Don't Go Baking My Heart

“I told you about this fun plan of yours. I actually thought that was just you being high and talking nonsense.”

“I remember everything we discussed. The fun coordinator plan is still on the table, and just so you know, I did my research on your boss. Some light social media stalking proves that man loves people and loves interacting with them. So if you think this is just about baking, I think you’re wrong. Real participation is going to be important here.” She stuck up two fingers. “Secondly, not to bust your bubble, but you aren’t even close to being a people person. You barely acted like I existed at that wedding, and you ran away from our party last weekend.”

Devon frowned. Reba wasn’t entirely wrong. He could make more of an effort where mingling at work was concerned, and he planned to, in his own way. But Reba’s cursory research of Dax had revealed what was a fact. The man did love people. He was an extrovert who walked around each morning, greeting employees. He wasn’t like the other executives that most of them barely even saw. He liked interacting with his staff.

That didn’t mean Devon wanted to acknowledge that Reba was spot-on. The thought of her teaching him to “people” or have fun? He could only imagine what she would expect him to do.

Reba was obviously fearless when it came to that. He had seen her walk up to guests at Ava’s wedding and strike up a conversation as if she’d known them for years. But she was too much of a wildcard to entrust with those sort of lessons. She might try to get him to wander around in a rainbow-coloured wig to get out of his comfort zone, for all he knew.

They had to stay on track. He could work on his supposed shortcomings himself.

“I didn’t run from the party,” he said because that was a ridiculous assumption.

“What would you call your hasty exit, then?”

“It just wasn’t my scene.”

“Okay, so what’s your scene, then?”

Before he’d given up on making an effort with his friends, he had met up with them for the occasional dinner, or they would go around the island checking out the old buildings. They’d even had a longstanding meet-up for the Scrabble tournaments that took place sometimes. He didn’t tell Reba any of that because she would definitely repeat her mantra of “Boring.” He couldn’t imagine her finding any of that interesting.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re here to bake. This is wasting time.” He turned his laptop to face her. “So, here’s my idea.”

After last weekend with all its distractions, he had finally decided on what he wanted to do and worked on a proposal of sorts.

Reba’s eyes darted back and forth as she read his concept and looked at the photos he’d included. One well-shaped brow went up, and she shook her head. “Well, I’m a bit disappointed in you, Devon,” she said.

What? He definitely hadn’t expected that. “What do you mean?”

“A Pac-Man cake? Seriously? That’s your grand plan for winning this thing? This entire concept is weak as hell, and frankly, I expected more from you.”

“I don’t understand. What’s wrong with this? Pac-Man is a classic.”

It was fool-proof. The nostalgia of the game coupled with the cake was sure to be a hit, wasn’t it? He had calculated the difficulty level against the timeframe they had leading up to the bake-off and determined this idea was acceptable for his skill level. He could easily learn to do this.

“This is weak,” Reba repeated. “It’s so basic. You’re not going to win with this.” She shook her head, a few loose strands of pink hair waving around her face. “I thought you were the kind of man that loves a challenge?”

“You’re not wrong. I want to win. Who doesn’t love classic games on a cake?”

He had thought long and hard about this. He could win over the judges with a cutesy-looking treat, which would surprise them since everyone thought he wouldn’t even try.

“You’re not winning with this pathetic display of the mundane. It’s an okay idea, I suppose, but…” Her wide grin made him a little wary. He couldn’t guess what she was about to throw his way. She turned her laptop around. “You can more than win with this.”

He blinked at the photos of the familiar-coloured cube. “This? Why this?” he asked.

“It’s perfect for you.”

“A Rubik’s Cube-shaped cake is perfect for me? How?” He knew exactly how perfect it would be, but he was curious about her thought process because, frankly, it was genius. Not that he wanted to tell her that since she had shot down his idea without any consideration, and especially because he hadn’t thought of this himself.

“I figured the difficulty level would appeal to you.” Reba clapped her hands. “Ooh, I got it! We do a total fake-out. The video progression will show you making cookies or, better yet, cupcakes because it’s what people will expect, and then bam! Show you levelling up with this amazing cake. We can call it ‘Started from the Bottom, Now We Here!’ It’s perfect!” She pumped her fists in the air. “I considered that your math brain would love this since it requires precision. I think your judges will eat up this concept.”

Devon stared at the screen. He hadn’t anticipated that not only would Reba veto his idea, but she would suggest something that was so him. He frowned at the magnificent cake on the screen just because—not giving away how the perfectly crafted cube got him way more excited than the Pac-Man idea. The fact that he had chosen his plan because it was easy and Reba had done the exact opposite didn’t sit well with him. He should have come with a better proposal. This would definitely catch the judges’ eyes if he could pull it off. Reba choosing it because it worked with his specific skill set was commendable. It would be interesting to consider how to put the entire thing together, so it actually looked like the real deal.

Still slightly annoyed over the fact that Reba had pinpointed the one idea that would get him revved up, he asked, “Can you teach me how to make this?”

“I’ll admit I’ve never made something like this before, but challenges are fun.” She grinned, and while Devon agreed a good challenge got him going like nothing else, he definitely didn’t think now was the time for Reba to be trying out something she had never attempted before.

He was paying her for guidance. What if it turned out horribly?