It was… is. If I could choose only one endeavor in my life, it would be the food truck. Slowly, I nodded. “Okay, then,” Neil said. “There’s no choice here. You’re doing the interview… and the exposure will be life changing.”
“I can handle Beefcakes that day,” Finn said. “I know most of your recipes and I’ve done the basic baking before.”
“You’re willing to wake up at three o’clock? Make sure all the special orders are packed and ready to go and that we have enough inventory to make it a whole day?” Yes, Finn had filled in before, but usually Neil and I had half of the cupcakes pre-baked and special orders already finished. Which I wasn’t sure I could promise right after Mom’s surgery.
Finn rolled his eyes at me, seemingly unworried. “I was raised by the same mother you both were. Just because I don’t bake constantly doesn’t mean I can’t. I may not be able to do all the fancy unicorn decorations and shit… but if you leave me the recipes, I can bake a damn good cupcake. And I can pipe some rosettes on top. It won’t be the fanciest day in Beefcakes history… but we won’t lose a day of profit either.”
Chloe grinned at me. “Sounds like you’re out of excuses, Evans.”
I smiled back. “Even if I had more excuses, these two might kick my ass if I say no.”
“Hell, yeah we would,” Finn laughed.
Neil nodded. “I would kick your ass and enjoy every second.”
21 Liam
The next morning, I pulled into my normal parking spot in front of Beefcakes at three-thirty in the morning. I had gotten pretty used to these bleary-eyed mornings where I was only semi-conscious. I could create most of the bakery menu on autopilot by now.
As I got out of my car, keys in hand, I halted mid-step, shocked to see Chloe standing there, leaning against the front door of the bakery in a thigh-exposing pair of running shorts that left very little to the imagination. And one of her crop top t-shirts that revealed sexy abs that I’d seen way too many times already. It was cruel. Unjust. Like dangling a steak in front of a famished dog. “Chloe?” She offered me a sleepy smile and handed me one of the two coffee cups in her hand. “What the hell are you doing here?” I took the coffee from her, my eyes wandering to where her teeth slid across her rosy bottom lip.
As I stepped forward to unlock the door, she took a sip of her coffee, wrapping her bubblegum pink lips around the edge of the to-go cup. “We’ve got some baking to do. Four hands are better than two.”
I paused, my key midway into the lock as I asked, “We?”
She walked ahead of me while I finished unlocking the door and tossed a cheeky glance my way from over her shoulder. “You shouldn’t be the only one getting zero sleep. It’s our food truck.” She plucked one of the spare aprons from the rack behind the counter and tossed it over her head. “I should learn how to make the menu items, too.”
I blinked, locking the front door behind us. “I’m sorry… you’re going to learn to bake?”
She smiled, giving me a resolute nod. “That’s right.”
“Do I need to remind you of the unicorn disaster from several weeks ago?” I said with a grimace.
“That was different.” She tilted her chin higher. Her lips pinching, determined.
“How so?”
“I wasn’t really trying to learn back then.”
“Then what were you trying to do?” I asked, mimicking the timbre of her voice.
“Flirt,” she stated with a simple honesty that I wasn’t ready for. It momentarily knocked the air from my lungs. “But I’ll pay more attention now. There’s too much to lose.”
I crossed behind the counter and grabbed one of the other aprons. “You’re being a bit dramatic. We’re not going to lose the food truck just because I’m lacking on a couple hours of sleep.”
The tight line of her stern brow softened and she drew her lips in thoughtfully as she took a step closer to me. “I’m not nearly as worried about the business as I am about you. You can’t keep going like this—on a few hours of sleep every day with hardly any days off. And it’s just going to get worse once Neil is gone. A candle that burns at both ends burns twice as fast, Liam. And I’m not going to let you burn out… not if I can help it.”
The flicker in her eyes was arresting; captivating. “I still need to wake up early to bake for Beefcakes… with or without your help.”
She nodded. “Half the time, yes. Normally, you and Neil split that task… but now your new employee will eventually be able to take over some of this early baking, right?”
I nodded. Yes, that was the plan. But it could take weeks for me to train our new manager solely on the cash register, let alone the time it would take me to teach him our recipes in order for him to be able to do all the baking.
“And Finn’s made it clear that he can do most of the basics.”
That was true. Neil and I didn’t give Finn too many chances to shine. We typically just barreled in and did most of the work ourselves. Finn had baked and opened for us before… so why was I so reluctant to hand over the reins now? What was this martyrdom I forced upon myself?
And holy shit, I couldn’t think straight with Chloe standing in front of me, with her floral scent flooding my senses. “So,” she continued, “If Finn can do the baking once a week for Beefcakes. And a new employee can also do the baking one or two times a week. Plus, I learn how to do the baking for the food truck… that means you can sleep in like a normal human at least a couple
