Forcing herself to pick up the flour and move over to the empty workspace on Alexis’ left, Audrey bent her head down to hide her expression.She wasn’t sure what the look on her face was because she wasn’t sure how she felt about what she’d just heard.
“So, why did they break up?”
Bless Alexis for asking the important questions Audrey couldn’t bring herself to voice.Whoever said curiosity was a bad thing?
“No chemistry.They were good on paper, but…” Ashley shrugged.“Maybe if they’d been down for a sexless marriage.I could see Mason going for that but not Yasmine.”
“You could see Mason going for a sexless marriage?”Audrey frowned as she lifted her head, finally finding something to say.She couldn’t see that about Mason at all.
“Well, maybe not without sex, but one without passion.I don’t think he’s asexual.But he’s just not verypassionate,” Ashley corrected herself.“I can’t see Yasmine living without passion and romance.And Mason is definitely not romantic.”
Ashley sounded so sure of herself that Audrey bit her tongue against arguing with her.After all, it wasn’t like she sounded judgmental while she was saying it.Just matter-of-fact.And Audrey didn’t know him very well.Maybe he wasn’t passionate or romantic.
Just because she was wildly attracted to him didn’t mean that he returned the feeling.She had no idea if he was passionate or romantic.Maybe she was just making it all up in her headbecauseshe didn’t really know him.
But she felt bad for him and Yasmine.
Getting engaged and telling everyone, then calling it off a week later, had to be difficult.Though she supposed it was easier than going through with the marriage and calling it off after that.
The fact that Mason was now single didn’t mean anything to her.She didn’t want a future without passion or romance either.
“I think I’m going to make some baklava cupcakes for Mason,” she announced.“What’s Yasmine’s favorite flavor?”
That would give her something to do for both of them.Sure, baked goods couldn’t fix a broken heart—or a slightly bruised one—but it was better than nothing.
“Orange chocolate, maybe?”Ashley suggested.“She doesn’t eat a ton of sweets, but last year I found out she goes nuts for those chocolate oranges.She bought a whole bunch all at once since they’re only sold around the holidays.”
“Perfect.”Maybe making the cupcakes would help assuage some of the guilt that was running through her.
She would also need to crush the hope because there was no way she was going to act on her crush.Yasmine was someone she wanted as a friend, and friends didn’t date friends’ exes.
In some ways, it was nice to have something to focus on other than her bakery finally opening.She could focus on condolence cupcakes instead of running into the bathroom to throw up her breakfast.
ChapterSixteen
Mason
Telling their friends last night that the engagement was off had been the easy part.Telling their parents this morning, that was the hard part.
He’d gone to Yasmine’s house, bringing breakfast, so they could call their parents together.Although she’d said they could do it separately, he thought a united front would be better, so their parents would know they were serious and both on the same page.Just like they’d been about the marriage, right up until the point that they weren’t.
He'd brought breakfast because he was feeling guilty about the dream he’d had last night.
Despite the breakup and the fact he should no longer be experiencing any symptoms of cold feet, he’d had a dream about doing utterly filthy things with a certain redhead.And felt guilty enough that when he’d woken up with a raging erection, he’d gone to take a cold shower to make it go away instead of jerking off.
Even though it seemed like Yasmine had been pushing him in Audrey’s direction last night, that didn’t mean it was okay for him to dream about another woman right after ending their engagement.He handed over the sausage and egg bites she liked so much in an attempt to assuage his guilt.
“Oh, thanks.”She smiled at him, though it wasn’t the same smile she’d had a few days ago.It was genuine, but it didn’t brighten her expression the same way.
“Breakfast tea, too.”He held up the cup tray that had two drinks on it—tea for her and coffee for him.Some of the light came back into her eyes as she regarded him with amusement.
“Are you hoping that if you feed me, I won’t fall apart on you?”she asked, reaching out with slim fingers to pull her tea from the tray.“I promise I won’t.I’m sad, but I’m not crying my eyes out sad.”
“I’m sad, too.”He didn’t even have to lie about that.“I really thought…” His voice trailed off because he didn’t quite know how to phrase it, and he didn’t want her to feel bad about deciding to end things.In a lot of ways, he knew she was right.And if she didn’t want to marry him, she didn’t want to marry him, and that was that.
“I know.”Now her smile had turned sad again as she sat down at her kitchen table.“It’s not your fault, Mason.It’s just?—”
“Do not say the curse.”He cut her off, pretty sure that’s exactly what she was going to say.“Curses aren’t real.”
