If she was looking at me instead of her objective, she’d see my huge smile. I’m having more fun than I have in years.
I replay the earlier conversation in my head, the one about Scrumptious Chocolate. “Hey, that’s why you asked for such a specific amount of money to help me out this weekend, isn’t it? For Scrumptious Chocolate. You made a business plan, didn’t you?” Oh, she’s not playing fair at all. To me, there is nothing in the world sexier than a woman with a business plan.
“Right again,” she says. I can tell she’s concentrating on the hallway in front of us.
Then she gives me the signal and we’re on the move, making our way down the hallway. She’s right about the disguises. Nobody recognizes me. Or her either, for that matter. She’s smart. And determined. And funny. And clever.
With her as my fake fiancé, even with these distractions, I am starting to feel more and more confident that I’ll be able to fool the board of directors and get the job.
“Okay,” she says when we get close. She grabs my arm and hides behind me in a way that is adorable. “Is she there?”
“Is who where?”
She snorts at me and peeks for herself. “The girl who’s covering my shift. She must be in the back. Perfect. Now’s our chance.” She walks quickly, still in her bathing suit, coverup, and towel. Only now she also has a tee shirt, hat, and goofy sunglasses on even though she’s inside the building.
She reaches her pastry counter and throws open the small gate that separates the guests from the employees.
I hang back just behind the gate. But apparently that’s not good enough. She walks back and pulls me through into the kitchen area and then around another corner. “Okay, you stay here. I’ll be right back. And if you see anybody, say something.”
“What do I say?” I ask, getting drawn into the moment.
“Wait, don’t say anything. If you see anybody, clear your throat. Loudly.”
“Okay,” I say. “Like this?” I take a deep breath and she puts a hand on my chest and holds a finger over her lips in my direction. “No. Do not practice. Be quiet and stay out of sight unless you see somebody. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
I almost laugh out loud at the uber serious look on her face. And then she’s gone. I stand there looking left and right, trying to be as good a kitchen heist lookout as I can be.
After a minute or so I get bored and peek around a corner. Then I settle in, fully prepared to loudly clear my throat if need be. Truth be told, I have never been a lookout before.
I have to admit, after the novelty of it all wears off, it’s a little boring. I lean back against the counter. Then I backtrack a little so that I can steal a glance inside the pastry display. Then I notice that there are trays of newly made deserts cooling on the counter. And they look amazing. They smell even better.
I glance all around me one more time, just to make sure that the coast is clear. For Kaylee and for me. There’s nobody coming or going, no sounds at all.
No footsteps, no clattering, just dead silence. In fact, judging by the noise I make tiptoeing over to the desert counter trays, anybody coming in this direction would sound like a herd of elephants anyway.
I ogle the tray of just-baked eclairs, bear claws and other delicacies, sniffing in the heavenly aroma. I decide to take one. Nobody will miss it, what’s the harm?
Besides, I am helping out the pastry chef. It’s the least she could do in return. In fact, if she were right here, right now, she’d probably offer me one anyway. I was nearly certain of it. All I’m doing is saving her the trouble.
But which one? It’s so hard to decide. I go back and forth in my mind for a few moments. On the one hand, the éclairs look amazing. They’re still warm and look crispy and are drizzled in chocolate. There are other options but in the end it’s no contest. Éclair it is.
Yep, that’s the winner. After another cautious glance around the room, I select one and grab it. It’s warm enough to confirm that it has come out of the oven recently, but not too hot for me to take a bite. And as soon as I take that bite, savoring every single molecule of it, that’s when I hear footsteps behind me.
Oh shit. Somebody’s coming. I have to give Kaylee the signal. Chew, chew, swallow, breathe.
Oh yeah, I don’t have to talk, all I have to do is clear my throat. I do so. Loudly, as requested. The footsteps continue. I panic. Kaylee and I never discussed what’s supposed to happen after I clear my throat.
I think about it. The throat-clearing I did just now was pretty loud. Should I do it again? On the other hand, there’s nothing else I can do unless I really call attention to myself, which Kaylee is clearly against.
While worrying about whether I should or shouldn’t do anything about the current situation, I take another heavenly bite of eclair and lean back on the counter.
Chapter Twenty
Kaylee
The goofy tourist disguise thing sounded like a good idea in my head, but now that I am headed to the kitchen freezer in my bikini, goofy hat, and sunglasses, I feel like I’m in a very poorly written sitcom.
Now I’m not sure if I’m more afraid of getting laughed at or fired. Okay, I’m definitely more afraid of getting fired, but I’m also quite sure I look ridiculous.
But despite it all, I make it to the freezer just fine. Everything’s going perfectly. I open the door, go inside, and immediately panic because I can’t see anything.
I pause as I try to figure
