“I could never be mad at you,” I say softly.
“I’m sure I’ll find a way,” she teases, and then we head to the parking deck so I can drive us to the bakery.
“I forgot to tell you, I have a wedding in Vegas the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and then my garden party for Archer is the next weekend, so I’ll need to head back there soon,” she says.
“I was hoping you’d stay for Thanksgiving,” I murmur. “It’s fine if you can’t. It’s just—the team offers a meal for players who don’t have anyone local. It inevitably ends with someone crying into their turkey about how much they miss their families.”
“That’s sad,” she says.
“For the record, it’s almost never me that’s crying,” I say dryly.
She giggles. “Almost never?”
“I’m joking. It’s never once been me. I sort of prefer living out here on my own, you know? But it’s been nice having a familiar face hanging around, so if you can stay for turkey…”
She tilts her head and thinks for a minute. “You sure you don’t mind having me here?”
“I enjoy having you here. All this space to myself gets lonely.” I’m worried I might start crossing lines with these confessions.
“Would it be okay if I invited my parents and my brother here, too? I’ve always wanted to attempt a big Thanksgiving meal, but my mom always made the turkey, and Arch and I always went there. Might be nice to pay her back and let her relax for once.”
I chuckle as I picture Tatum in an apron, flour dusting her cheeks as she prepares a huge meal for her parents, her brother and his family, and me as we host her family for the holiday.
It sounds…
Well, it sounds too good to be true, for one thing. But it also sounds like a lot of fun. Her brother was in my class in high school, and we played football together back in the day. He didn’t go on to play in college, and we lost touch, but we were good friends in high school.
“Absolutely,” I say. “Invite everyone. I’m happy to help with the cooking. You know, by ordering food prepared in someone else’s kitchen.”
“God,” she mutters, and I’m afraid I’ve offended her for a beat until she adds more. “You’re just soeasyto get along with. If I ever asked Archer if I could invite my whole family over, he’d eventually give in, but he’d gripe and moan about it.”
I don’t picture Archer as a griper or a moaner, but I’ve also never invited Tatum’s entire family to my home before. If they’re anything like Tatum, multiplying them could get interesting, I suppose.
“I aim to please,” I say.
We arrive at Calla’s Crumbs, the bakery Tatum is so excited about, to find the door locked, but we can see workers milling about behind the counter. A moment later, a womanwho looks to be in her thirties appears at the door and opens it. “Welcome in,” she says. “I’m Calla.”
“Tatum,” she says, sticking her hand out. “And this is Ford.”
“Mr. Bradley,” Calla says, clearly sizing me up. “We’re big fans here at Calla’s Crumbs.”
“I appreciate it,” I say. “And I’m a big fan of cake.”
She laughs a little too heartily at a weak segue into why we’re here. “Come on back to our tasting room and we’ll get started.”
She leads us through the quaint front of her shop and into a room on the side where a small table and chairs are set up. “Would either of you like champagne or some water to begin?” she asks.
“Champagne would be perfection,” Tatum says, and I nod. I’m just along for the ride.
She snaps her fingers, and a moment later, someone appears with a tray and some glasses on it. Calla hands us the glasses, and we each hold them up.
“To cake,” Tatum says, and I chuckle as I repeat her toast, tap my glass to hers, and take a sip.
We set our glasses down, and Calla begins her spiel.
“Typically our planner tasting tours are much busier, but as you are VIP clients, we’ve curated our most popular flavors for you to try today. I understand you’re planning another football player’s wedding, is that correct?” Calla asks, directing the question at Tatum.
She nods. “I’m in the process of purchasing a local venue for weddings, and I’m compiling a small list of the vendors my clients will be able to choose from. My first client here in the area is a teammate of Ford’s.”
