Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 16095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
“The only partner I have is my best friend, Becks.”
“I saw. She’s been in my place a couple of times.”
This was news to her. “She has?”
“Don’t worry. I think she just wanted to see what I’m all about. Get a sense of who decided to ruffle your feathers.”
“Becks wouldn’t do that.”
“Then clearly she wanted to try something new.”
“Now you’re lying.”
“Am I?” he asked. “I wonder.”
“I can’t deal with this, not right now,” she said. She was going to talk to Becks about visiting him. Not that she had a problem with him, not in the slightest. Her best friend keeping stuff from her, that was what she didn’t like. It wasn’t like Becks to do that.
“It was nothing personal,” he said. “She was welcoming me back. It was a couple of months ago.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not upset with her or anything.” She forced a smile to her lips. Finishing up her food, she decided against dessert and instead, Hank offered to walk her home. She wanted to decline but decided not to make a scene. “You know where I live?”
“I know a great deal about you.”
“Cool,” she said.
“Yeah, cool. So about this date.”
“It’s not going to happen, Hank. I’m sorry. I wish you every bit of success.”
He laughed. “You think I don’t see when I’m getting the brush-off?”
“I’ve got a shop to run. People to feed and a life to live. I don’t have time to date or to have fun.”
“But you’re all for some competition.”
“Oh, Hank, there’s no competition, but thank you for today’s meal. It was lovely.” And it really was.
“You know I’m going to win you. You’re going to be mine.”
“You’re certainly confident, aren’t you?”
“I’m the best kind of guy there is.”
“I have yet to see there being the best kind of any guy. Have a nice evening, Hank. Be careful of all of those women out there chasing you.” She winked at him, closed her front door, and leaned against it.
“Why the hell did I wink? What is wrong with me?” She whispered the words and groaned.
Hank was going to be a problem, not for business but certainly for her stubbornness. She wasn’t used to feeling this way and he was the enemy. She wouldn’t cave to him nor would she give in. There was no way she was going to fall for him, not ever.
****
Sally played hard-to-get, and rather than become bored, Hank was far more interested in her. For the past week, he’d gone into her bakery during a busy period and asked her out on a date. She persistently said no. He was fine with that, but he also saw the interest in her eyes, and he wasn’t going to back down. He wasn’t ready to let her go without a fight. Her response had been a buy-one-get-one-free offer, which saw lines outside her door. Not that he could blame her.
When he’d mentioned a competition, he hadn’t intended to follow through with one. He had no desire to drive her away or cause a rift between them.
By the second week, he’d decided to have a bake sale where all of his products were on a mark-down price, less than half price. He wanted to get her attention, and lo and behold, it actually worked. People were lining up outside his door.
Becks was the first person to come over to him.
“This isn’t going to gain her attention the right way,” Becks said.
Sally’s best friend had come over and blatantly asked him what his intentions were, so he’d told her. He wanted Sally, simple as that.
With Becks, he might have an ally, but again, he was very unclear on her stance. He had no doubt she was Team Sally all the way, but she clearly liked him pursuing her.
Glancing at Sally’s doorway, he saw the woman in question, arms folded, looking like she might murder him.
“All friendly competition,” he said.
She shook her head, stepped back into her shop, and disappeared from sight. Damn. He wanted to watch her some more.
Becks sighed.
“She’s pissed, isn’t she?” he asked.
“She’s worried.”
“Why? I’ve told her time and again, this is going to work.”
“Sally’s gone through a lot to get this place up and running. I shouldn’t tell you this, but she’s only just been able to pay back the loan she borrowed to keep the place open.”
“Loan?”
Becks chuckled. “Cute. Not all of us are made of cash or have gone to the city to be some big fancy-pants person who can buy whatever he likes. Refurbishment, training, equipment, ingredients. It all takes cash. A lot of which she never had when she took over and she had to work like crazy to prove herself. Think about that when you’re being all competitive.” She tapped him on the shoulder.
His idea had backfired big time.
Fuck.
He finished with all of his baked goods for the day and after cleaning up his shop, seeing as he was closing early, he went straight over to her place.