CHAPTER 6
Sonnie
I sat straight up and took a deep breath. “You’re shitting me.”
Drake laughed easily. “Nope. Grandma was a better baker than me but she never got a chance to make her name in the business.”
“You’re Drake Taylor?” I stood up and immediately cried out when Monster grabbed my ankle from under the bed. “Dammit, Monster!”
“I am Drake Taylor and I still believe you should call animal control.” The smile in his voice was so evident I could see it in my mind. “Have you tried our strawberry cake?”
“Are you kidding? Of course, I’ve had the strawberry cake from Trio. It’s one of the first strawberry cakes I actually liked.” I shook my head at myself and tried to stay in control of my excitement. “Okay, I’m not going to freak out. That would be embarrassing. I’m just a little shocked that my Drake is Drake Taylor.”
“Your Drake?”
I covered my cellphone and swore. “Not my Drake. You know what I meant.”
“I know you meant you’ve been thinking about me and want to date me. I get it.” He said something to someone in the background and grunted when they audibly laughed. “Anyway, the proposition.”
“You being Drake Taylor explains the ego now, at least.” I heard more male laughter in the background as I walked into the living room and curled up on the couch. It still had a slightly odd smell or two from the previous owner and it felt especially crappy while one of the richest men in the state spoke to me.
“Cole and Price are here. They think it’s hilarious you turned me down multiple times.” Drake groaned. “On that topic, I think I have a job for you.”
I held my breath, too scared of what he was going to say.
“We hired a publicist and apparently we’re too boring. There was some bullshit talk about women thinking we’re gay if we aren’t seen dating women. Do you buy that? I mean, you’re a woman. If you had a favorite TV host or something, would you like him less if you thought he was into men and therefore not ever going to be interested in you?”
“Whoa.” Monster jumped up beside me and stared at me until I idly scratched under his chin. “That’s a lot. Um… No. That would imply I thought I ever had a chance with them to begin with. I’m more of a realist than that.”
“Well, that’s one way to answer. It’s telling, that’s for sure.” Drake muttered something under his breath. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
I rolled my eyes and ignored the flutter in my stomach. Finding out Drake was a celebrity just made the idea of dating him even more out of reach. “Anyway, your publicist sounds like an idiot.”
From the background, I heard another male voice reply. “That’s what I said.”
Drake made a noise of agreement. “We all thought it was asinine. We are also in charge of taking care of a lot of employees and the idea of letting them down because we thought an idea was dumb is crushing.”
“So, you’re going to what? Start dating? It doesn’t sound all that insane. I’m sure all three of you have women lining up to date you. Just throw a cupcake and grab the woman it hits.” I swallowed back the urge to offer myself up for Drake. We had chemistry, but he didn’t want to be seen in public with me.
“Really?” Drake groaned. “I tried that last night and this morning and both times, the woman turned me down.”
I laughed, figuring he was joking. “Funny. Try asking someone for real. I’m sure your publicist would love it if you dated someone higher up the food chain. A model? Oh! Do the Kennedys have any younger daughters? America loves to see people date the Kennedys.”
“I was asking for real. Jesus, woman. Stop trying to pawn me off on the Kennedys for one second and listen to me.” He waited to see if I was going to be quiet before continuing. “I want you. If you won’t date me for real, that’s fine, but we have chemistry and no one will think we’re faking. I’m trying to ask you if you want to fake date me. I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your time and provide anything you might need for the dates. I’ll also guarantee you a spot in the class we’re teaching in the fall.”
“What the fuck?”
“I’m not expecting you to sleep with me, or anything like that, Sonnie. It’s a straightforward offer.”
“What the actual fuck?” I was broken. I wanted to say more, but I was freaking out.
“Well, I imagined this might go badly.”
“What the fuck!” I growled out of frustration and let out a small scream. “Sorry! Shit. Wow. I’m… You want to offer me a place in the class?”
He laughed. “Yeah. So that was a good reaction?”
“Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me?” I stood up and jumped up and down. “Oh, my god. You don’t understand! That class… I’ve dreamt about that class. I’ve literally gone to sleep and had dreams about it. I’m not kidding. I mean, every younger baker probably has. Are you serious? If you tell me you’re joking now, I’ll be forced to murder you.”
His laughter was quieter, calmer. “I’m serious, Sonnie. You’d be doing me a big favor. I don’t have time to date seriously.”
“But…” I waited for him to connect the dots and when he didn’t, I finished my thought. “You were trying to date me.”
“Yeah, I was.” This time, his laugh was so soft it was a caress across my cheek. “It’s not every day a woman rescues you and has eyes that drink you in. You’re worth making time for.”
My chest tightened and my heart thumped painfully. “Wow.”
He cleared his throat with a brighter laugh. “If you think you’re up for it, there’d be a contract to make sure we’re both safe. I could have it ready to sign tonight.”
“I have work.” I thought of the long night of bartending ahead of me and bit back a groan. “Maybe tomorrow? I have to meet my customer and be back at the bar by three, but maybe sometime in there?”
“I’ll figure it out. You don’t need to worry about it.” He lowered his voice. “Are you sure about this, Sonnie? The point of it will be getting public attention. It’s not always fun or easy.”
I knew a tiny bit about public attention. When Rosie came to live with me it was because our mother had robbed a bank with her boyfriend and driven across the state in a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde type shit show. Needless to say, the local papers had flocked. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, but just do me a favor and admit you’re agreeing partially because of me. The class is a nice add-on, but it’s me, right?” He laughed with me and then sighed. “I thought I’d try. Thanks for doing this, Sonnie. I owe you.”
“Hardly. I owe you, Drake. That class is a life-changer and you know it. I don’t know why you’re so willing to help me, and maybe a better woman would turn you down, but I’ve got Rosie to think of, too. Pride cometh before the fall and all that. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, yet, Cupcake.” With that, he hung up.
I was left feeling elated and nervous, feelings that both felt too similar to anxiety. I was shaking by the time I got to the bar that afternoon.