If anyone knows where the former baker works now, let me know.
Mara, we miss you!
Looks like the name is wrong. Anson’s proving that he can’t bake.
By the time Jolie had finished reading them aloud, Mara couldn’t hide the giggles. Along with the comments from the inn’s guests, her confidence was back where it should be. Her name could be Anson’s albatross—a reminder he’d screwed up and hurt his bottom line.
Her playlist shuffled to “Always Starting Over”. Idina Menzel’s talent always left Mara in awe.
Today, Mara was experimenting with baked apple chips. Like potato chips, but with apples and cinnamon. Some with chai spices. Others with sage and still more with ginger.
Midnight Security was running a training session for bodyguards for a few days, and five of the men were staying at the inn. She figured they’d be a hungry group, so she’d made her usual caramel apple cheesecake, an apple-cranberry galette, and a batch of donuts to go along with the fritters. Apple chips would be a fun addition for some evening snacks.
She was on her third recipe when Seth returned to the kitchen. “Time for more prep?”
He shook his head and crossed to grab a chip she’d left cooling on a plate. His eyebrows shot up. “Nice. Taste even better than they smelled, and the scent drew me in from the driveway.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m glad you like them. I thought they’d be a fun snack.”
He grinned and leaned down. “They will be, but I like this snack better.”
He brushed his lips lightly over hers and then leaned in to press more firmly against her.
A swoop of desire flowed through her body, starting low in her belly and radiating outward.
The man kissed as if he’d been trained by the very best.
She pulled away, ready to turn off the fryer and drag him to her room, when both their phones beeped with notifications at the same time.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Better be important.”
His chuckle warmed her. He brushed his hands down her arms and then kissed her lightly before pulling out his phone. The frustration visible on his face morphed into another grin. “Our chickens are coming.”
Mara grabbed her own phone. Kimi had texted that she had their hens. She had another appointment in the area and offered to drop them off first. Mara grinned at Seth. “Yes?”
He nodded, and they both replied to Kimi.
Mara shoved her phone into her pocket and grabbed Seth’s hands to lead him in a dance around the kitchen. The song playing, “If I Were A Rich Man,” had nothing to do with chickens, but it gave her a beat to use to drag Seth into a dance.
To her surprise, he didn’t shut her down. Instead, he grabbed her hands in a proper dance stance and took over the lead.
Soon, he was whirling her around the kitchen. Joy spilled out of her in a laugh. He spun her out with one hand and then brought her back to land in his arms.
She reached up to kiss him. “You can dance. That was incredible.”
He shrugged, but his eyes sparkled. “Mom was a dance teacher.”
“What kind of dance?”
Another shrug. “Pretty much everything. Ballet to jazz to ballroom to contemporary.”
Delighted, she ran her hands over his chest. “I love that. Did she make you learn them all? What was your favorite? Did your dad dance with her?”
He shook his head at her. “That’s a lot of questions, Chaos Machine. I learned a lot. Instead of going to daycare when I was little, I spent time in her studio. After school, too.”
“And your favorite?”
He lifted his hand and had her spinning in a circle while he didn’t move. Then he pulled her in for another kiss. “Any dance that lets me hold you close.”
