when he noticed me. “I was just letting your cashier know about the family discount you always give me.”
“Hmm, about that,” I started, crossing my arms over my torso as I made my way over. “It’s too busy to give discounts right now. As you can see, the line is out the door so I can’t bother my staff with who does or doesn’t get a special price. You being a numbers guy and all, I’m sure you understand. I hope the kids enjoy the cookies.”
I turned, hiding my smile until I pushed through the swinging door into the back.
EIGHTEEN
OLIVIA
“So what can I do?” I asked Tyler after we’d brought everything in. “As I said, I have no baking skills, but I can clean up after you or something.”
“Just making the trip for me was plenty.” He lifted the bags onto one of his counters and started unpacking. My eyes fell to the flex of his biceps as he pulled out each item. Other than the unfortunate cake batter incident from our childhood, I’d never seen him in action before. As he set everything up, it reminded me of his baseball days. I was always captivated by his focus and effortless skill. He had a masculine grace that was mesmerizing and sexy as fuck.
When he turned his head to smile at me, my knees wobbled. As usual, I soaked up attention from Tyler like a needy sponge. I honestly gave him a recommendation because he deserved it. I never thought I’d see him again other than some kind of function our mothers planned. I wanted to do this for him not because I wanted to connive a way back into his life but because that pie and his bakery earned it.
Although when he’d asked for help tonight, I’d reached for my car keys before we even hung up. Morgan and my family had always noticed how I felt about Tyler, but did he? I’d spent years torturing him because I couldn’t say the words. If he ever truly paid attention, even in my bitchiest of moments, I wouldn’t have had to. I was never sure if I should be relieved or sad that he never saw through my act.
