“Lucas?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I blinked to clear my head and focus my eyes. I wasn’t hallucinating. My boss, and barely suppressed man crush, was at my house.
This entire day wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.
muI would wake up and tell Alicia about the completely bananas dream I’d had.
On the lawn before me, Lucas stepped forward, running a hand through his mussed hair, and my thoughts quieted again. “Hey, I know I shouldn’t just show up on your doorstep, but—” He frowned. “Did you just pinch yourself?”
“Nope.” I turned away, focusing on unlocking the door. “It’s nice to see you. Come on in.” I jumped inside and dropped my purse behind the door. Then I turned to face him with what was probably a maniacal smile.
He dragged his gaze over me as he climbed the porch steps. “Are you okay?”
“Good as a goose.” I nodded, determinedly not reacting to the stupidest thing I’d ever said. “How about you?” I scanned the street over his shoulder, wondering if any of the onlookers from this morning were peeking through their windows now.
“Great as a snake,” he answered, with a furrowed brow. “You seem a little shaken.”
“Not at all,” I promised. “I just need a minute to—” I waved one arm in a circle, then pointed at my couch. “You know what? Have a seat. Please. Make yourself at home. I’ll get us something to drink. Do you want coffee?”
“I don’t think you should have any more coffee,” he said.
I ran for the kitchen. I needed time to collect my thoughts and lower my heart rate, but of course, that was impossible. This was the absolute worst time for Lucas to show up on my doorstep.
Raisin passed me on my way through the dining room, then sat in front of his bowls.
I pressed a palm to my chest. I was in the middle of a breakdown. Did the cat not care? If I had a heart attack, who would feed him?
I pulled a bottle of water from my fridge and chugged it.
“I really don’t need anything,” Lucas called. “I won’t stay long.”
Slowly, my pulse fell back in the direction of normal, and I set the water aside.
Raisin bit my leg.
“Ow!” I bent to pet his head and redirect his frustration but something else grabbed my attention.
All around me, stacks of pink bakery boxes covered every flat surface. “Shit!”
“Sophie?” Lucas called. “Are you sure this isn’t a bad time? I can come back. Or we can talk tomorrow. I didn’t mean to blindside you like this. I had good news and I wanted to share it.”
I flung myself in the direction of the nearest boxes and heaved them into my arms. I ferried the stacks to the open pantry and tossed them onto the floor inside. “Almost done!” I spun back for another stack, then another, until the boxes toppled and collided over one another in an ugly heap.
“Really,” Lucas said, his voice scarily closer. “No coffee for me.”
I yanked the pantry door shut, and the whiteboard on my refrigerator came into view. A list of upcoming orders for the Invisible Baker written in pink marker filled the space. “Ugh!” I whipped themagnetic board off and turned it face down on top of the fridge. Then I smacked my laptop shut, hiding the customized Invisible Baker wallpaper. Good grief!
Lucas was in the doorway when I turned to see if the coast was clear. His gaze drifted around the room, to the laptop, then me. “Do you know your shirt is inside out?”
My lips pressed tight, and I nodded remorsefully. “I had a stain and didn’t want anyone to see it.”
His expression turned bland. “Whose truck are you driving?”
“Alicia’s son’s.”
“Why?”
