No matter how many cakes I made, seeing a client light up never got old. “I’m thrilled you like it.”
“Like it is a massive understatement.” She licked her lips. “I want my own cake now. You’re officially hired for every birthday from now on.”
“Deal.” My cheeks warmed. “The cake is chilled now, but you don’t need to refrigerate it. The blackberry preserves and American buttercream have a high enough sugar content to keep it fresh for up to three days.”
“That’ll make the flight home much easier.” She shook her head with a laugh. “The Learjet is awesome, but this wouldn’t fit in the tiny fridge drawer in the galley.”
I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the casual way some of my customers talked about their private jets. “Well, no worries there.”
When I closed the box again, she reached into her tote. “Any chance I can add something to my order for my pilot? When he found out why I was flying here and back in one day, he mentioned his wife follows your account. I figure the least I cando to make up for the early departure is help him earn some brownie points when he gets home tonight.”
I beamed a smile at her. “I can definitely help with that.”
Grabbing a pastry box, I filled it with an assortment of my favorite items. As I handed them over, I admitted, “It’s not my first time sending a cake off on a private jet, but you’re the first celebrity who came all this way to pick it up.”
Serena’s gaze turned introspective. “Let’s just say I needed some space, and this was a good excuse to get out of LA.”
Her sparkle dimmed, hinting at something heavy she wasn’t ready to share.
I didn’t pry, in large part because I recognized that shadowed tone. I’d used it myself more times than I could count.
“I’m glad I could give you that reason.”
Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “I guess in some way, I should be grateful this was all so last minute. Maybe I would be if the person who dropped the ball wasn’t a big part of why I needed that space in the first place.”
I hesitated, the question right there on the tip of my tongue. It wasn’t any of my business, but the shadow in Serena’s eyes made me want to ask anyway. “If you ever want to talk about it…”
She shook her head as she clutched the pastry box to her chest. “That’s a whole drama-filled story. One that’s way too long to tell without a bottle of wine.”
The vulnerability in her voice tugged at something in me. “You’re welcome here anytime. And I have no problem giving you as many excuses as you need to escape LA.”
“Careful, I might actually take you up on that.” She nodded toward the cake box. “I better get this beauty on board before my pilot wonders if I’m coming back.”
I walked her to the front, rolled the cake out to the car waiting at the curb, and settled it carefully onto the passenger seat. I even buckled the box in to be extra careful.
“Thank you again.” She paused before climbing into the back seat. “Not just for the cake. For being so kind. It’s rare for me these days.”
I blinked, a little taken aback. “Then I really do hope you put my offer to good use.”
Her eyes took on a faraway look. “I really hope things change soon so I don’t need to.”
When her car pulled away, I watched it disappear down the street. I kept thinking about that flicker of hurt. I knew that expression. It was the same one I’d worn for months after Gage disappeared from my life with no explanation.
Only a man could put that kind of uncertainty on a woman’s face.
And as I stood there on the sidewalk, I hoped Serena wasn’t running from the same kind of heartbreak I’d barely survived. If she was, she’d have to endure it in the public eye with how famous she and her boyfriend were.
6
GAGE
Isat in my car outside Hale & Honey for a full ten minutes. My fingers drummed against the steering wheel, each tap loud in the silence of the cabin. It’d been a week since I was here, and it grew increasingly more difficult to stay away with each passing day. When Susan asked me this morning if I’d apologized to Tessa’s employee for my bad behavior yet, I decided to finally man up and come here.
Except every time I thought about what I planned to say, the words were nowhere near enough for the kind of asshole I’d been. And not only because the only woman I’d ever loved had witnessed my bad behavior.
I tried to convince myself this wasn’t about Tessa. That I owed the girl a sincere apology, and it was the right thing to do. But there was no denying the situation had been even more fucked up because she’d been there.
With a muttered curse, I shoved the car door open and stepped onto the sidewalk. I barely had time to shut it before Jace walked out of the bakery, laughing at something. Tessa was behind him in the doorway, smiling in an achingly familiar way.I had to wrangle back the same jealousy I’d been denying for the past week.
