Her cheeks flushed, but she smiled. “That’s common knowledge.”
“Not too common.” I reached for her hands. “I know we got off to a fast start, but all joking aside, I don’t do this kind of thing. The other guys, yeah, they have a good time while we’re on the road, but that’s never been my style.”
She’d washed off her makeup from earlier and changed into a long-sleeve T-shirt and a pair of leggings that hugged her curves. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks. Then she met my gaze.
“You don’t have to say stuff like that. I get this is just a onetime thing.” Her fingers squeezed mine, then she let go and turned to a giant stainless-steel counter. “I need to get started if I want to have stuff ready. We open at seven.”
“Just tell me what to do, boss.” I’d have time to convince her I meant what I said. Later, after I helped her get ready to open. Because the more time I spent with her, the more I was convinced that she belonged with me. I’d do whatever I needed to show her I meant it, even if I hadn’t figured out how to make it work quite yet.
* * *
Britt
It’sa good thing Shane had found his calling as a singer and songwriter because his skills in the kitchen left a lot to be desired. He was trying... I could tell by the way his forehead furrowed in concentration while he rolled up the dough for cinnamon rolls.
“Better?” he asked.
I glanced up to see a lumpy log of dough. “Um, why don’t you let me take over that part and you can mix up the glaze?”
He pulled the plastic gloves off his hands. “It’s okay, you can say it. I suck.”
I bit back a laugh at the lopsided grin on his face. Flour dusted his nose and ground cinnamon decorated the front of his apron. “You don’t suck. It takes practice.”
“I think I’m a better baking spectator than participant.” He took a sip of the coffee I’d made. “And I might be able to handle working the cash register. I used to operate the drive-thru window at a fast-food place in high school.”
“Really?” Thinking about Shane before he found fame and fortune hadn’t crossed my mind. “Tell me more about your pre-famous days.”
His brow furrowed. “It’s not a happy story.”
“You don’t have to share if you don’t want to.”
He glanced up, his gaze holding mine. “I want you to know me. The real me. My dad bailed when I was eight, then my mom passed away a year later. I grew up not too far from here in Broken Bend, Texas, in a foster home with a dozen other guys.”
“I’m so sorry.” I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“It wasn’t so bad.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “Especially when I got picked to sing backup at a Dolly Parton concert when I was in high school. That’s how I got my agent, and the rest is history.”
“You met Dolly?” I wasn’t into music unless it was Dolly Parton. She was a national treasure, right up there with the late Betty White.
“Briefly.” He shrugged and let go of my hand. “How about you? Give me the quick rundown of your backstory.”
“Shouldn’t we have done this before we got naked together?” I grinned as I re-rolled the dough for cinnamon rolls.
“I wasn’t really thinking about where you grew up when you were driving me crazy in those red heels.” His tongue darted out to swipe along his lower lip.
My pulse ticked up in response. Having Shane in the bakery might be bad for business if I couldn’t keep my mind on baking and off of him.
“Okay, mom and dad split when I was three. No siblings unless you count Abby. She’s been like a sister to me since we met in kindergarten. I grew up right here in Silver Creek and have never lived anywhere else.” We couldn’t be more different on the surface.
“Did your mom or dad ever get remarried?” He stepped close to where I stood at the counter.
“Dad died about five years ago. Mom’s dated a lot but hasn’t gotten married. She moved to California two years ago to take care of my grandma.” I slid the knife through the dough and set the roll on a baking pan.
“You don’t have family here?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Wow. I don’t know what life would be like without the support of my foster mother. Hell, the guys in the band are like brothers to me too, even if they do get on my nerves on a regular basis. It’s impressive that you’re doing this all on your own. The bakery, I mean.”