“Yes. Exactly. I don’t want customers to feel like they’re at thekiddie table in the living room for Thanksgiving dinner.”
She chuckled at the analogy because of just how well she couldrelate. “We’ll have to see how much of the wall can go without having to put innew beams.”
“I should say up front it’s the part I’m willing to splurge on.It’s that important.”
It was hard to say which she liked more—Amanda’s willingness tosplurge or the fact that she cared about such a key architectural feature.“Then that’s what you’ll have.”
“I was hoping you’d say that, too.” Amanda smiled again. Thistime, it was all enthusiasm. Which Quinn didn’t mind. This was, after all, aprofessional arrangement.
“Have you taken over the lease of the other space? Can we get inand walk through now?”
“One better. I bought the building.”
One better indeed. They wouldn’t have to worry about anyapprovals beyond the usual permits and things. “Fantastic.”
“Shall we?”
“Please.”
Amanda led her next door. She could already see the wall gone.They could add a second display case, another register. More lighting and, asAmanda mentioned, more seating. Probably three times as much as she had now. Itwasn’t hard to imagine the bakery going from a place to grab a quick bite to adestination. She’d make a point of coming more often for sure. For the food, ofcourse, but also to maybe spend time with the beautiful owner, without powderedsugar on her face.
“Why do you look so worried?” Amanda’s question cut through thehaze of her imagination.
Quinn cleared her throat. “Not worried. Getting a little ahead ofmyself. I have that tendency sometimes.”
“I imagine it’s a good trait in your line of work.”
Work. Right. That was the point. Not her fantasies of spendingmornings working at one of the new tables and chatting up Amanda when sheemerged from the kitchen. “It has its perks I suppose.”
They spent a few minutes discussing next steps: measurements,initial blueprints, a visit from a structural engineer. Quinn scheduled anappointment to return the following week and bid Amanda a good day. But notbefore snagging a few cupcakes and another one of those strawberry donuts forthe road.
Chapter Two
Amanda walked into the house to the sound of gunfire andexplosions. Fortunately, they were the digital kind and coming from thebasement. She headed downstairs and found Cal and Zoe playing Fortnite. “How was theAP exam?”
Cal paused the game and they both looked her way. “Brutal.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “He’s being dramatic. We’re both pretty surewe got at least fours.”
She looked at Cal. He made a face. “Yeah. What she said.”
She wasn’t worried. Physics was like a second language to Cal andhe spoke it more fluently than she ever did. English, on the other hand, not somuch. “Good. I assume you two are blowing off steam before your last stretch ofstudying for tomorrow?”
“Mom, if I write one more rhetorical analysis essay, I mightliterally die.”
Zoe shook her head and looked at him with a mix of exasperationand pity. “Your misuse of the word literally begs to differ.”
He turned his attention, along with a withering glare, her way.“I was being hyperbolic.”
“Nice recovery. I withdraw my insult.”
It was their usual banter—sarcastic and a bit brainy—but still madeher smile. Zoe had been Cal’s best friend since preschool. She’d come out astrans just as they hit puberty and Amanda had worried the combination ofhormones and middle school angst might pull them apart. Cal never wavered,though, remaining so loyal she then wondered if maybe he’d developed a crush onher. But by all accounts, she was wrong on that front, too. They remainedinseparable and, she was pretty sure, had similar taste in girls. It baffledher at times, but seemed to make perfect sense to them.
“Can Zoe stay for dinner?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can play video games until it’sready.”
Cal sighed, but said, “Okay.”
Zoe, a lit nerd as much as a physics nerd, beamed. “I madeQuizlets.”
Cal groaned and Amanda chuckled. “I’m going to take a quickshower and then I’ll get chicken on the grill. Sound good?”
Zoe asked, “Would you like help?”
“I’ve got it. I’ll let you two tackle dishes.”
Another groan from Cal, but there wasn’t any feeling behind it.“Thanks, Mom.”
She pointed at the television. “Go ahead and finish this round orwhatever it is. Just don’t blow the next hour on it.”
They nodded and Amanda left them to finish saving the world. Orwere they destroying it? She could never keep track.
She climbed the stairs to the main level, then up to her room.She peeled off her work clothes and headed for the shower, scrubbing off thepowdered sugar that seemed to seep into her pores when she spent the day makingfrosting and rolling fondant. Thinking of powdered sugar made her think ofQuinn. It was a good thing Erin hadn’t stopped by because she’d never letAmanda hear the end of it. Because despite what Amanda might say about nothaving a stake one way or the other, Quinn was crazy good-looking. The dustingof sugar on her nose had only intensified that fact, adding a layer of adorablyapproachable to what might have been an intimidating level of hotness.
Not just general hotness, either. In gray pants and a whiteoxford, Quinn was rocking butch business casual hardcore. Her salt-and-pepperhair was cut short, with enough on top to enjoy running her fingers through.Not her fingers, obviously. One’s fingers. Quinn’s. Or someone she was dating.
Attempting to back out of the thought proved worse than thethought itself. Being in the shower didn’t help. Amanda shook her head andscrubbed her arms with renewed vigor. She was being ridiculous. And she didn’tdo ridiculous.
After cutting the water and toweling off, she slipped on her robeand padded to her dresser. She had no business thinking about Quinn and herhotness. She was a grown woman with near-adult children and Quinn was hercolleague. Or employee. Or something. Whatever the word was, it hadprofessional in the definition, which made Quinn squarely off limits.
She got dressed and pulled her hair up in a clip. Workingtogether or not, she wasn’t in
