The Boss Deal

“Perfect,” she says excitedly, doing a little dance. She bobbles on the balls of her feet, waving her arms at her sides. “The ovens are perfect!”

Smiling, I walk up behind her and wrap her in hug. Nuzzling my face into the crook of her neck, I flutter kisses up her neck. “It’s really sexy watching you bake. I like it, you should bake all the time.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Misty gets out different frosting from the big fridge and starts to lather it on the cake.

Sitting up on the table, I watch her work magic on the cake. She smooths the frosting, adding different shades of blue to create a tie-dye effect. Her hands move fluidly, delicately, with precision I couldn’t imagine ever having.

It takes her two hours to fully cover and decorate the cake. But when she steps back, my jaw drops to my chest. The cake is gorgeous.

“Wow,” I say, bending down to look closer. “It’s amazing.”

“Thanks,” she says proudly, folding her arms across her chest.

“Why don’t you do this?”

“What?” she asks absently.

“Bake cakes. You have a talent, Misty. I mean, look at this.”

“I don’t know. Vanessa’s always been the baker. Don’t get me wrong, I like baking cakes, but it just made more sense to let her bake, and I’d take on the marketing end.”

Taking a step toward her, I cup her elbow. “You should consider taking the position here. It would be perfect. People love you, everyone we’ve met since we’ve been here has just fallen in love with you.”

“Nick, come on. New York is my home. I can’t just abandon everything to move here.”

“Why not? It could be perfect. I mean, we’re supposed to go back in a couple days, and I know neither of us wants to. What if we stay here? Vanessa can run New York, I can help from the sidelines, and you can bake special order cakes at this store.”

“Nick, I—”

“You can still do the marketing stuff if you want, but if we’re here, there’s nothing keeping us apart.”

Misty goes silent, her eyes searching mine. I don’t say anything, I’m just letting the idea simmer in her brain. It’s a great idea, she has to see that.

“Nick,” she says, taking a step back. “Look, this is fun, it really is, and I’m enjoying being with you. But it has to end at some point. I’m not a baker, I can’t suddenly drop my life and become someone I’m not. We can’t live in this fantasy world we built, I’m sorry. Eventually, we have to go back to reality.”

Hanging my head, I rake my fingers through my hair and look away.

She’s right. This isn’t reality. This isn’t who we are. This is us playing roles we can’t continue. But I’m not willing to let her go this easily. That’s not how I work.

Misty might be willing to leave me here, to pretend like this never happened. To ignore what I know she feels inside.

I can’t.

8

Misty

“I don’t want you guys to leave yet,” Lewis says, pouting his bottom lip. “You need to stay for the grand opening. You did this, you should be here.”

“Lewis,” I say, drawing out his name as I lean in and hug him. “I wish we could, but there’s work for us in New York.”

“I know, but it sucks. It was really nice having people around that know what they’re doing for once.” He smiles sadly and kicks his foot against the floor as I break our hug.

“Don’t worry,” Nick chimes in as he walks out from the kitchen. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be back. This place is too nice to stay away from.”

Nick’s eyes steady on mine, and I know instantly what he’s thinking. He wants to stay too. He wants to live where we don’t have to worry about upsetting others or being judged.

Because it will happen. People will see us, they’ll talk, and before we know it, some rumor will evolve into a full-fledged scandal. That’s how it goes, especially when you’re well known.

Nick’s a rich investor, a hot bachelor with no one on his arm. Vanessa is an up and coming queen of the bakery, about to open three more, and I’m just the invisible friend with no status; who wouldn’t want a piece of that story?

Besides, Vanessa is my best friend, I won’t risk ruining our relationship over some guy. She told me she liked him, and I’m going to respect that.

This was just play time. It’s not real anyway.

My smile dips down as I soften my eyes and arch my brows apologetically. I know what Nick wants. He wants me. And I’m lying if I sit here and say I feel nothing for him. Because I do. I feel more than I ever have with anyone else in my life.

It hurts to feel like I have to make a choice between the two of them.