I wrench my hand free, making a show of it and letting his employees see him make an ass of himself. He doesn’t seem to mind, but his eyes narrow thoughtfully. It clears an instant later, and he flags another man over to join us.
“Olive, this is Dan. Dan is the site manager for your build. I’ll be here most of the time. I have meetings and other sites I’ll have to check in on, but I’ll be here as much as possible. Dan is my best guy.” Brooks claps a hand on Dan’s back. “Dan, this is Olive.”
Dan is a friendly, thoroughly average looking man. He shakes my hand with a smile, and I look at Brooks as if to point out the professional way to shake a client’s hand. Dan has a twinkle in his eye and looks pleased as punch when he says, “I’ve heard all about you, Olive. It’s so nice to meet you!”
I eye Brooks, my jaw clenched so hard I think it might cramp. Surely, his crew doesn’t know how we met. That would probably be more embarrassing for him than me.
Dan grins. “Brooks told us your bakery has the best coffee he’s ever had.”
Sighing with relief, I return Dan’s warm smile. “That was… generous of him, but it is great coffee. I’m happy to meet you. Please let me know if you need anything from me. We’re pretty slow right now so I don’t think customers should get in your way.”
“Thanks Olive. I’m going to snag some of those cupcakes to take home for the wife. She’s pregnant and craving chocolate.” He’s glowing as he talks about his wife. It’s sweet, and it makes my heart pang a little. It’s not jealousy. Not really. I’m just trying to imagine what it must feel like to be so cherished and adored. No one has ever glowed like that when they talked about me.
I give his arm a brief pat. “I’ll box up a dozen for you, on the house.”
He starts to argue, but I interrupt him. “Please, it will make me happy to send them to her. I bake because cookies and cupcakes make people happy. And no one appreciates a chocolate cupcake like a pregnant lady.”
Dan laughs, “I’ll just have to do an extra good job for you then. Thank you, Olive. I really appreciate it.” He gives us a little wave and leaves us to round up his crew. The tables are full of big burly men daintily eating muffins and scones and sipping coffee from pretty mugs. The sight makes me incredibly happy.
And then my attention is pulled back to Brooks as I feel a finger stroke my wrist. I whip my head back towards him only to realize he’s stepped closer. I have to lean my head back to look up at him. His subtle scent fills the surrounding air, and because I’m weak, I lean in and breathe him in. God, he smells so damn good.
“I knew you liked me,” Brooks smirks. I yank my hand away from him for the second time today.
“I most definitely do not like you,” I snap back. “Keep your gigantic hands to yourself.”
He chuckles and holds his hands up in a show of acquiescence. “Look, we’re going to get started out back. We’ll do our best not to disrupt business and I’ll let you know ahead of time when we need to bring in any big equipment. I’ll make sure they do deliveries before you open and you still have enough parking, ok?”
We’ve already discussed all of this through email, but I appreciate it. The last thing I want to do is chase off my regulars while we build out the extra space. So I nod and give him a tight smile. He reaches out to touch my face but stops an inch away, giving me a rueful smile and gesturing at his own forehead instead.
“You have flour, right here.” Then he turns, tucking his hands into his pockets and heads outside with his crew. Cocky man. I most definitely do not like him and I certainly do not stare at his amazing ass as he walks out.