"So... what? You're going to give yourself a permanent penalty for making some poor decisions years ago?"
He shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and puffed up his chest. "No, but I need to be careful."
"You need to still enjoy your life."
"I do."
Shane didn't look convinced. "I mean, outside of family and outside of football."
Xavier crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "I don't see you doing much of that either."
Shane's features slid into an I know what you're doing and I'm not rising to the bait smirk. "We're not talking about me here."
"Let's do that instead. That's more fun."
Shane dropped to the couch and took a pull from his beer. "I know you're worried about people taking advantage of you and disappointing you. But you should still let people in."
"My life is fine the way it is."
"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."
CHAPTER SIX
Xavier parked his SUV behind a white minivan with Bliss Bakery's yellow logo. One week had passed since he'd nearly held Ashley in his arms. One week filled with text messages as they coordinated times for him to shadow her at the bakery. One week spent wondering how she'd feel with him essentially on her turf, and if she'd thought of him nearly as often.
He carried a few of his mother's recipe cards in his pocket, per Ashley's request.
The bell jangled when he entered the shop. She waved at him from behind the counter. "Come on in."
"Busy today?"
A shadow fell across her face. "Not as much as I'd like. But that gives me time to bake with you. Want some coffee?"
"Sure." He surveyed the treats behind the glass. Cupcakes, brownies, muffins, and cookies. "Can I get a chocolate cupcake too? The one with the black and white swirled frosting."
That brought her smile back. She handed over the coffee and the cupcake, then waved off the ten dollar bill he held. "On the house."
"No way." He grasped her hand and pushed the bill into her palm, then closed her fingers over it. "And I need to pay you for my brother's cake."
"Ready to see it?"
"Definitely." He followed her into the kitchen. The three-tier creation, white with a touch of black accents, was perfect. "It exceeds anything I imagined."
Her face lit up. "Really?"
"They're going to love it. Can we settle up payment now, so I don't walk out of here later and forget?"
"If you did, I'd be able to hunt you down. But sure, you can pay now." She led him back to the main area.
He paid and pocketed his receipt. The bell over the door jangled and an old man walked in. Xavier took his coffee and cupcake to one of the small, round tables, moving quickly to get out of the way.
The old man lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose while he perused the treats. "Ashley, I'll take one dozen assorted cupcakes and two dozen cookies."
"Seeing the grandkids today, Tino?"
"Yep. My daughter's youngest just turned five. I'll have a full house in about an hour. It's a blessing to have three generations of family under one roof today to celebrate Mother's Day."
Ashley's smile flinched. "How wonderful for you. That's really special."
"How's business, kiddo?"
A single shoulder lifted as she responded. "Same old, same old."
His expression soured. "I don't know why people keep flocking to Blackstone's. Stuff tastes like cardboard to me. You keep doing what you're doing, girl. They'll be back."
"Thank you." Ears pink, Ashley continued to chat as she rang him up. She boxed up the requested items and added a few more. Then she walked the old man to the door and held it open for him. She came back smiling.
"Good customer?" Xavier threw his trash away. He'd polished off his cupcake and drained his coffee embarrassingly fast.
"The best. He's been coming here every Sunday since my mom opened the shop. My most loyal customer." She dusted her hands on her cheerful yellow apron. "Ready to head in the back and talk baking basics?"
Not quite. He met her at the register. "What was that about Blackstone's?"
She wrinkled her nose. "They're new. And super close by. And everyone wants to try them."
"Aren't they in the competition with us? I'm pretty sure that's the bakery Tyson will be working with."
"Unfortunately." The shadow was back, dimming the happiness from her face. "Whatever player you see as your biggest rival, that's what Blackstone's is to me. And I'm having a losing season."
Years of playing sports, studying how to take down an opponent, and how to play to his strengths had more than prepared him for this. It was the one area—maybe the only area—where he could really help her. "Then let's go build a game plan to beat them."
The light of battle came into her eyes, and she motioned him back into the kitchen. "Are you ready to bake something?"
"More than ready. Ryan keeps texting me with tips and reminders and asking me the definitions on those flashcards. He's deemed himself as my coach."
"That's sweet."
"Sweet's one word for it." But he grinned. Ryan was helping him. Xavier read through the cards multiple times a day.
"When you sent me those texts, I decided to dig through my mom's recipes too. I mean, I use her recipes all the time, but I started digging for some that I hadn't seen in a while. And I was thinking, to tie more into the cancer charity, we could use recipes from our mothers' recipe boxes in the competition. That way, it feels like they're there with us." She wrapped her arms around her torso. "I know I'll need all the support and good feelings I can get."
She looked as lost and lonely as he'd felt when looking through those recipes that day. He pulled the recipe cards from his pocket. "I like that idea."
"So what do you have?"
He traced his finger over the even script. "She made these great chocolate almond crinkle cookies."
"Let's start there."
Xavier shuffled another of the cards to the top of the
