by Whitley Cox
5
They were two weeks into their arrangement. Two weeks into dance lessons. Two weeks into Mason stepping on Lowenna’s toes and then apologizing profusely. Two weeks of Mason bringing Willow to dance lessons and letting Lowenna hold her. And each and every time she got to take that baby in her arms, it made it harder to let her go.
It was a rainy and blustery Thursday afternoon and Lowenna was busy doing up an order for the Windward Pacific Hotel Seattle. They commissioned her to make decadent mixed berries and mascarpone ganache bonbons with cocoa butter colors for their luxury suites. It was a huge boon to get such an account, and she was determined to get the order out on time and wow the pants off the hotel manager.
Who knew, maybe the hotel would then commission her to do chocolates for all their rooms. And then their gift shop and maybe even their kitchen. A contract like that, and she might be able to afford a bigger shop space and more staff. Right now, it was just her, Tricia, Pablo, Xi and David. But besides Lowenna, the others only worked part-time. She was already feeling the need for more employees, particularly with the high demand around Valentine’s Day, but she wasn’t even a year into running the shop. She couldn’t extend herself any more than she already was.
“You need more sheet trays?” asked Tricia, her trusty second-in-command, wandering out from the storage room, her arms loaded with various supplies.
Lowenna used the back of her wrist to wipe a strand of hair from out of her eyes. “Yes, please. I think maybe two or three more will do it.” She was almost done with the hotel’s order, and then she had to get working on more chocolates for their display case. By the time she opened the doors to the shop at nine o’clock that morning, there was already a line down the block.
Who knew her chai ganache bonbons with caramel filling would be such a big hit? They’d sold out that one chocolate flavor before nine fifteen and then proceeded to sell out of another four varieties before ten o’clock. Another fan favorite was apparently the lemon ganache in a cocoa pod mold. Tricia had done an incredible job with the airbrushing on them, and their bright yellow and green coloring was truly eye-catching.
But it was their London Fog petite gateaus that were bringing in the social media influencers and the bloggers. They could not keep those decadent confections in stock. One guy had come and bought twenty-five that morning, all to the moans and protestations of a long line behind him.
The bing-bong of the front door chimed just as she was pulling off her latex gloves. Tricia would take the filled molds to the cooler while Lowenna handled the customers. She always loved meeting new people who she could sell more of her chocolate to.
Tucking that annoying lock of hair behind her ear, she turned the corner out into the shop only to come face to face with two faces she was growing very happy to see. He was busy stomping his wet boots and shaking the drops from his jacket while she seemed snug as a bug, with big, gorgeous blue eyes.
“Well, hello there.” She grinned, making her way out from behind the counter to stand directly in front of Mason, who was wearing a very heavily bundled-up Willow in the baby carrier. Lowenna ran the back of her finger over Willow’s rosy cheeks. The baby blinked and smiled a gummy grin.
Her heart constricted at the same time the hollow in her belly ached.
“How’s your day going?” Mason asked, bouncing Willow and mindlessly patting her butt.
“Had a line halfway down the block this morning, so it’s going pretty well. Somebody with some influence must have tried one of my chai and caramel ganache bonbons because those puppies sold out within minutes.”
His brows rose. “And in this weather, wow! Gonna have to let me sample one of those one day.”
All smiles because she was discussing chocolate and getting to ogle a baby—and that baby’s handsome father—she bounced on her toes. “I might have a fresh batch hidden somewhere. Let me go check.”
Why was Mason visiting her shop?
In the past two weeks, they’d only gotten together on their dance lesson nights. She’d stopped going to the Prime Sports Bar and Grill—which she missed—and he hadn’t once popped into her shop. Not that she expected him to, but …
Not letting her mind get too caught up in the mystery of her sexy dynamite date for hire, she ducked into the cooler, where a humming Tricia was busy reorganizing the racks of chocolate molds. “That new batch of chai caramels ready yet?”
