Chapter 12
Full-court press – when everyone in your town decides to exert pressure on you to do as they wish; your wishes and desires be damned
Rowan
Ithrow the dough onto the prep surface before pounding my fist into it. I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I gave into temptation and kissed Ashlyn, but when she talked about her goals for the future, I felt pride well up in me and I couldn’t resist any longer.
Her lips were as soft as I’d imagined them, and her taste was even better than I imagined. She tastes of happiness, sunshine, and chocolate. An intoxicating flavor if ever there was one.
I pound the dough with my fist again. No! I need to stop these wayward thoughts of Ashlyn. I can never be with her. Replaying the kiss over and over in my mind is not going to change things.
“What did the dough ever do to you, amigo?”
I glance up at my assistant Bryan’s question and scowl at him. He lifts his hands and backs away.
“Who pissed in your Cheerios?”
I snort. “I don’t eat Cheerios.”
He rolls his eyes before gasping and placing a hand on his chest. “Please tell me it finally happened.”
I concentrate on kneading the dough. “What happened?”
“Don’t insult me by pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
I shrug and keep my eyes on my dough. Hopefully, he’ll drop the subject and move on. He hops onto the prep table. I guess not. I shove him off. He squeals as he pretends to fall off. Such a drama queen.
“This is beyond exciting. Who do I tell first?” He claps and dances around the room.
I slam my palms down on the table. “No one. You tell no one.”
“Oh. You’re having an illicit affair. Don’t worry. I can keep a secret.”
I know he can. After all, he’s kept the secret of what happened with my ex-wife from the town. And, in this town, keeping a secret is akin to a miracle.
“Nothing happened.”
“Grumpy face doesn’t say nothing happened.”
“I need to finish baking the bread for the morning rush.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the wall. “You should probably get to telling me what happened pronto then, shouldn’t you?”
I debate throwing his ass out into the alley behind the bakery. I can do it. Bryan is at least half a foot shorter than me and a good fifty pounds lighter.
He wags his finger at me. “Don’t you dare try it, me amigo. I’m liable to cry in pain when you throw me, and the police station is next door.”
I grunt. I hate when he’s right.
He frowns. “Was it not good? Was it not everything you imagined?”
Damnit. I hate how he knows about the feelings I’ve been harboring for Ashlyn for the past year since she returned home from college. I should know better than to open the good whiskey when he’s around. For reasons I’ve yet to understand, he can get me to confess my deepest, darkest secrets.
It made him a great personal assistant when I was playing football. I thought when I returned to Winter Falls, he’d find another football player to assist. Wrong. The guy heard about my plans to open a bakery and nearly wet his pants in excitement. He couldn’t follow me back to Winter Falls quick enough.
I need to get confession time over with or I really will be late with this morning’s bread.
“We kissed,” I grit out.