Her emerald gaze met his, and she hesitated.Mason lifted one eyebrow.Letting out a little huff of air, she set the note on the counter and pushed it over to him.
Picking it up, Mason felt his skin prickle.The letters were large and threatening, he didn’t need his reading glasses to see them clearly.
Get out.
Audrey
Watching Mason read the note, his expression like a thundercloud, Audrey couldn’t help but squirm.Then again, she’d been internally squirming from the moment he’d walked in the door, all tall, dark, and handsome.Watching his serious expression melt into pure pleasure when he’d bitten into her cupcake had done all sorts of wild things to her insides.
She didn’t have to feelasguilty about that now that he and Yasmine were no longer together, but considering they’d just ended things last night, she couldn’t entirely shake it.Especially since she also still felt relieved that he was now single.Not that she was going to do anything about it, no matter how good he looked and no matter how much she wanted to.
Although… it almost felt like Yasmine had been giving Audrey permission earlier…
That, or she was making things up in her head because it was what she wanted.
“Do you know who left it?”
“I haven’t got a clue.It’s probably just some kids or something.”
“Have you asked Alexis or Ashley about it?Alexis isn’t from here, right?”
“No, but she’s living here very quietly, and I can’t think of a reason why someone would want her to get out.”Audrey shrugged.
“Is there anyone who would want you to get out?”
“No.Maybe it’s someone who wanted this space?”She gestured to the bakery at large.“Or someone who really hates baked goods?”
That made the corner of his mouth twitch, but he shook his head.
“Can you think of anyone else who wouldn’t want you here?”
“My parents want me to go back to Philly, but they wouldn’t leave a note like this.”She shrugged.“I really don’t think it’s anything to get worked up about.I’m going to ask David to make sure we have cameras on the front door as well as the back, and if it happens again, then we’ll know who did it.”
“Okay.You’re working the rest of the day, right?I’ll go stop by the office now.David should be there.I’ll give him the note and handle getting a camera on the front door.”
Audrey wished he’d laughed it off instead of taking it so seriously.It was making her nervous that he didn’t think it was a joke.But that didn’t mean she wanted her brother involved any more than he had to be.
“Oh, well, I wasn’t going to tell David about the note.”She wrung her hands in front of herself, bringing them together and twisting her fingers.“I was just going to ask him to set up the camera.He’s just got a lot going on right now, and I don’t know if this is even anything.Someone might have left it on the wrong door.”
Mason raised his eyebrow at her again.Pressing her legs together, Audrey told herself that she wasn’t going to squirm.Or find it sexy.
“Do you have to tell him?I don’t want him freaking out after everything that went on with Cassidy if this is just some stupid prank or a mistake.”
“Fine.I’ll handle getting the camera installed, and I’m going to stop by regularly to check in on things.If anything else out of the ordinary happens—anything—you’re going to tell me about it.”
“Yes, Sir.”She was trying to lighten the mood, but something flashed in his eyes at her response that took her breath completely away.The air between them seemed to thicken, and she felt her body tighten all over, her pulse pounding so loudly, it could probably be heard on the street.It felt like something momentous was about to happen…Then he shuttered it, the light in his gaze dimming, metaphorically stepping back as he picked up the box of cupcakes and physically stepped back.
“Okay.I’ll stop back in tomorrow to check on things.”
“Great.Thanks.”Audrey brushed her hands over her apron as all the tension that had filled her body fled, leaving her feeling like a deflated balloon.He nodded his head and headed out the door.It was ridiculous to feel abandoned.Or disappointed.She was seeing things that weren’t there.
It was probably all the romances she was reading.
Audrey was grateful that Ashley was on her break and had missed all of that.Although maybe she should mention the note to her and Alexis, to see what they thought.Make sure there was no reason they would think the note was for them.Mason taking it seriously made her feel like maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to brush it off.
She would do that this afternoon.
Tomorrow, Mason would be back.He was planning to check in regularly.
