"Not many people do." Alex was grinning, his whole face lighting up as he looked around. "I haven't been here in years, but it sure smells and looks the same."
"Smells like heaven in here!" I gushed, taking a look around. There was a large display case of cupcakes, pastries, and slices of cake. It looked like perfection. Next to it were whole cakes, all decorated, and sized differently. Now that I knew of this place, I had a feeling I was going to come here quite often.
"Alex Lancaster … is that you?" An older woman who looked to be in her sixties asked as she approached us. "It can't be." She grinned, keeping her eyes locked on him.
"That depends … do you still make your famous Five-Layer Devil and Mousse Chocolate Cake?" He grinned,
Oh my god … I nearly groaned aloud. That sounded much better than it should've coming from Alex's mouth.
"I see Europe hasn't helped your attitude." She snorts. "But it sure did ya some good in the looks department." I withheld a giggle as the older woman dished it right back. I liked her.
"I see old age hasn't affected your sense of humor." He smirked, walking up to her and wrapping her up in a bear hug. "It's good to see you, Sugar."
Ahh … so that was Sugar.
"How long have you been back in town?" she asked as they separated.
"Just a couple weeks, not long. Just settling back in."
"Good. You look good." She smiled up at him proudly. "Now let me guess. A new girlfriend?" she questioned, raising a curious brow.
"Oh, my apologies. Sugar this is Mac … Mackenzie Hewitt," he confirmed and continued, "Mac, this is Sugar."
"Oh, she's lovely, dear." She examined me head to toe, speaking to Alex as if I couldn't hear their conversation. "She could use a few pieces of my special cake. Don't you feed the poor girl?"
I swallowed, my guard shielding any painful past childhood memories that I didn't want to think of at the time.
"She's not mine to feed," he said simply in a low, leveled voice. Sugar's eyes met my gaze and I took that as my cue to cut in.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." I offered my hand and she took it, gripping, and pulling me into her. She wrapped her arms around me in a sweet, friendly hug. It took me off guard at first, but then I wrapped my arms around her as well.
"I could break you like a toothpick."
I laughed at her grandmother-tone. She was sure blunt.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing Alex took me to the best bakery in town." I smiled.
"Two of my usual," Alex said, holding up two fingers. "You'll die after tasting her cake. It's the best I've ever had."
"Actually, make that three," I interrupted. "Do you have anything that's gluten free?"
Alex bowed his head down, unable to look at me. "Of course, dear. I'll wrap your orders up for you right away," Sugar responded, the mood suddenly shifting.
"Did I offend her?" I whispered to Alex when Sugar disappeared behind the counter. "Is asking for gluten free like the worst thing ever in a bakery?" I cringed, feeling stupid and helpless now. "It's probably a crime, right?"
He burst into laughter, dipping his head down as he tried to conceal the sounds he was making.
"What? What's funny?" I nudged him, getting him to tilt his head back up and look at me. It was the first time since realizing who he was that I allowed myself to really get a look at him. His eyes were a shade of brown and they'd gone soft since looking up at me. His facial features were all strong, square-lined, and taut. Yet the way he was staring at me was intense.
He shook his head effortlessly. "Nothing … you're … you're just adorable, that's all."
"Oh." I chewed my lip, cursing myself for letting him take me here in the first place. This was a terrible idea.
"All right, handsome. Your cakes are all ready to go."
"Sugar, you're the best." He grabbed them as he kissed her gently on the cheek. "We'll be back." He winked and then looked at me.
"Yes, we'll definitely be back." I flashed a fake smile. I had no intention of coming back now. I couldn't.
I watched Alex flag down another cab and as we stood there, I wondered how things would be if we hadn't met the way we did. Could we have a normal relationship? Technically, I'd be his stepmom, but I didn't want it to feel that way. That was way too awkward and weird. We were the same age, after all.
I scooted into the back of the cab, getting as close to the opposite window as possible. I needed to put some distance between us, re-establish the boundaries that were necessary.
However, Alex wasn't having that.
He got in and sat close to me, lifting one of the lids off the box. "You have got to try this." He pulled the cake out of the box and lifted it to my lips. I didn't have the courage to say no to him, so I just opened my mouth and let him feed me.
I closed my eyes, as I slowly tasted the perfect combination of chocolate and creamy mousse.
"Mm … " I savored it a beat longer than necessary, but I was enjoying it too much. "God, that's amazing."
I opened my eyes and saw as he stuffed his own face with it, leaving behind a trail of chocolate on his face and lips. Instinctively, I almost reached up and brushed it off, but I quickly caught myself and yanked my hand back before he noticed.
"Isn't it the best?" he asked with half a mouth full.
I laughed at his goofiness and mess on his face. "It's incredible."
He offered me another bite, but I shook my head. It didn't feel right with William back at the apartment waiting for me. It didn't feel right being this comfortable with him again. I knew the moment we got back, it'd be awkward again.
"Thanks for showing me your special place," I said as we walked back into the building and headed for the elevator. I smiled genuinely at him. I was hoping this was his peace offering. I didn't want to have this awkward tension between us, especially since he'd be living in the apartment while he looked for his own place.
"You're welcome," he responded happily. "My mom would take me every Sunday after lunch when I was younger. It was like our own little getaway for an hour or so. It was my favorite part of the weekend."
I nodded in understanding. I didn't know much about the late Mrs. Lancaster. William didn't freely talk about her, but I knew she had battled cancer at a young age and once she had Alex, they were unsuccessful in having any more children. I've tried to get William to open up about her, curiosity building up inside me when I first moved in, but it only pushed him away, so I stopped asking.
"Sounds lovely," I said as I leaned against the gold bar of the elevator. He was across from me, staring at me. I dipped my eyes to the floor to break the eye contact. It was too intense, and I hated that he had that effect on me.
"It was. Dad worked a lot-as you know-and Mom kept busy with her charities, but it was the one day she set aside for us. It was meant to be a family day, but after a while, Dad stopped joining. That's when it became a day just for us two."
We were almost to the apartment, but I knew if I were going to bring this up, it'd have to be now, and not when William could overhear. "He talked a lot about you," I blurted out. "When we first met and even after I moved in, he talked about you. I know he may not show it, but he loves you."
"No offense, Mac, but you don't know shit. My dad and I have a complicated relationship."
"Yeah … I'm starting to realize that. Nevertheless, I thought you should know," I replied softly just as the elevator dinged and opened up.
We stayed quiet as we walked in. I took the cake boxes to the kitchen where I found William sitting at the breakfast bar with an open newspaper. "I brought you back something delicious." I smiled as I approached him from the back.
He swung around, dropping the newspaper on the counter. "As long as you're around, darling, I'll always have something delicious." He grinned and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I sunk into his chest, inhaling his scent of oak mixed with spice. It was a perfect combination of him, and I drunk it in.
"Well, in that case, I guess we can skip the cake," I teased.
He pulled the boxes from my hands and grinned suspiciously, setting them on top of the bar. "Let's take the cake and a couple glasses of milk into the bedroom." He leaned in further and whispered, "I plan to eat a different dessert first." He lowered his eyes down in between my legs before bringing them back up. I gasped; surprised to hear that he wasn't heading to bed the second his cake was eaten. It was a pleasant surprise.