by Tina Martin
Crap. All of his suggestions made sense.
“You don’t have to agree with me, Gianna. This is your bakery. I’m just giving you an outside perspective.”
“You’re right. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.” She walked behind the counter while he stayed put near the chalkboard. “Now, the milk, on the other hand, might be a problem.”
“How so?”
“I don’t have room in my fridge to store milk.”
“I presumed you wouldn’t, so I bought a drink display case. It can go right there beside the coffee bar.”
“And who’s going to monitor this milk for expiration dates? I certainly don’t have time for it.”
“They all expire on the same date,” he said. “And, you can add it to your inventory and issue a flag or some other kind of warning that the expiration date is approaching. You do have an inventory system, don’t you?”
“Yes, but—”
The bell tinkled. They both glanced at the door, watching as a delivery man brought in a mini display refrigerator.
“You’re right on time, my man,” Ramsey said.
“Where do you want it to go?”
Ramsey instructed the man where to put it – beside the coffee station. Then he slid him a twenty-dollar tip.
About fifteen minutes after the delivery guy left, workers came to install the ‘Open’ display sign. Ramsey talked to them for a few minutes, then he went to the newly delivered refrigerator and filled it with the small milk cartons.
Gianna was busy frosting the first batch of cookies and cream cupcakes as well as filling the display case with them, along with the vanilla cupcakes – a dozen with white icing, half with sprinkles and another dozen with chocolate icing, half of those with sprinkles as well. Then she baked two dozen more vanillas, after which she began preparing lemon frosting.
The rain picked up again. Thunder rumbled. The lights flickered several times, but the bakery never lost power. It was almost ten o’clock when the first customers walked through the door – a woman and a little girl who looked to be three, maybe four years old. Her bright eyes were glued to the display case, especially to the vanilla sprinkles.
“Good morning,” Gianna greeted them. “What can I get for you?”
The woman looked at the display case, then glanced at the chalkboard and said, “Let me get one of your cookies and cream cupcakes and one vanilla with sprinkles.”
“For the vanilla, do you want the one with the white frosting or chocolate?”
“Chocolate!” the little girl said, jumping up and down.
“Okay. Chocolate it is,” her mother said with a giggle. “Oh, also, I’ll take a small coffee and one milk.”
“Alright,” Gianna said, not knowing what price she should charge for the milk. Off the top of her head, she decided to charge $1.29. She’d consult with Ramsey on the price later. Speaking of Ramsey, where’d he run off to?
After the woman paid for her order, Gianna placed a coffee cup on the counter, instructed the woman where the coffee, cream and sugar was and told her she could take a carton of milk from the display refrigerator. Then she walked to the back to find out what Ramsey was doing. She found him in the kitchen filling two cupcake pans, all pre-lined, with the red velvet batter. She withheld a smile.
“Hey,” she said.
He looked up with the ice cream scoop in his hand. “Hey.”
“I just had a customer buy milk. I didn’t know what to charge for it.”
“I would say about $1.39, maybe,” he said, then resumed filling the pan, paying careful, meticulous attention to what he was doing.
“I charged $1.29.”
“Close enough.” He pulled the oven door open and placed the pans inside.
“So should I charge $1.29 or $1.39?” she asked.
Ramsey closed the oven door then walked over to her in a sexy stride that made her pupils dilate. She took a step backward when he stopped immediately in front of her. “Which do you think is the better price point?”
She glanced up at him, staring at his lips, then looking away, feeling embarrassed for always staring at the man’s lips, but they looked so yummy, she couldn’t much help it. No woman probably couldn’t resist the urge to glance at them, or him for that matter. “Um, I…I guess $1.29.”
“Okay, $1.29 it is, then.” He pressed his lips together and somehow, there was still a smirk on his face.
“And I was thinking that the display fridge should probably go…um…behind the counter.”
“Why?”
“Because with it out there by the coffee, people could just go grab a milk and drink it. At least if it was behind the counter, they’d have to pay for it first.”
“You got a point. I’ll move it.”
“Just like that?” she asked, gazing into his eyes with her sparkling ones. “No back and forth debate with me?”
“No debate,” he said, knowing he should probably step away from her now and let her focus on work. Instead, he was focusing on her mouth. He wanted it…wanted to kiss those lips, but would she want it? Would she panic and flip out? Probably so. Still, that didn’t stop him from lowering his head to hers, caught up in the splendor of her beautiful eyes. And those alluring lips of hers…they had a magnetic pull on his like she was winning a game of tug of war. More like tug of lips.
The bakery’s phone rang before their lips could touch. Without saying a word, she rushed to get away from him. She escaped to her office to get the phone, closing the door behind her in hopes that the alone time would give her a chance to regain her composure. When the phone rang again, she picked up the cordless receiver and said, “The Boardwalk Bakery. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I need to place an order.”
“Okay. Will you be picking it up today?”
“Yes,” the woman said. “What time do you close?”
Gianna glanced up when she heard the sound of the doorknob turning. Ramsey pushed the door open, stepped inside of her office and closed the door behind him. Suddenly her already small office felt tiny, especially with her undeniable attraction to him and his insistence on her using him any way she liked – not to mention they’d almost kissed just a minute ago.
