“It is,” Phyllis answers for her. “Says she was inspired.”
“You call her Gabrielle? That’s beautiful,” Kitty says.
“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” I say to my two new best friends. “Now, how about that bear claw?”
My face is in full smirk mode when Gabi grabs me by my T-shirt.
“We’ll be back. Please don’t burn the place down,” she says, literally dragging me by my shirt through a swinging door and into the kitchen. “What was that!”
“What?” I ask, playing innocent. “I was making friends with your customers. Who seem like a fucking hoot. I think Kitty was trying to feel me up.”
“She probably was,” she says, clearly flustered. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted a bear claw.”
She puts her hands on her hips, her eyes turning serious. “Maddox…”
“Gabrielle…”
Oh… is this now our thing? A stubborn standoff? It happened in Vegas. And over text. I like it. It’s hot. Especially because I want to kiss the stubborn look off her face.
I can’t. But I want to.
“Maddox, I know you said you wanted to be my friend.”
“I do.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to come into my bakery.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I ask. “For one, I’m a big proponent of supporting local businesses. Also, Linc and Ainsley weren’t lying that I have the biggest sweet tooth on the team. And I was out running errands today, and I thought a bear claw sounded delicious. So here I am. Now, where is that almond goodness?”
I pretend to start looking around after slightly fibbing my reasons for being here, when I feel Gabi’s hand on my arm. “You’re really okay with being friends? This isn’t some sort of ploy to get me to go out with you?”
I shake my head, turning to fully face her. “Would I be lying if I said I didn’t like you anymore? Yes. If I said I shut off the feelings immediately, I think everyone would know I was full ofshit. And if you told me right now you changed your mind, I’d be walking out to that dining room, kicking Phyllis and Kitty out on their behinds, and kissing you until you couldn’t breathe.”
Her cheeks are flushing again at my words, but I ignore the urge to cup her face. Instead I take a breath of my own, wanting her to know how serious I am. “I have a feeling that you need a friend. I know Shelby and Hannah don’t live here, and going through what you’re going through, I’m sure it can get a little lonely. And if I can help you with that, for whatever you need, I’m here to help you. A shoulder to cry on; someone to vent to; someone to get you drunk because you’ve had it; someone to run errands with because you don’t want to be alone; I’m your guy. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
Gabi doesn’t say anything for a second, truly assessing if I’m serious or not.
“And what do you get in return?” she asks. “I’m pretty sure you’re not hurting in the friend department.”
“You’re right, I do have a lot of friends,” I say. “But I had a feeling you’d want to offer me something in return, so I have an idea.”
This makes her eyebrow raise. “And what’s that?”
“I need a hobby.”
“A hobby?”
“Yes. A hobby. The offseason can get boring and mundane. So, I was thinking, maybe I could learn to bake? And that you could teach me.”
By the way her eyes bug out of her head, I don’t think she ever thought that’s what I was going to say. “You want me to teach you how to bake?”
“Exactly,” I say. “Nothing fancy. Cookies, cupcakes. Oh! I’ve always wanted to know how to make a tarte.”
“A tarte?”
“Yes. Specifically apple. I love all things apple.”
