“Whoa,” I whisper to the loaf of sourdough bread.
He’s fit, muscular, and looks sexy as hell with tattoo sleeves running along his sculpted arms. They travel from his wrists to under his short-sleeved shirt. I’m not sure where they stop, but I’d love to find out.
I hope I don’t have to serve him. What would I say? What would I do if he recognizes me? I’d die.
He’s probably the only hot guy in this whole tiny town and I’m going to make a fool of myself, not knowing what I’m doing back here.
“Malcolm!” Lindsay says as she walks in from the back. “What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?”
I watch with my pulse racing as she charges up to him and gives him a big hug.
Who is this guy?
I giggle as I watch his face twist up while she kisses him on both cheeks.
“Okay, Mom!” he says as he tries to wiggle away.
Mom? Holy shit, that’s Lindsay’s son?
Aunt Tracy was right about him. He’s beautiful. He’s a New York ten. He’s a ten wherever he goes.
“I thought you might need some help today.”
“What a sweet boy I have,” she says proudly as she gently slaps his cheek. “I raised you right!”
“I know the new girl is starting,” he says as he looks around for me. I duck all the way down with a gulp. “Where is she?”
I hear a humph from Lindsay. “Back there somewhere. She’s as useless as a duck in the shower.”
A duck in the shower? Where the hell do these people get their expressions from?
“Mom, it’s her first day. Give her a break.”
“I shouldn’t have hired her,” she says in a fierce tone. “I knew I should have trusted my gut, but Tracy can be as hardheaded as a bullfrog with a bullhorn when she wants something. Do you know her father is in jail?! Her mother ran off with some investment banker. They’re living in The Cayman Islands! The whole family is probably rotten down to the core. I’m keeping an eye on the register.”
I drop my back against the cool refrigerated counter and sigh. I’ll never be taken seriously again. My name will always be tarnished no matter what I do.
“Stop, Mom,” he says as he starts walking away from her.
I panic when I hear his footsteps approaching. What am I supposed to do? Let him find me here and then he’ll know that I’ve been eavesdropping on them this whole time? I can’t do that!
Without thinking, I start to quickly crawl toward the back, keeping the counter blocking me from his view. Hopefully, I can get there before he—shit.
“Hello,” he says in a deep sensual voice that has my body tingling all over.
I look up—slowly dying inside—and force out a smile at him. “Hi.”
“What are you doing?”
“My contact!” I nearly shout, when the brilliant idea pops into my head. “I lost my contact.”
“Let me help you look for it.” He bends down and I get a delicious whiff of his cologne. He smells so good. Even more tempting than all these baked goods I’m surrounded by.
“No need!” I quickly say, my voice way more high-pitched and shrill than I’d like when meeting my dream guy. “Here it is!”
“That’s a piece of croissant,” he says as I grab the flake and quickly turn around.
“No, no. It’s my contact,” I lie as I shove it into my mouth and swallow it. I pretend like I’m putting something in my eye as my cheeks burn a bright red.
This is so bad. This man’s insane hotness has completely thrown me off my game. It’s causing my brain to fizzle. My heart is hammering away in my chest, knowing that I’m making a fool of myself.
“All done,” I say as I turn around with a forced smile and then stand up.
I swallow hard when I see the way his arm muscles flex as he grabs the counter to pull himself up.
He’s taller than me and much wider too. My eyes are level with his lips and they are something special to look at.
Stop staring at his lips. Please.
My mouth waters as I turn away, getting back to work mangling these danishes. Lindsay had to throw away my first two attempts, saying that ‘even the pigeons wouldn’t eat these and they eat everything.’ She was not happy.
I can feel him watching me as I try to pour the cherry filling on it like Lindsay showed me. Crap. I’m getting cherry fingerprints all over it. What a mess.
“So, you’re the new employee?” he asks as he leans on the counter and crosses his arms.
My eyes dart to his big tattooed biceps—straining under those tight sleeves—even though I’m physically trying not to look at them. I pull my eyes away as I nod.
“Yeah. I started this morning.”
“Charlotte, right?” he says in that smooth rich voice. Hearing my name on his sexy lips causes a swell of heat to bloom inside of me. “I saw you on the news.”