“Hello?” the woman said.
“Oh, sorry,” Gianna said coming out of her trance with Ramsey to focus on the phone call. “We close at seven.”
Ramsey moved a folder on her desk so he could sit on the edge of it.
Gianna swallowed hard. He could’ve just sat in the chair next to her desk, but no. He just had to sit his firm, muscular backside on her desk. Any closer and he’d sidle right onto her lap.
“You close at seven?” the woman asked.
“Ye-yes. Seven o’clock.”
“Perfect. I need to order four dozen carrot cupcakes. I can pick them up around five-ish.”
“Okay,” Gianna said scribbling a note to which she could see Ramsey reading as she wrote it. “I can have them ready by then. And your name?”
“Colette Wright.”
“Okay. Thank you for your order, Colette. It will be ready for pick up at five.”
“Perfect. See you then.”
When Gianna hung up, Ramsey said, “Four dozen carrot cupcakes, huh?”
“Yes. Four dozen carrot cupcakes.”
“Alright.” He stood up, rubbing his hands together. “We can handle it.”
“We?” She smiled, standing up.
“Yes. You and me, baby.”
Baby…
She was his baby again?
“I can handle the register and you can stay back in the kitchen and work if that’s okay.”
“Are you sure, Ramsey? Working the register isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
“I got it. There’s nothing I can’t or won’t handle for you.”
She nibbled on her lip. Gosh, I wish he would stop talking that way. Stepping around him, she reached for the doorknob when she felt the warmth of his body shield her like a blanket from behind. His torso wa
s pressed right up against her back, and then his hand covered hers, moving it away from the doorknob.
“Is there anything else you need me to do, Gianna?”
She thought she would die right then and there of a claustrophobic, body-quivering nervous system malfunction. Ramsey had her boxed in, his body folding to the slight bend of hers. And he was inhaling long breaths. She heard him do this several times. Was he smelling her hair? Yes. He was smelling her hair, caging her in his arms, waiting for an answer to his question.
She turned around (what did she do that for?) and decided to face him. To see exactly what he was asking. The only problem was, his eyes were wide and attentive. Nostrils flared. Breathing forced. And his vision was laser-beamed on her lips. She didn’t need to have experience with men to know what this was – chemistry. Unmistakable, toe-tingling chemistry.
Gianna cleared her throat. “Um…no. There’s nothing else I need. If you take care of the customers, I…can…can get a lot done in the kitchen, so…”
“Right,” he said, then licked his lips. “But first, there’s something I need.”
She was afraid to ask, but—
“What’s that?” she asked anyway, still caged in muscles. His aura. His smell. Oh my goodness…
“I need to put my lips somewhere on you.”
“What?”
“I need to put my lips on you.”
“Ramsey, are you…” she grinned uncomfortably. “Are you thinking out loud?”
“No. I know exactly what I’m saying,” he told her with heat stirring in his eyes.
Before she could talk him out of it or find a way to escape, he lowered his mouth to her temple and left a simple kiss there. A temple kiss. One in which he knew she could handle. One that wouldn’t cause her to spaz out and straight lose it. Granted, he’d loved nothing more than to devour her mouth in a way he’d never done to a woman before, but she couldn’t handle that at the moment. He’d have to take his time, get her comfortable with him first, then he’d take off the training wheels and gobble her up.
Looking at her now, he saw her eyes were closed, but like a ray of sun shining brightly after a passing cloud, they opened. And she was looking at him like he was a pot of gold and she was the one who’d just discovered it.
“You…you kissed me,” she said, touching her lips, stating the obvious.
“Why are you touching your lips? I didn’t kiss those. At least not yet.”
Goosebumps ran all down her back, her arms, legs and made her body shiver. “I’m just shocked that you kissed me at all.”
His brow raised. “On the temple?”
“Yes.”
His lips curved upward. “Yes, I did kiss you on the temple, Gianna, and you better hope that’s enough to get me through the rest of the day or I’ll be back for more.” He reached for the doorknob, finally exiting the office.
She could tell when the smile fell off of his face that he was serious. He would be back for more if need be. She chewed on her bottom lip. How would he react when he found out she didn’t know the first thing about kissing?
* * *
Ramsey took care of the customers and worked the register like he said he would while Gianna fulfilled catering orders. She had gotten three additional orders throughout the day – a dozen lemon, two dozen strawberry shortcakes and five dozen butter pecan. At the end of the day, she was exhausted, yet grateful that Ramsey had been there to help her, especially since this rainy day ended up being one of her busiest.
“You sold out of the milk,” Ramsey said. Earlier, he moved the refrigerator behind the counter as Gianna had suggested.
“Already?” she asked, looking up at him from her desk.
“Yes. I’m going to have more brought in tomorrow. As for closing duties, I’ve already swept and mopped the front, turned off the ‘Open’ sign and wiped down the counter.”
“Thank you, Ramsey. I’ll take care of the rest. And don’t bother ordering more milk. I’ll take care of that, too.” Gianna typed a note on her computer.
