Theo only laughs, either not noticing or not caring how mortified I am. “Does that meannothaving a sweet tooth is a red flag?”
He needs to stop. I can’t keep talking about this with him.
“Only in my eyes.” I giggle nervously. “Like, I’ve dated people who didn’t like sweets, and it never worked out.”
I’m burying myself deeper in the ditch of embarrassment. Why am I talking about my love life with my boss? It’s not as if it’s been thrilling. My dates never go far; my last serious relationship was in high school.
Newer relationships are always dead on arrival, and it’s my fault. It took quite a few years to realize I’m the one who ruins things, even if I would say they usually deserve it. I want a partner, a perfect ingredient in my recipe for life, and anyone who can’t rise to that role isn’t for me.
Theo would be quite the partner, but that’s another thought I force myself to push away, only lingering on it in the darkest parts of the night.
“I can see why that would make you incompatible.” He takes a slow bite of his dessert, savoring it. “What do I have to do for you to make me a cheesecake?”
“IfI make you one, it must be a basque.”
“What’s that?”
“The superior cheesecake. No water bath, no crust, just a burnt, caramelized cheesecake.”
His eyes widen. “I’m not sure if we should start messing with the classics.”
“A basque cheesecakeisa classic. Trust me. Once you try it, there’s no going back to this.”
“Huh.” He takes a slow bite. “You miss baking, don’t you?”
What a complicated question. Do I miss waking up at four in the morning? Do I miss weird customers? Not really.
“What’s there to miss?” I exhale, blowing my bangs up. “I still bake on the weekends.”
“You know what I mean. Working at the bakery was your calling, wasn’t it?”
“Bakingis my calling, but that bakery was not. It was too commercial. I didn’t get to experiment with my recipes or designs. You know?”
“You need more creative freedom. I can respect it. The culinary artsarean art form, after all.”
“Exactly. That’s why I have fun baking for my brother’s parties. Like, the lemon frosting was good, wasn’t it?”
“It was fantastic.”
“And the heart-shaped cake. That didn’t fit the vibe of my last bakery, but now I can do whatever I want.”
He stabs a fork into his cheesecake slice. “When you open your bakery, I’ll be one of the first in line. I can only imagine what you can do with a full kitchen at your disposal.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” I lift a brow. “And you better tip well.”
“You can count on it. I always do.” He pops the piece of cheesecake in his mouth.
We’re still working, and I’m still on the clock, but it’s nice to have a break in the day to forget about it all and remember my dreams.
Chapter Ten
THEO
“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispers, stretching out her legs in the spacious business class seats.
“Of course,” I whisper, leaning in. “You can tell me anything.”
That’s not strictly true. There are plenty of things an employee shouldn’t tell me, and Evie is no exception. She’s a good enough employee, so I’ll make some allowances.