Tricia nodded. “Should be.” With latex-glove-covered hands, she reached up on her tiptoes and grabbed a sheet tray loaded with plastic chocolate molds. “Customer?”
Lowenna grabbed one mold that held a dozen chocolates and shook her head. “Not quite.” Then she left the cooler, unable to stop herself from bringing the mold up to her nose to give it a big whiff. Mmm. The chai caramel ones were some of her favorites too.
“Fresh from the cooler,” she sang, turning the corner once more, not surprised that her breath caught at the sight of Mason murmuring to Willow and then kissing her forehead.
Was there anything sexier than a man acting all sweet and fatherly with a baby?
Nope.
She could honestly say there wasn’t.
Mason lifted his gaze to hers, pinning those dark blue eyes on her in a way that made everything girly inside her tingle. “Can’t wait.” His smile held just a touch of mischief, and before she could stop herself, her tongue darted out and slid across her bottom lip, her pulse kicking up a beat as Mason’s eyes followed. She wanted to taste one of her chocolates on his smile. He would only enhance the flavor, if not make it downright irresistible. Downright deadly.
With her finger beneath the mold, she carefully popped a couple of the chocolates free, holding the whole mold out for him to pick one. His arm extended forward and big, long, capable fingers reached out, and picked one up. He put it to his lips, smiling before he took a bite.
That’s when she realized she was holding her breath.
Just as he took a bite, sinking straight, white teeth into her heavenly creation, she released the oxygen from her lungs and willed her heart to stop beating so wildly.
Was he doing that to her on purpose? Eating her chocolate like it was … something else? With his tongue, he caught the caramel that oozed out, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Mmm,” he hummed. “This is amazing. No wonder you had customers lined up around the block.” He popped the rest of the chocolate into his mouth, licking his lips before chewing and swallowing.
She’d been wondering how the man could get any more irresistible, coming in all wet and bright-eyed with a baby strapped to his chest, and he’d somehow managed to go and do it by eating one of her chocolates and loving it.
“You want another one?” she asked, hoping for an encore.
His eyes and nostrils flared, and he nodded. “Yes, please.” He took another chocolate, and he glanced at it between his fingers, his gaze filled with intense craving. “How do you get them so shiny? They look like little half-marbles. Not only tasty but also beautiful.”
She’d love it if a man could describe her in such a way. Not only tasty but also beautiful.
Now she was jealous of her chocolate. Oh, dear.
Collecting her wandering thoughts before they headed into a territory that was too dangerous for them to ever get out of, she blinked a couple of times, then took a deep, calming breath—not that it did much good. “You brush the mold with food-grade alcohol first. Gives them a really nice sheen when you pop them out.”
He smiled and nodded in appreciation, this time popping the entire thing into his mouth. “I didn’t come here for freebies,” he said between chews. “Just so you know. Willow and I came here with the best of intentions—and also because she wanted to say hi. Asks about you all the time. Misses you like crazy when you’re not around.” His smile made Lowenna’s panties instantly grow damp, and the gasp behind them told her that Tricia had emerged from the cooler and found Mason just as handsome as Lowenna did.
Was
Mason using Willow as a cover-up for himself? Did he miss her?
She certainly missed him.
“She does, does she?” She rested her hand on Willow’s back. “Have you been asking about me, sweet pea? Well, I miss you too.” She leaned in and pecked Willow on the side of the head.
“We also came here to extend an invitation your way,” Mason continued, his eyebrows lifting when she offered him another chocolate. He took one and tossed it into his mouth before speaking. “Violet’s baby shower is this weekend, and Tori, her friend and a buddy of mine’s girlfriend, asked me to pass along the information to you, see if you’d like to go.”
Over the past few weeks, she did feel as though she and Violet had reached a new level of friendship in their relationship. She didn’t feel like they were simply dance teacher and pupil anymore. She really was one of the nicest and sweetest people Lowenna had ever met, and she hoped the two could remain friends when their dance lessons were over.
