Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Jay-sus, I amexhausted.” Cordelia flopped onto the floor in a dramatic heap. “Whyare so many people buying cupcakes on a random Wednesday?”
“Don’t complain.” Bryce slouched against the counter and folded his arms over his chest. “I, for one, am happy it’s crazy again. We don’t want a repeat of late August.”
Cordelia shuddered. “True.”
Sammy cleared his throat. Loudly. “Guys, I want you to meet someone.”
His front house managers jerked their heads around and scrambled to their feet when they saw who stood next to him.
“This is Jude.” He gestured to the brown-haired man who surveyed the shop with sharp eyes and a faint glimmer of amusement. “Jude, this is Cordelia and Bryce. They run the front of the house.”
“Nice to meet you.” Bryce stuck out his hand, then flushed, like he wasn’t sure whether that was the right thing to do.
“Nice to meet you, too.” Jude returned the handshake with an easy smile. “You’re right. We definitely don’t want a repeat of late August.”
“You’re the new CEO.” Cordelia gave him a once-over. “You’re younger than I expected.”
Trust Cordelia to speak her mind, even to new management.
Jude laughed. “Thank you, but there’s no need to flatter me with words. A cupcake will do just fine.”
Surprise flitted across Cordelia’s face before she grinned. “I like you, boss.” She paused. “I mean, boss two. What should I call you now?” She directed this question at Sammy like he’d have an answer. “‘Boss,’ ‘boss one,’ or ‘baking boss’?”
“None of the above. Call me Sammy.”
“Boring.”
He sighed. “Good luck,” he muttered under his breath to Jude, who laughed harder.
“The people here are great. I’m glad you brought me on.”
“Me too. Trust me, you’re a lifesaver.” Sammy slapped his new CEO’s back before he left him to get to know Cordelia and Bryce better. Jude had asked to introduce himself and speak to all the employees of Crumble & Bake personally, and the front house was the last stop since the bakery had just closed for the day.
With the PR crisis behind him and business booming once again, Sammy had thrown himself headfirst into finding a CEO. After weeks of interviews, he’d lucked out with Jude, who was competent, approachable, detail-oriented, and experienced—all the things he needed in a chief executive. In his late forties, Jude had worked in the food industry all his life, with his latest role being chief operating officer of a cult plant burger chain, which he left because of the workplace culture. He’d officially signed the papers last week, and today was his first day on the job. As Sammy had predicted, the staff already loved him.
“Uh, boss one?” Cordelia angled her head toward the entrance to the shop. “Think someone is looking for you.”
Sammy followed her gaze, and the breath whooshed out of his lungs when he saw who stood on the other side of the now-locked front door.
“Hey, isn’t that the—” Bryce started before Cordelia jabbed her elbow in his side.
“You guys talk. I’ll be right back.” Sammy forced himself to relax as he walked to the door and stepped into the warm midday sun. The usually bustling sidewalk was quiet in the lull between lunch and rush hour, and he noticed every sound around him—the quiet pounding of his heart, the jangling of bells as someone exited the shop next to his, the faint honk of a car horn in the distance. “That’s quite an outfit.”
Olivia blushed. She wore a black tee that bared her stomach and had a sparkly graphic of the famous Vegas sign stamped on the front, tiny denim shorts, and Adidas. Giant palm tree earrings swung from her ears and gleamed gold beneath the sun.
“I lost a bet with my sister.” She grimaced. “She told me to wear this to see you. She was drunk at the time, so her judgment may have been off.”
His brows knit together. “Alina? I didn’t realize you two were drinking and making bets with each other now.”
Last he’d heard, the Tang sisters were on barely civil terms.
Then again, he hadn’t spoken with Olivia since Italy. It’d killed him not to talk to or see her, but he’d kept his word and given her space to sort out whatever she needed to sort out.
“It’s a long story.” Olivia blinked up at him, looking so beautiful—even in that ridiculous outfit—that his heart hurt. “Can we talk? I have...a lot to tell you.”
He smiled, his heart glowing at being near her again. “I thought you’d never ask.”