right track, she kept her tone light and casual. “Pippa and I are thinking of hiring on a new baker. Do you have any ideas? I mean, I know that you won’t want to come out of retirement, but maybe you know someone?”
Excitement was joined by anticipation in his eyes, and she saw a smile hover around his mouth. “Well, I sure do miss baking. Let me talk to the wife and see if I can help you out a bit.”
Gotcha
, Flick thought, keeping her expression bland. “Oh, Mo, that would be great. Let me know, okay? It’ll be like old times.” Flick bent down to look at little Melanie, whose small arm was still around her dog’s neck. “And, you, gorgeous girl, you come and visit me and Ru, okay?”
“’Kay.” Melanie nodded with a small grin. They said their good-byes and Flick watched them walk away, her hand on her chest.
“Well, don’t you just have the heart of a marshmallow?”
Flick turned at the teasing, warm voice and sent Kai a wry grin. “The little girl lost her mom, and having an animal to play with is great therapy.”
Yeah, okay, she was in rescue mode again, but she wouldn’t tell Kai that. But helping out and doing for others was something she’d learned at a very young age. The need to make things right, or at least a little better for people she cared about, was deeply ingrained.
Flick smiled as Melanie turned back to look at them. “Isn’t she the cutest kid?”
Kai just shrugged and Flick frowned. “You don’t like kids?” she asked.
He lifted just one powerful shoulder this time and she wished she could see his eyes, which were hidden by dark, wraparound glasses. “I haven’t had anything to do with them. I don’t know how to relate to them.”
“You were a kid once. Talk to them the way you wanted adults to talk to you.”
“I was never a kid.” Kai’s voice was as cold as a mid-winter breeze. Dear God, what did that mean? Before she could ask, he shrugged once more and changed the subject. “So why did you offer him a job?”
Flick shrugged. “He worked for my gran for more than twenty years and he needs money. I couldn’t not offer him work.”
Kai’s thumb drifted across her cheekbone. “As I said, marshmallow heart.” Kai sent her a crooked grin. “So what are you going to do now?”
Flick frowned. “About what?”
“Well, I understand that you’re the”—he looked up at the sign—“Artsy Tartsy baker and you just hired someone else to do the job. So, what are you going to do?”
Flick just looked at him, horrified. “Oh, shit, I didn’t think of that!” She’d done it again, jumped into a situation feet-first without any thought. Pippa, who could take months to make a decision about what toaster to buy, was going to throttle her.
“You are pretty impulsive, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.” Flick muttered her reply.
Kai just laughed and shook his head, his eyes deepening with humor. Flick saw them drop to her mouth and then to her chest and stepped back before she fell into temptation and hurled herself into his arms.
“That reminds me—what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be gone. I thought we agreed that—” Flick felt a jerk on her hand and felt the leash slide out of her grip as Rufus lunged away. She cursed and whirled around, then winced as Rufus slapped his two front paws on the shoulders of an woman about her own age walking out of the bakery, leaving dusty paw prints on her white shirt. Rufus gave her makeup-free face a long lick and the woman yelped and dropped the box she was holding, scattering a selection of pastries all over the pavement. Those being Ru’s prime target, he dropped his paws and proceeded to gobble them up.
Shit. She was going to have to replace the entire box. Damned dog. If Kai hadn’t had that look in his eyes, the one that was all lazy passion, then she wouldn’t have loosened her grip on the leash and she wouldn’t have to apologize to this supermodel in designer jeans. It was all his
Excitement was joined by anticipation in his eyes, and she saw a smile hover around his mouth. “Well, I sure do miss baking. Let me talk to the wife and see if I can help you out a bit.”
Gotcha
, Flick thought, keeping her expression bland. “Oh, Mo, that would be great. Let me know, okay? It’ll be like old times.” Flick bent down to look at little Melanie, whose small arm was still around her dog’s neck. “And, you, gorgeous girl, you come and visit me and Ru, okay?”
“’Kay.” Melanie nodded with a small grin. They said their good-byes and Flick watched them walk away, her hand on her chest.
“Well, don’t you just have the heart of a marshmallow?”
Flick turned at the teasing, warm voice and sent Kai a wry grin. “The little girl lost her mom, and having an animal to play with is great therapy.”
Yeah, okay, she was in rescue mode again, but she wouldn’t tell Kai that. But helping out and doing for others was something she’d learned at a very young age. The need to make things right, or at least a little better for people she cared about, was deeply ingrained.
Flick smiled as Melanie turned back to look at them. “Isn’t she the cutest kid?”
Kai just shrugged and Flick frowned. “You don’t like kids?” she asked.
He lifted just one powerful shoulder this time and she wished she could see his eyes, which were hidden by dark, wraparound glasses. “I haven’t had anything to do with them. I don’t know how to relate to them.”
“You were a kid once. Talk to them the way you wanted adults to talk to you.”
“I was never a kid.” Kai’s voice was as cold as a mid-winter breeze. Dear God, what did that mean? Before she could ask, he shrugged once more and changed the subject. “So why did you offer him a job?”
Flick shrugged. “He worked for my gran for more than twenty years and he needs money. I couldn’t not offer him work.”
Kai’s thumb drifted across her cheekbone. “As I said, marshmallow heart.” Kai sent her a crooked grin. “So what are you going to do now?”
Flick frowned. “About what?”
“Well, I understand that you’re the”—he looked up at the sign—“Artsy Tartsy baker and you just hired someone else to do the job. So, what are you going to do?”
Flick just looked at him, horrified. “Oh, shit, I didn’t think of that!” She’d done it again, jumped into a situation feet-first without any thought. Pippa, who could take months to make a decision about what toaster to buy, was going to throttle her.
“You are pretty impulsive, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.” Flick muttered her reply.
Kai just laughed and shook his head, his eyes deepening with humor. Flick saw them drop to her mouth and then to her chest and stepped back before she fell into temptation and hurled herself into his arms.
“That reminds me—what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be gone. I thought we agreed that—” Flick felt a jerk on her hand and felt the leash slide out of her grip as Rufus lunged away. She cursed and whirled around, then winced as Rufus slapped his two front paws on the shoulders of an woman about her own age walking out of the bakery, leaving dusty paw prints on her white shirt. Rufus gave her makeup-free face a long lick and the woman yelped and dropped the box she was holding, scattering a selection of pastries all over the pavement. Those being Ru’s prime target, he dropped his paws and proceeded to gobble them up.
Shit. She was going to have to replace the entire box. Damned dog. If Kai hadn’t had that look in his eyes, the one that was all lazy passion, then she wouldn’t have loosened her grip on the leash and she wouldn’t have to apologize to this supermodel in designer jeans. It was all his
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