“Why are you trying to get me to become friends with your friends’ significant others?” she asked, cocking one eyebrow before she grabbed one of her own chocolates and tossed it into her mouth.
He lifted his shoulder. “Go, don’t go. It doesn’t matter to me. But I think that you could find some really great friendships with these women. And a few of them will be at the wedding, so it might be nice to see some friendly faces.”
She slowed down her chewing and narrowed her brows. “Who’s going to be there?”
“Tori, for one. She’s helping Mitch with photography. Aurora for another. She works with your douche of an ex-husband—hates him—but she’s going anyway. And then Paige is catering it and doing the cake, and I think Emmett said that Zara is your sister’s florist, though I’m not sure she will be at the wedding, but who knows. And I don’t know if Iz will be at the wedding, but she’ll definitely be at the baby shower, and she’s an absolute sweetheart. I think the two of you would really hit it off.”
“And these are all the significant others of your friends?”
Did that mean he thought of her as his significant other?
He nodded, seemingly oblivious to where her mind had gone. “Yep. We’re The Single Dads of Seattle, though over half are no longer single, but whatever.” An idea of sorts seemed to have sprung into his head, and his eyes lit up. “Hey, you gals could start your own club. I think you’re all entrepreneurs. You could start The Entrepreneurs Club for Women.”
“Or Bitches in Business,” Tricia offered from behind them.
Mason held up his hands in innocence. “I didn’t suggest that one.”
Lowenna chuckled softly. “All entrepreneurs, huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah, and the baby shower is being held at The Rage Room. Have you heard of it?”
Heard of it? She had only two more visits until she got her tenth visit free.
After her sister made her ludicrous request for the wedding, Lowenna found herself overcome with a white-hot, bubbling fury she had no way of expelling. Until a flyer for The Rage Room was slipped into her shop mail slot. She didn’t just walk there, she ran. Luna the owner barely had the door unlocked before Lowenna was shoving cold, hard cash at the woman and asking for a baseball bat.
She’d gone three times that first week. And it had helped a lot.
There was something so utterly satisfying in the destruction of things. Taking a baseball bat to an old photocopier or a printer. Using a tire iron on a row of vases. She’d even shown up with something of her own to demolish.
The save the date for Doneen and Brody’s wedding. Luna was kind enough to put it in a hideous mosaic picture frame for her. Then Lowenna took the golf club and smashed that frame and hacked up their save the date until there was nothing left but shards of glass and tile and two stupid smiling faces with no eyes.
Oh, boy, had that been satisfying.
“I take it you’ve been once or twice,” Mason asked, the twinkle in his eyes saying he’d just read her thoughts.
She shrugged and averted her gaze. “Once or twice.”
He snorted. “Anyway, it’s this Saturday at seven o’clock. Violet says she’d really like you there, but you two can talk more tonight at dance.”
Right!
Tonight!
She was seeing him again tonight.
“My parents are taking Willow tonight, so she won’t be at practice. That’s another reason why we stopped in, so you could see her, as she’ll be standing you up due to a date with the grandparents.”
Her heart did a little somersault. He was such a thoughtful man. She really would have been disappointed to miss out on seeing Willow tonight. How did he already know her so well?
“Want me to pick you up?” he asked, his hand sneaking out, his mouth in a playful smirk as he snagged one more chocolate from the mold.
Another laugh bubbled up from deep in her chest. “Sure, that’d be nice. I’ll be working late here tonight, so you can just come get me here.”
His smile faded. “Will you have had dinner?” The look he was giving her was almost angry but not quite. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, nor could she put her finger on how it made her feel.
She shook her head. “Probably not. I’ll just eat when I get home.”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll bring food. Thai good?”
Um. Yeah.
She knew nearly right from the start that he was a man who didn’t like to be told what to do or given any answer besides yes. The authority in his tone and the way his words came out with a bite—it was a demand and not a question.
