He sounded so sure of it, Audrey almost believed him, even though he couldn’t guarantee any such thing.
“I hope not.I have high hopes, but it’s scary.”
They came to a halt in front of the glass door to her bakery, where Cupcakes & Crumbs was printed in large letters above her logo—a cupcake with pink frosting in a green and cream striped liner, adorned with a little red heart on top, and several large crumbs scattered around the base.The pink frosting matched the pink on her awning and the upper half of the walls inside the store.It made her happy just to look at it.
“Anytime you do something new, it’s scary.The important thing is that you do it, anyway.”He smiled at her.“It’s going to be great, Audrey, I believe that.”
Taking a deep breath, Audrey let it out on a huff and nodded.
“Thank you.”
If she could find half the confidence that he had in her, she would be in a good spot.But first, she had to get things ready and train her new employees.And Mason had lunch to get to.And a fiancée.
“Thanks for walking me.Tell Yasmine I say hi.”
He blinked, then nodded his head.
“I will.Have a good rest of the day.”
Turning, Audrey unlocked the front door and let herself in.She deliberately did not look to watch him walk down the street.That man was firmly off the market.
Mason
Walking away from Audrey, Mason gave himself a little shake.
He’d almost forgotten about Yasmine until Audrey had said to tell her hi.Because, of course, he would be speaking to his fiancée on a regular basis and be able to tell her hello.
The fact they hadn’t done more than send a couple of texts since Saturday…
Well, it wasn’t like they were pretending to be a love match.Still, he was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to forget about her completely while he was talking to another woman.
I’m a fucking awful fiancé.
Or maybe he was just engaged to the wrong woman.
No.He put the mental brakes on that line of thinking.
Absolutely not.
He wasn’t going down that path.There was no way he was going to hurt Yasmine like that.She already believed that she was cursed, based on her dating history.The whole point of doing this arranged thing was to find a compatible person with the same goals to have as a life partner.Chemistry was a bonus, not a necessity.
Having incredible chemistry with someone else did not mean he was making a mistake.
Just like with Audrey’s bakery having no guarantee of success based on opening day, there was no guarantee that initial chemistry would last beyond the first interaction.Similarly, there’s no guarantee it would be a failure beyond that.
Scowling, Mason dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He might not be able to control who he felt chemistry with, but hecouldcontrol his actions.Hecouldcontrol his choices.
Right now, he was choosing to call his fiancée and let her know he was thinking of her.Which was true.He just wouldn’t say exactly how or why.Maybe he couldn’t force love to grow, but connection was something that could be encouraged by taking specific steps.
“Hello?Mason?”Yasmine’s smooth tone was tinged with confusion.“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.”Crap.His own fiancée thought he wouldn’t call her unless something was wrong.He really was failing at this fiancée thing.“I was just calling because I was thinking of you.”
“Oh.Oh!Well, that’s very nice to hear.”She sounded pleased but also a little guilty, which actually made him feel better.Maybe she sounded guilty because she also had not been thinking of him.“Um, anything specifically?”
“Uh, not really.Although David’s sister’s bakery is having a soft opening on Friday.Do you think you might be able to get away from work for a bit to go with me?”Surely the more time he spent with Yasmine, the better.Especially when Audrey was around.
