“Mal is doing a special tasting for us,” Hailey said. “Isn’t that nice of her?”
“Sure is,” Reggie said, still looking at Caspian.
“Would you like an autograph, sir?” Caspian asked him.
“Oh, there’s no need for all that,” Reggie said, but Hailey could tell he didn’t mean it.
“Hang on,” Caspian said, pulling a headshot and a pen out of his messenger bag. “What’s your name, sir?”
“Reginald Webb, Jr.,” Reggie told him.
Caspian scrawled out a quick message.
“It was an honor to meet you, sir,” he said as he handed it over. “You have a beautiful town here.”
“Thank you,” Reggie said gruffly, looking almost speechless for the first time Hailey could remember.
They passed a few more people as they headed for the bakery. No one else stopped them, but Hailey couldn’t help noticing a few knowing smiles or hearing the whispers as soon as they passed.
“It’s a real ego boost living here, huh?” Caspian said.
Hailey laughed and knocked on the door to the bakery. A moment later, Mal came to open it for them.
“Hey, guys. Come on in,” she said warmly, thenstopped in her tracks when she saw who Hailey had brought. “No way.”
“I’m Caspian,” he said needlessly.
“Yeah, of course,” Mal said, shaking her head with a big smile on her face. “You could have warned me, Hailey.”
“I didn’t want you getting nervous,” Hailey teased. “I want him to taste your best work.”
“If it tastes anything like how it smells in here, you’re hired,” Caspian told her.
“Have a seat,” Mal said, smiling back and looking a little more relaxed. “Coffee, tea, juice, water?”
“Coffee, please,” Caspian said. “Lots of milk and sugar.”
“You’ve got it,” Mal told him. “And Hailey, I know how you like yours.”
She scooted off to the back, leaving Caspian and Hailey alone at the table.
“So, is this going to be for your birthday?” she asked him. “Or your girlfriend’s?”
“My fiancée’s,” he said proudly. “I asked her a few days ago. I just couldn’t wait for Christmas. And it’s not really a birthday party, it’s an engagement party.”
“Oh, Caspian, that’swonderful,” she told him, squeezing his hand across the table. “Tell me you have pictures.”
“Of course I have pictures,” he laughed, pulling out his phone. “She made me promise not to post on my socials until Christmas, but I can show you.”
Caspian had been madly in love with Regina, his hair and makeup artist, ever since Hailey started on the show.And she was clearly into him, but she had sworn she would never date an actor. For a while, she wouldn’t give him the time of day, which probably only made him pursue her more ardently. Everyone in the cast had been rooting for them. It was like their own real-life soap opera.
When Regina finally said yes to a single date, Caspian had been over the moon.
Hailey was so glad that it had worked out for them. They were a happy couple, sure to be even happier now that they were tying the knot. And the engagement photos were adorable.
“Okay,” Mal said, coming back with a tray of coffee and fixings. “I brought some syrups as well, in case you feel like a little hazelnut or chocolate.”
“Perfect,”Caspian said, pouring a waterfall of chocolate syrup into his already sweetened coffee. Hailey figured he must live at the gym since he was so fond of his sweets and junk food. Mal had definitely found the way to his heart.
