miming shaking hands. The poor guy had stage fright, it seemed.
“Do you make the cupcakes as well?” Lydia asked, sauntering up next to him and reaching up to put her hand on his shoulder. Standing beside him, she waggled her brows at the camera. “Look how big he is,” she said, almost to herself.
Still staring past the camera like a deer caught in headlights, Erik followed along as Audrey nodded vigorously. ‘Answer the question,’ she mouthed.
“Yes, I made them,” he said. “But they’re Audrey’s recipes.”
“Well, come on in here, Audrey,” Lydia said, her overly white teeth gleaming.
Lou reached around and pushed her forward and she stumbled into Erik, who put his arm around her shoulder.
“Would you like to try one?” she asked, pulling on Erik’s arm to send him behind the counter, shocked when Lou panned down to his ass. What kind of morning show was this?
“Definitely,” Lydia said, taking a bite of the maple bacon. Her eyes rolled back in her head theatrically. “Goodness gracious, that’s delicious. Is there bacon in there? Ladies and gentleman, be sure to check out Valhalla Cupcakes on West Bingham. This is Lydia, and I’ll see you again next week for channel eight’s new business breakout.”
She snapped her hand at Lou, and he turned off the camera. In a whirlwind of handshakes and Audrey pressing a box of cupcakes on them to take back to the station, they were gone.
Erik stood in a daze, silently refilling one of the customer’s coffee cups before turning to her. “That was a good thing? I thought we weren’t giving away anymore cupcakes.”
“It was a very good thing, I think,” she said. “And it was only a half dozen. It’s free advertising, don’t you see? I hope people actually watch that show.”
She couldn’t contain her excitement, couldn’t wait to search for the segment on the internet to see if she’d looked capable and professional. She slapped her hand to her head.
“How did my hair look?” she asked, trying to catch her reflection in the display case.
“The same as usual,” he answered, not helpful at all.
She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. “I hope a million people come because of that show.”
He held onto her, letting her slide down the length of him before resting her feet back on the floor. He smiled tenderly at her, then looked sheepishly at the customers over her shoulder. She turned to see the groups of women beaming at them.
“You two are so sweet together,” one of the older ones said.
“Yes, a lovely couple,” another one said, turning to her friend. “Were we ever that young, Mabel?”
Audrey shook her head at their misunderstanding, but Erik pulled her closer, announcing, “We’re very happy to be able to live our dream here. It’s truly Valhalla to us.”
Every single one of the customers sighed as if he’d just read the most beautiful, heart rending poem known to mankind, and even though she could see the teasing glimmer in his eyes, she couldn’t help but lean against him and go along with it for the sake of the ladies. Maybe for her own sake too, just a little.
Chapter 8
The second day was only slightly less busy than the grand opening, and it kept them both on their toes until Audrey gratefully said goodbye to the last customers and locked the door behind them. The main difference was there was a huge call-in order that had to be ready for pickup the next day. The fancy ad agency up the block from her needed eight dozen cupcakes with green frosting for a teambuilding event, and she’d told them absolutely, giddy about her first catering order.
“Take a rest, we’re going to be baking some more,” she told Erik, trying to push him into a chair. “I’ll head out to the store to restock, and get us some dinner.”
She didn’t think he’d taken a break the whole day, barely pausing to inhale the hamburger she ran out to buy him at lunchtime. Now he swayed on his feet with weariness, but
“Do you make the cupcakes as well?” Lydia asked, sauntering up next to him and reaching up to put her hand on his shoulder. Standing beside him, she waggled her brows at the camera. “Look how big he is,” she said, almost to herself.
Still staring past the camera like a deer caught in headlights, Erik followed along as Audrey nodded vigorously. ‘Answer the question,’ she mouthed.
“Yes, I made them,” he said. “But they’re Audrey’s recipes.”
“Well, come on in here, Audrey,” Lydia said, her overly white teeth gleaming.
Lou reached around and pushed her forward and she stumbled into Erik, who put his arm around her shoulder.
“Would you like to try one?” she asked, pulling on Erik’s arm to send him behind the counter, shocked when Lou panned down to his ass. What kind of morning show was this?
“Definitely,” Lydia said, taking a bite of the maple bacon. Her eyes rolled back in her head theatrically. “Goodness gracious, that’s delicious. Is there bacon in there? Ladies and gentleman, be sure to check out Valhalla Cupcakes on West Bingham. This is Lydia, and I’ll see you again next week for channel eight’s new business breakout.”
She snapped her hand at Lou, and he turned off the camera. In a whirlwind of handshakes and Audrey pressing a box of cupcakes on them to take back to the station, they were gone.
Erik stood in a daze, silently refilling one of the customer’s coffee cups before turning to her. “That was a good thing? I thought we weren’t giving away anymore cupcakes.”
“It was a very good thing, I think,” she said. “And it was only a half dozen. It’s free advertising, don’t you see? I hope people actually watch that show.”
She couldn’t contain her excitement, couldn’t wait to search for the segment on the internet to see if she’d looked capable and professional. She slapped her hand to her head.
“How did my hair look?” she asked, trying to catch her reflection in the display case.
“The same as usual,” he answered, not helpful at all.
She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. “I hope a million people come because of that show.”
He held onto her, letting her slide down the length of him before resting her feet back on the floor. He smiled tenderly at her, then looked sheepishly at the customers over her shoulder. She turned to see the groups of women beaming at them.
“You two are so sweet together,” one of the older ones said.
“Yes, a lovely couple,” another one said, turning to her friend. “Were we ever that young, Mabel?”
Audrey shook her head at their misunderstanding, but Erik pulled her closer, announcing, “We’re very happy to be able to live our dream here. It’s truly Valhalla to us.”
Every single one of the customers sighed as if he’d just read the most beautiful, heart rending poem known to mankind, and even though she could see the teasing glimmer in his eyes, she couldn’t help but lean against him and go along with it for the sake of the ladies. Maybe for her own sake too, just a little.
Chapter 8
The second day was only slightly less busy than the grand opening, and it kept them both on their toes until Audrey gratefully said goodbye to the last customers and locked the door behind them. The main difference was there was a huge call-in order that had to be ready for pickup the next day. The fancy ad agency up the block from her needed eight dozen cupcakes with green frosting for a teambuilding event, and she’d told them absolutely, giddy about her first catering order.
“Take a rest, we’re going to be baking some more,” she told Erik, trying to push him into a chair. “I’ll head out to the store to restock, and get us some dinner.”
She didn’t think he’d taken a break the whole day, barely pausing to inhale the hamburger she ran out to buy him at lunchtime. Now he swayed on his feet with weariness, but
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