Sebastian laughed. "She cornered me and gave me a whole pitch about the town."
"Sorry," I interjected, physically shoving myself between Penny and Sebastian. "This was supposed to be a confidential meeting."
Sebastian grinned. "It’s not really a secret anymore. There's tons of speculation online, andTechBizis running a big article in their next issue."
Bronwyn was waiting in the conference room, pulling up the presentation on the screen. She shook hands with Sebastian.
"Hungry?" Penny asked him.
"Did you make all that?" Sebastian asked her gesturing to the spread Hazel had had sent over to the office. He was being way too nice. He was obviously flirting with Penny, and I didn't like it one bit.
"We had lunch catered from a local restaurant." Penny giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I just baked the cake!" she said as she shoved a plate at him.
Parker was clearly struggling not to smile next to me. I didn't trust myself to speak. I'd probably throw Sebastian out after beating him with the scarecrow Penny had strung up next to the smartboard.
"We planned a working lunch," Mace said, as Bronwyn passed out printouts.
Sebastian listened intently and asked smart questions while eating the food. Penny sat across from him, taking notes. Periodically, he would turn to her and ask her opinion about something that had been said. Bronwyn seemed annoyed. I was annoyed too.
While I discussed the financial projections, Penny dished up the cake. "Some of these boys—men, although sometimes they act like boys—don't like sweets. But this isn't super sweet. You'll like it," she coaxed, sliding me and Mace a slice.
"I love sweets," Sebastian replied.
"Me too. Mace is the one who doesn't like sweets," I said, shoving half the slice into my mouth. Penny looked at me in confusion.
"Wonderful! This is a spiced-pecan and caramel cake," she said, sliding Sebastian a piece. He inspected it carefully then looked up at her.
"Wait, are you the Queen of Tarts baker?"
"I—yes," Penny said, blushing. "It's a silly hobby."
"I thought your voice sounded familiar, and then I recognized the cake," Sebastian said.
I forced myself to relax the death grip on my fork.
"I love your videos," he continued. "You didn't tell me you had a celebrity in the house, Garrett!"
"Penny is an excellent baker," I said. I didn't like how delighted Sebastian was to be in Penny's presence.
"She makes these amazing ASMR baking videos," Sebastian said. "They are literally the only thing that helps me sleep."
"I'm glad you like them," Penny said. "You're probably the only one."
"Please! There are tons of us in the comments. Everyone loves you! I can't believe I’m actually eating one of the famous Queen of Tarts cakes."
"Penny has been a great asset to Svensson PharmaTech," I interjected before Sebastian could propose marriage or something else obnoxious. "She's also organizing several Halloween events in Harrogate."
"You are? I love Halloween!" He was making googly eyes at her.
This was not working for me. I couldn't figure out why I cared if Sebastian was flirting with Penny. I barely knew this woman. But she had made dinner for my brothers, and she cared about my company.
"We're hosting a big Halloween party in a couple of weeks at the Svensson house," Penny said. "You should come by and see their estate. It's wicked cool." She winked at him.
I was going to stab someone. Maybe Parker, if he didn't wipe that smirk off his face.
"Then there's the Halloween festival. You definitely should come. We're going to have a costume contest and a cake contest and a giant pumpkin-carving contest. We're also putting on a production ofMacbeth."
"How fun! I should bring my brother. I love these kinds of events. It really puts you in the holiday spirit."