She liked this alpha side of him.
What the hell?
She liked that he was taking charge and, in taking charge, he was taking care of her.
“I love Thai food,” she whispered, leaning in, her voice having just up and vanished.
He smiled once again, causing her to nearly drop the rest of the chocolates in her palm. “All right then. I’ll be by at six thirty to pick you up. We’ll scarf some food and then go dance it off. Spicy or mild?”
She licked her lips, unable to peel her gaze from his eyes. “Spicy. The hotter the better.”
His mouth, oh, that mouth, spread into an even bigger, even sexier smile. “My kind of woman.”
Deep breaths. Deep, deep breaths.
He glanced behind him, breaking their eye contact and giving her a moment to collect herself and tell her heartbeat to calm the hell down.
“We better get a move on. Looks like there’s a bit of a break in the rain, and I think Willow might be hungry.” He pressed his lips to the top of Willow’s head, which was covered by a warm-looking knit cap. “What do you think, my little peanut, should we get going?”
Willow simply blinked, then yawned, and then—was that an eye roll from a four-month-old?
Mason snickered. “Sass already. Wow, am I in for a ride with this one. Good thing you’re cute.”
She tamped down the disappointment in her gut at the news of his departure and instead lifted the chocolate mold higher. “One more for the road?”
That smile was going to be the end of her.
“I’ll never say no to your chocolate.”
Was that an innuendo?
He grabbed one more and popped it into his mouth, his arm reaching out again and landing on her elbow, giving it a squeeze she felt all the way down to her toes. “We’ll see you tonight.”
Lowenna bit her lip and nodded. “Tonight.”
“And I promise not to step on your toes … ” His face scrunched up. “As much.”
She started to laugh, fully aware of his hand still gripping her elbow.
When she dropped her head again and opened her eyes, he was staring at her.
She couldn’t place his expression, but nevertheless it unnerved her.
Did she have chocolate on her face? Spinach from her breakfast omelet in her teeth? Surely, Tricia would have mentioned spinach.
“What?” she finally asked, unable to handle the i
ntensity held in his blue eyes.
He shook his head, shaking free the extreme expression as well. “Nothing, it’s just … you have a great laugh. I want to hear more of it as these weeks go by. All I want to see on Valentine’s Day is your gorgeous smile and be able to hear that laugh from across the room.”
Heat raced through her veins at the poignancy of his words.
She did have a great laugh. He wasn’t the first person to tell her that.
But over the last few years, she’d found very little to laugh—or smile—about.
Until Mason, that is.
The man made her smile more than she had in a long time. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled or laughed this much. Maybe when she and Brody were dating, but even then, he’d never been as funny or sweet as Mason. He’d never gone out of his way to make her laugh the way Mason seemed to, particularly when they were dancing—or at least trying to dance. Brody had always taken life too seriously, taken his status in society too seriously. He’d been a social climber since the day they met. Maybe that was why he and her sister connected so well. Doneen was all about how the rest of the world saw her, what the rest of the world’s opinion of her was. Even though deep down, Doneen was a terrible person, on the outside she looked like the model daughter, model fiancée, model sister. But when the doors were closed, she was an apple rotten to the core.
However, Lowenna knew she was a good person, a good sister, a good daughter, a good neighbor, a good boss, and a good friend. She knew all of that simply by the outpouring of support and love she’d received during one of the hardest times in her life. She’d nearly died, nearly let cancer take her, and the rallying by those closest to her had overwhelmed her, brought her to tears on more than one occasion and shown her just how much she meant to people.
Her sister had not been one of those people. Doneen had never shown up on Lowenna’s doorstep in support. Only ridicule. Telling Lowenna how she had brought cancer into their family, made it all about her, stole the attention away from Doneen’s birthday and her college graduation. That their parents never came to Seattle from Olympia to see Doneen anymore; it was to help out Lowenna after a round of chemo.
