brushing her hair into a ponytail and firmly clipping it in place.
She was downstairs unlocking the door to her shop at four fifty AM . A hand on her arm made her shriek like a girl before turning à la tough chic Nikita with pepper spray in hand. No one was messing with her grand opening.
“Whoa, it’s me,” Nick said.
“Way to scare a person,” she said. “What are you doing out here?”
“I told you we planned a neighborhood watch.”
“You were out here all night?”
“Part of it,” he said.
She didn’t know what to say to that. “Uh, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached out to gently smooth a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
She reached up to secure her wayward hair. Some rebellious strands were too short to stay in her ponytail. Her fingers awkwardly bumped into his. “This can’t continue,” she whispered.
“Why not?”
“Because you can’t have people standing guard all night to protect my business. This is just for the grand opening, right?”
He shrugged.
It was still dark outside and the corner streetlight highlighted his chiseled cheekbones, casting his face in sharp angles and shadows.
As soon as she unlocked the shop door, Nick reached around her to hold it open for her. This wasn’t the first time he’d done something … well, almost chivalrous. Not that she wanted to fall into a simpering-miss mode where she needed someone to protect her. She didn’t. She’d been looking after herself just fine, thank you very much.
Okay, it was true that her dad had helped her out big-time by letting her use this building rent-free. But she planned on paying him back when her business took off. Not if her business took off, but when . Of course, that could take a while …
She raced to the back to disarm the security system before its alarm went off, then raced back to the front to relock the front door. “I guess I should use the back door,” she said.
“This way is safer,” he said.
“Well, um, I’ve got to get started. Oh, here’s Xandra. She’s one of my employees.” Daniella let her in.
Nick abruptly got all dark and broody. “Later, ladies,” he said curtly before leaving.
“Who’s he?” Xandra asked as she trailed Daniella into the back work area.
“His name is Nick St. George. He’s in charge of the local business association.”
“St. George. He’s the one who killed a dragon to rescue a beautiful lady.”
“I don’t think Nick has killed any dragons lately,” Daniella said as she reached for one of the oversized stainless bowls she used to mix the cupcake batter.
“I didn’t mean him personally, although he does look a little…”
“Like a hero from a Brontë novel?” Daniella inserted. “Or maybe Austen?”
“More a combo of Brontë and edgy rock and roll.”
“Hmm, an interesting observation. You know, when I first met him, I thought he had a bit of a Mick Jagger thing going on. I mean, with the fierce lips and those cheekbones.”
“Are you a Stones fan?”
“Not at all,” Daniella said.
“Yet you like Nick,” Xandra said.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Let’s focus on getting this batter done. Then you can use the ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners,” Daniella said.
“Okay.”
She and Xandra worked well together. The baking tins held twenty-four cupcakes and the oven held four tins at a time. Twenty minutes later, she switched out the vanilla cupcakes for red velvet ones.
Daniella was a bundle of nerves until the room filled with the aroma she loved so much. The warm and sweet scents of freshly baked goodies never failed to take her back to her childhood days, when her mom would open the oven door and retrieve the cupcakes. “Don’t they smell just heavenly?” her mom would say. “Like a vanilla cloud of happiness or a joyful breath of divine chocolate.”
Those memories made Daniella feel all warm and safe inside, as if her mother were looking down on her now
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