chance.
Larry’s left eyebrow raised. “Friend of yours?”
“Girlfriend of his.”
“She’s not—”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Larry looked so pleased and was grinning so warmly that Daniel shut up. “Good for you. It’s about time. Sure, bring in some samples, we’ll see how she does. Now…”
He pulled up a file and the meeting was officially on. Which meant it was an hour before Daniel could get Jake alone in their shared office and attempt to kill him.
“My girlfriend? Larry will tell Lucy and she’ll tell everyone.”
“So? It got Angela a chance.” Jake smacked Daniel’s chest with the back of his hand. “Lighten up. Wait until after he tries her stuff. If he’s not into her, problem solved. If he wants to hire her, say you just broke up.”
“Oh, for—”
“Angela isn’t going to know.” He backed toward his desk with a meaningful look. “And guess what, neither is Kate.”
“Would you stop bringing up Kate like that?”
“Hmm.” Jake looked thoughtful, then shook his head. “I doubt it.”
Daniel sighed and dumped his laptop back on his desk. He should be seriously annoyed at his friend. Much more than he was. But it had just occurred to him that he now had a legitimate, nondate reason to talk to Angela again. To tell her that Larry would take a look at her cookies. Daniel would decide in the meantime whether another date could or should happen.
Though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
* * *
“ O H , MY NIGHTMARE , oh, my nightmare, oh, my ni-i-ightmare Madeleines.” Angela thumped down a plate of the small shell-shaped French cakes on the coffee table in the group’s shared apartment. “Hey, are we the only two who showed up for cleaning duty again?”
“Jack’s coming. Seth has a lesson. Demi…” Bonnie rolled her eyes and poured scouring powder into the sink. “Who knows. Cookies still not cooperating?”
“Spongy. Crumb not delicate enough. I’m liking the rosemary-lemon flavor, though.”
“Let me try. I bet they’re fine.” She peeled off her manicure-saving yellow rubber gloves, which clashed spectacularly with her sheer violet top, and made a beeline for the plate, grabbed a Madeleine and took a bite. Chewed thoughtfully. “Oh, how spongy, and what an indelicate crumb.”
Angela snorted. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m not wild about the rosemary in there, but the texture doesn’t bother me.” She finished the cookie and took another. “You’re too picky.”
“If I’m going to compete…”
“I know, I know, you want the glamor-bakery. Well, keep trying. You’ll get it. I’m sure the five hundred and seventy-seventh recipe will be better.”
“Only three hundred forty-five to go.” Angela made a face. “I’ll go get the cleaning stuff.”
She went into the back room, a bedroom whose closet the group had taken over for supplies, and pulled out spray cleaner and a sponge, absently tossing her bakery apron on the bed. The group picked one Sunday evening a month to get together and clean the common room, since doing it on a rotating basis hadn’t worked out. Someone was always busy on his or her day.
“So…” Back in the kitchen, Bonnie was still going at the sink, again wearing the horrible gloves. “I have not yet gotten the detailed report on The Man Who Cannot Date.”
“I came by your place last night and you’d gone out.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Bonnie’s voice turned ultracasual. “Seth and I went out for a drink.”
Angela sighed. She didn’t know whether to strangle Seth, Bonnie or both. Why did Bonnie keep doing this to herself? Could denial run that deep or was she simply a masochist? “Fun time?”
“Sure. He’s always fun. So did you get Daniel to change his mind?”
“I don’t know.” Angela found herself scrubbing the same spot over and over, a spot that hadn’t been that dirty in the first place. “I just…don’t know.”
“Well, that’s not too helpful. What happened?”
“Pretty much
Larry’s left eyebrow raised. “Friend of yours?”
“Girlfriend of his.”
“She’s not—”
“Why didn’t you say so?” Larry looked so pleased and was grinning so warmly that Daniel shut up. “Good for you. It’s about time. Sure, bring in some samples, we’ll see how she does. Now…”
He pulled up a file and the meeting was officially on. Which meant it was an hour before Daniel could get Jake alone in their shared office and attempt to kill him.
“My girlfriend? Larry will tell Lucy and she’ll tell everyone.”
“So? It got Angela a chance.” Jake smacked Daniel’s chest with the back of his hand. “Lighten up. Wait until after he tries her stuff. If he’s not into her, problem solved. If he wants to hire her, say you just broke up.”
“Oh, for—”
“Angela isn’t going to know.” He backed toward his desk with a meaningful look. “And guess what, neither is Kate.”
“Would you stop bringing up Kate like that?”
“Hmm.” Jake looked thoughtful, then shook his head. “I doubt it.”
Daniel sighed and dumped his laptop back on his desk. He should be seriously annoyed at his friend. Much more than he was. But it had just occurred to him that he now had a legitimate, nondate reason to talk to Angela again. To tell her that Larry would take a look at her cookies. Daniel would decide in the meantime whether another date could or should happen.
Though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
* * *
“ O H , MY NIGHTMARE , oh, my nightmare, oh, my ni-i-ightmare Madeleines.” Angela thumped down a plate of the small shell-shaped French cakes on the coffee table in the group’s shared apartment. “Hey, are we the only two who showed up for cleaning duty again?”
“Jack’s coming. Seth has a lesson. Demi…” Bonnie rolled her eyes and poured scouring powder into the sink. “Who knows. Cookies still not cooperating?”
“Spongy. Crumb not delicate enough. I’m liking the rosemary-lemon flavor, though.”
“Let me try. I bet they’re fine.” She peeled off her manicure-saving yellow rubber gloves, which clashed spectacularly with her sheer violet top, and made a beeline for the plate, grabbed a Madeleine and took a bite. Chewed thoughtfully. “Oh, how spongy, and what an indelicate crumb.”
Angela snorted. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m not wild about the rosemary in there, but the texture doesn’t bother me.” She finished the cookie and took another. “You’re too picky.”
“If I’m going to compete…”
“I know, I know, you want the glamor-bakery. Well, keep trying. You’ll get it. I’m sure the five hundred and seventy-seventh recipe will be better.”
“Only three hundred forty-five to go.” Angela made a face. “I’ll go get the cleaning stuff.”
She went into the back room, a bedroom whose closet the group had taken over for supplies, and pulled out spray cleaner and a sponge, absently tossing her bakery apron on the bed. The group picked one Sunday evening a month to get together and clean the common room, since doing it on a rotating basis hadn’t worked out. Someone was always busy on his or her day.
“So…” Back in the kitchen, Bonnie was still going at the sink, again wearing the horrible gloves. “I have not yet gotten the detailed report on The Man Who Cannot Date.”
“I came by your place last night and you’d gone out.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Bonnie’s voice turned ultracasual. “Seth and I went out for a drink.”
Angela sighed. She didn’t know whether to strangle Seth, Bonnie or both. Why did Bonnie keep doing this to herself? Could denial run that deep or was she simply a masochist? “Fun time?”
“Sure. He’s always fun. So did you get Daniel to change his mind?”
“I don’t know.” Angela found herself scrubbing the same spot over and over, a spot that hadn’t been that dirty in the first place. “I just…don’t know.”
“Well, that’s not too helpful. What happened?”
“Pretty much
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