She shifted her gaze to catch that unique challenge clocking Benny with a snow explosion, making him collapse in laughter.
“I love her,” she whispered, barely aware of the confession. Then she faced him, expecting to blush, but for some reason her body cooperated. “She’s brought such a light to Benny’s life.”
He smiled behind his mug, taking a sip as he sat next to her. “That goes both ways, believe me.”
Gracie cradled the mug. “So, what’s on your mind? Olivia said you wanted to talk about something. Is it about…combining our businesses?” They’d talked about that idea a few times, both of them feeling the sting of having a competing bakery across the street from one another.
Their “brands” were quite different, but they’d been toying with the idea of combining her decadent desserts and his healthy options to improve both bottom lines.
“Sort of,” he said, the words sounding oddly cryptic.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, Marshall, and I do believe there’s a way we could save rental money and offer Park City the best of Craving Clean and Sugarfall.”
He eyed her, amusement flickering in his expression. “You do, huh?”
“I do,” she said, trying to interpret the way he asked the question. “Don’t you? Or have you changed your mind about some kind of merger?”
“Some kind,” he said.
She took a sip, waited, then asked, “What are you, um, thinking? Looking for a new place completely or just taking over the space next to mine or even folding Craving Clean into Sugarfall? Selling each other’s products? I can?—”
“I’m not thinking about any of those logistics, Gracie.”
She lowered the cup. “So you did change your mind.”
“I did not,” he assured her. “But I’m thinking about…a different kind of…combined effort.” He sighed and laughed softly. “I don’t want to get all wrapped up in semantics and lose the point of what’s on my mind.”
Studying him, she frowned, definitely lost. “What’s on your mind?”
“You.”
The single, simple syllable hit hard. “Oh,” she breathed her response. “That’s…unexpected.”
“Is it?” he asked, leaning closer. “You kissed me goodbye after the wedding like it was very…expected.”
She felt her signature blush rise to the surface. “It was an unexpectedly nice kiss,” she whispered, letting the play on words cover the fact that much more of this banter and there would be another unexpectedly nice kiss.
He exhaled again, pressing his hands on the counter as though he had to steady himself for the conversation.
“Marshall? Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” he said slowly. “I hope it will be after…this.”
A shiver danced up her spine at the way he said it. “After what?”
“Well, Olivia is leaving,” he started.
“And Benny’s sad about that,” she said. “I’m sure you are, too.”
“I am, but…it really frees me up. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?”
He turned to face her, reaching for her to do the same. “Not about work, but about…life. Our lives. Together. As a couple.”
More shivers exploded on her arms. “A couple?” Her heart did a little dance. “That sounds…nice.”
“But there are some things you should know about me,” he said softly. “So, if I can be brutally honest and you don’t go running out into the snow like your hair’s on fire…”
