I Only Have Pies for You (Pumpkin Spice Life 1)

She turned toward him and stopped, smiling at him. “Hey.”

Pulling her into an alcove, the words tumbled out before he could stop them. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to sign up?”

“I told you I wasn’t.” She sighed. “I was looking over the weekly reports when Steph suggested it.”

“And you didn’t think to share that so I wouldn’t be blind-sided? A simple text would have done the job.” His eyes had nearly bulged out of his skull when he spotted her. His neck heated as he remembered his mother’s response.

“I spent all night debating it, Alaric. I couldn’t tell you what I didn’t know, and a text seemed like a subpar way to tell you. I didn’t want you to be upset with me.” She shook her head and paced the length of the tiny kitchen. “The truth is I need this. My business has to pick up if I want it to have a successful launch.”

“And I get that. But you’re placing me in a difficult position, sugar. You must realize that.”

“I do.” She huffed. “I didn’t take you for the type to shy away from a little challenge.”

“We both know it’ll be a massacre,” he muttered.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Why are you so upset?”

“Because it matters to my mother. I want to win this for her.”

“Then you’d best bring you’re A-game.”

He shook his head. “This is not how I wanted the two of you to meet.”

Her brow furrowed and she gaped at him. “You’re seriously upset with me?”

“No. I’m upset with the situation I find myself in.”

“You know, from here it’s hard to tell the difference.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Don’t do that.” I’m handling this poorly.

“Do what? Be offended by your reactions?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head. “I knew this would be awkward. But I also figured you of all people would understand why I needed to do this. You’ve seen me struggle to be accepted here. Every time I think I’ve cemented myself as a part of the community, I’m shown just how wrong I am. If things don’t change, For Cake’s Sake might not last. I can’t have that.”

“I don’t want that.” Stepping closer, he grabbed her hand. “Hey. I am with you every step of the way in Granville.”

“Then you’ll find a way to get through this with me.”

Her eyes pierced him like lasers. “For someone who sprang this all on me, you’re expecting a lot at once. Give me a minute to wrap my head around it and decide how best to proceed for everyone involved. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Rosaleen threw her hands up in the air. “No one is asking you to choose sides.”

Except they are. “My mother doesn’t know how much you mean to me, sugar. It makes her believe she has the high ground, and with everything she has going on, I don’t think now is the right time to reveal that bit of information. This is the high point she looks forward to yearly. In the midst of healing and rehab, it’s a ray of light. I can’t take that way.”

“I get that,” she assured him.

But do you? “Now I feel like you’re the one upset,” he said.

“It’s complicated. Like the rest of our relationship.”

“We both agreed to keep things to ourselves when it started. We had no way to know how this would all turn out.” He grabbed her hands. “It’s a few weeks.”

Lowering her gaze, she exhaled. “It’s getting late. I’m sure your mother is wondering where you are.”

Don’t do that. “I don’t like the way we’re leaving this. You know how much you mean to me.”