“What more do you have to do before leaving?” he asked.
“Not much.”
“Tell me, Gianna.”
“I have to mop the kitchen floor, of course, and check the bathroom—”
“I cleaned the bathroom already.”
“Ramsey, you don’t have to do everything.”
“I will if I have to because I’m not leaving here without you.”
“Why not? I do this every day except for Sunday. Bake, clean, close up, go home. That’s my routine.”
“Yeah, well you’re not doing this alone tonight.”
And she didn’t. He was right there to help her sweep the kitchen and mop, take out the garbage and put everything away before it was time to lock up.
After she locked the rear entrance door, she walked to her car with him falling into stride beside her.
“Do you mind if I follow you home?”
“Do I have a choice in the matter?”
“You do as long as you make the right one.”
She smirked. “Okay, Ramsey. You can follow me home.”
“Good choice.”
Chapter 6
When she arrived home, she thanked Harriet for watching Gemma, then hugged her before she left. Ramsey spoke with Harriet to get a brief overview of the day and to find out how Gemma was as he walked her to the car. Then he waved at her as she drove way and went back inside to talk to Gianna. When he didn’t see her immediately upon entering the house, he headed in the direction of Gemma’s bedroom. Of course she’d be there, checking on her little sister. And she was, stooping down beside Gemma’s bed, looking at her. Gemma was asleep.
“Goodnight, Gem,” she whispered, then stood up. She turned around and saw Ramsey standing at the door. As she approached, he backed out into the hallway, giving her clearance to close the door.
“Talk to me,” he said.
“About what?”
“Today was Gemma’s first day with Harriet. How do you feel about it?”
Gianna shrugged, walking toward the kitchen.
Ramsey was hot on her trail. “Come on, Gianna. Don’t brush me off with a shrug. Talk. Express your feelings.”
“I feel guilty,” she said, opening the refrigerator, taking out two bottles of water, handing him one.
“Why?”
She took a swig of water. “Because I should be taking care of Gemma.”
“That’s what you’re doing…just with a little help,” Ramsey said, twisting the cap off of his water bottle. “For the little while I’ve known you, I recognize you’re one of those people who find it difficult to accept help.”
“You’re the exact same way. I think all business owners are.”
“I have plenty of help, Gianna. I have employees who’ve helped St. Claire Architects become the brand that it is today. Yeah, I started the company, but I can’t take credit for every contract, every bid, every win we’ve scored. I have a team. I have my brothers. You don’t have a team—well, before you met me, you didn’t have a team—now you do. I’m team Gianna, and I’ll make sure you have enough players on your team to play this game. Harriet is just the beginning.”
“I know I’ve thanked you a thousand times, but once again, thank you for everything, Ramsey. I don’t think I would’ve survived today without you.”
“You’re welcome.” He finished drinking the water then said, “I know how early you go to bed, so I’m going to get out of your hair now. Call me if you need me.”
“Okay.”
“And I’ll be by the bakery at some point tomorrow. I’m going to swing by my office in the morning.”
“Trying to catch people not doing their jobs, huh?”
“You know what they say…when the cat’s away the mice will play, and by mice, I mean my brothers.”
She giggled. “Really?”
“Nah, I’m kidding. I have to make an appearance since I got a call from Regal earlier today. Seems he’s ru
n into a roadblock with one of our projects.”
“Oh.”
“My brothers work as hard as I do. Our father instilled a strong work ethic in each one of us.”
“I know he’s proud of you and your accomplishments.”
“He is, and my mother is, too. She’d be even prouder if one of us settles down and have her some grandbabies.”
Gianna’s eyebrows raised. “None of your brothers are married?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“I guess they haven’t found the one. Mother seems to think it’s because of me. She thinks if I marry, they’ll follow in my footsteps. The sad part is, she’s probably right.”
“Why is that sad?”
“Well, maybe sad is the wrong choice of word. What I mean is, my relationship status shouldn’t determine how my brothers want to live their lives. If they meet that someone special and want to get married, they should by all means get married. Simple as that. Right, Cupcake?”
Gianna hid a smirk.
“I should go now. I’ll see you at some point tomorrow.”
“Please go handle your business at work. I’ll be fine at the bakery. I’ve become good at multitasking.”
He looked at her and could only smile, thinking of all the hard work she put in today with so many catering orders. She was good at handling different tasks at once, but that didn’t mean he liked her doing it.
“Goodnight, Gianna.” He extended his hand toward her for a shake.
She grasped his hand and shook it just slightly. “Goodnight, Ramsey.”
Reluctantly, he let go of her hand and proceeded to the front door. He turned the knob and said, “The milk delivery will be around ten. It’s been prepaid already so you shouldn’t have a problem there. I explained to them you only needed two crates. That’s all the display refrigerator can hold.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to do that?” she asked, stepping outside with him, standing on the porch.
“Yeah.” He smirked. “You did.”
Smiling, she shook her head wordlessly.
“And remember to change the cupcake of the day on the chalkboard.”
“I will.”
“And don’t forget to turn on the open sign on in the front window.”
