“I suppose so.” I wrapped my hand around the arm he offered and let him lead me down the steps.
“What do you think of the town so far?” Jasper asked.
I breathed in the scent of just-popped kettle corn mixed with the smell of fresh-cut grass. “I think it’s charming.”
“Really?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” We meandered past a large fountain as we made our way toward the tables full of refreshments, where most of the people congregated.
Jasper shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t mean to act surprised. This is my first go-round as a hospitality host, so I’m not sure how we stack up against the other towns you’ve visited.”
I went through the motions of locking my lips with a fake key and tossing it to the side. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
“I get it. I’m sure part of your job is to stay impartial and not give out info on your other stops.”
“That’s right.” The same thing happened in East. They’d tried to pump me for info on how my time had gone in Hartwood. It wouldn’t be fair to share info that might give one town an edge over another, not even at the request of the charming hospitality host.
“Well I bet they didn’t have melt-in-your-mouth cupcakes like Helmut makes in the other places you visited.” Jasper stopped at the edge of a table that had been packed full of cupcakes a few minutes ago. “Care for a sample?”
Helmut ambled over, his leather biker jacket replaced by a pristine white chef’s apron. “Ms. Stone, what can I get you? Red velvet? Chocolate decadence? Vanilla bean?”
I tilted my head and looked up at Jasper. “Which one’s your favorite?”
“Mine?” His eyes widened. “They’re all good. But I’ve got to admit, I’m pretty partial to the chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcake. Helmut uses pecans straight from my family’s orchard for those.”
My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t had anything for dinner. “That sounds wonderful. Do you have any of those?”
Helmut shook his head. “Not tonight. But I’ll bake a special batch for you when I get my next delivery of pecans from Taylor Grove.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” I tapped a finger against my lip as I looked over the other choices. I could gain ten poundsjust by inhaling the sweet smell of sugar and chocolate. “Let’s go classic. How about vanilla bean?”
“Fantastic choice.” Helmut placed a white cupcake with white frosting onto a paper plate. “Here you go. Enjoy.”
“Hey, don’t I get one, too?” Jasper asked.
Helmut nodded toward the paper plates. “You’ve got two hands.”
Jasper let out a laugh and reached for a chocolate cupcake.
“What do you think?” Helmut waited, his palms braced on the table, a tiny hint of vulnerability showing in his kind green eyes.
“Oh, you want me to try it now?”
He nodded.
I peeled back the paper and took a nibble. The perfect blend of vanilla and sweetness exploded on my tongue, and I had to restrain myself from literally inhaling the rest of the cupcake in one bite.
“Good, isn’t it?” Jasper’s brows raised.
“Mmm. Delicious.” I nodded, relishing the first taste of refined sugar I’d allowed myself in the past two weeks.
Helmut seemed pleased with my reaction. “Plenty more where that came from. Feel free to help yourself to any of the flavors.”
“Thank you.” I broke off another small bite and popped it into my mouth.
Jasper’s plate was empty.
“Did you already eat your cupcake?”
