Don't Go Baking My Heart

When they put the cake in the fridge for the ganache to harden a bit before the next step, he thought about going over his presentation again. They were showcasing to the client this coming week. He felt ready. He would drill with Chelsea tomorrow again to be certain.

“I have a bit of work to do while we wait. The presentation I mentioned. Is that okay?”

“Show me.”

“What?”

“Run it through for me. I’m not the client, but I can pretend I am. It could help to have someone not connected to this in any way give you feedback.”

It all sounded harmless enough. Reba sat back on the couch as Devon picked up the clicker to change the slides on his laptop. She didn’t interrupt as he went through the entire presentation, just nodded as he spoke.

When he came to the end, he looked at her expectantly.

“So, you want me to be honest?”

“Always.” He meant that. It wouldn’t do him any good to sugar coat things. They hadn’t been like that since they’d started this baking journey. Regardless of what came after it, he wanted her to tell him as it was.

“I’m not an expert by any means.”

“Reba, I value your feedback. Please, tell me.”

“I can’t speak on the actual architect stuff, but I think you need to add a bit more personal touch? Why should the client choose you over anyone else who comes with a probably equally good proposal? You touched on how Dax Designs values the eco-friendly side of things; well, I think you need to give more examples. Anyone can just say that, but are you all really living it?”

“Huh.” He rubbed at his jaw. They had included a small portion of that, but Devon had been way more focused on their expertise in the business and actual design than leaning heavily into their mandate to ensure eco-friendly buildings. “You’re right.”

Reba shrugged. “Despite what a lot of people think, I’m not just a pretty face, you know.” She said it nonchalantly, but Devon saw behind her casual response. Somewhere along her life, someone had used her looks to cut her down.

“I never thought you were just that. You’re a nuisance to my equilibrium, too.”

She rolled her eyes. “You sweet talker, you.”

“Better at letters, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. How much sweet-talking can you do in a letter anyhow?”

He closed off the presentation and came to stand in front of her. “You doubt my skills?”

She looked up at him, challenge in her eyes. “Lil’ bit.”

“Hmm.” He leaned down, gaze levelled with hers. “A wise woman once said, ‘I’m irresistible, and you will fall under my spell.’ I may not be at your level, but I know my strengths, and I play to them.”

She got to her feet, forcing him to step back. “We should check the cake now.”

He pressed his hand lightly to the curve where her shoulder and neck met, felt her pulse pounding under his fingers. “Yes, let’s,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead before walking off to the kitchen because she wasn’t the only one who knew how to shake things up.

“What the fuck, man!”

Her loud sputtering behind him made him smile so wide he was certain anyone who knew him well and saw him now would wonder what had gotten into him.

He rubbed at his chest, heart racing again. He hadn’t felt anything like this in so long and was determined to hold onto it even as the hurricane herself was determined to spin off in another direction.