“I do like them, but mostly on special occasions. How about you?”
“I don’t really have a sweet tooth,” Beckett replied.
I could practically feel my eyes bulge. “I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
“Well, it is for me.”
I kept looking for signs that Beckett was getting tired, which was apparently more obvious than I’d thought. When we reached the bakery, he said, “Fess up. What is it? You keep looking at me.” He leaned in, whispering in my ear, “Definitely not with sexy thoughts, though.” Then he straightened up.
I made a come-here motion with my finger, so he lowered his ear, and I put my lips to it. “First of all, I always have sexy thoughts about you.” Then I took a step back. His eyes flashed. “But I was actually wondering if there’s any way you can give the carrier to me so I can hold Charlotte as well.”
Beckett’s expression instantly changed. His smile was softer. “Let’s wait for her to wake up first. She gets cranky if I move the carrier while she’s in deep sleep.”
I grinned, anxious to carry her later on.
The sales associate greeted Beckett, and he made small talk with her until our order was ready. I ate two muffins, and Beckett had doughnuts. We already had coffee at his place, so we each just got a glass of water.
As I shoved in my last mouthful, he asked, “Ready to face my grandmothers?”
“Hell yes,” I exclaimed.
“Then after you.”
He put a hand on my back as we walked side by side until we arrived at Fragrant Delights. There was a rather large group inside already. I glanced at Beckett, asking, “Should we come back later?”
“Nah. Let’s wait for them to tell us how long they need with the group.”
We stood in front of the display. God, I loved their place. It was cozy and whimsical.
Celine immediately came out to us. “Hey, you three.”
“Good morning,” I replied. “I’m here for my new perfume.”
“Piper, darling, you can come in, but I don’t think this is the right place for Charlotte, Beckett. There are so many smells inside.”
I glanced at Beckett, who was obviously fighting laughter, but he wasn’t successful. He exploded in a guffaw, and Charlotte woke up. Beckett patted her back, rubbing circles to comfort her, and she promptly fell back asleep. He was a baby whisperer. You wouldn’t even know he was a first-time dad.
“Celine, Charlotte is used to smells from cooking and whatever,” Beckett said.
“Trust me on this.”
I suspected they wanted me by myself.
Beckett shook his head, then straightened up and focused on me. “You know what? Since we talked about it, I’m in the mood for beignets now, so I’ll wait for you at Café Du Monde. Let me know when you’re ready, and you can either join me or we can pick you up.”
“Sure.” I was starting to feel a bit apprehensive. Why did Celine and Isabeau want me alone? That was a bit weird.
Celine beckoned me forward once Beckett was gone. “Come in, girl. Isabeau and I already prepped everything, and this group is about to leave.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what exactly they had to prepare, but I didn’t get the chance. There was a lot of commotion as Isabeau was bidding the other customers goodbye.
As soon as the group left, Isabeau turned her attention to me. “Darling girl. Beckett dropped you off?”
“He wanted to come in, but Celine told him he shouldn’t bring Charlotte because of all the smells,” I said somewhat sardonically.
“Yes, yes!” Isabeau waved her hand as if it didn’t matter. “Between you and me, the process is much smoother if it’s just the three of us. I don’t feel that we do our best work when we get groups.”
“Oh.” That did make sense. Maybe they didn’t have a sneaky reason for wanting me here alone.
