Chapter Twenty-Two
The camera counted down. Three, two, one.
Sloane pasted on her hostess-with-the-mostest smile. “Hey, everyone, I’m Sloane Dell, the social media manager for Sugar Blitz, and I’m here with August Hodges. Some of you might know him as SugarBae.”
Beside her, August groaned. She laughed. “And don’t we just love that modesty. We’ve been reading the messages y’all have been sending in—some of them very NSFW—and August wanted to thank you by doing this Live.”
“Hey, everybody.” He waved. He looked halfway comfortable. She’d take it.
“We don’t want to take up too much of your time, but we did want to let you know a second location of Sugar Blitz is opening soon in the Emerald Hills neighborhood. August is here doing some renovations to make sure the place sparkles and shines before we open to the public. We know y’all have been asking to hear from SugarBae, so here he is. Put your questions in the chat, and August will answer them.”
She and August began walking through the store, like they’d rehearsed. “August, this place has come a long way in the last week. Take us through what you’ve done.” She panned the camera as he spoke.
“I painted the walls, hung up some photos. Did a whole lot of cleaning. Tried not to freak out when a spiderweb came out of nowhere and attacked me. Went through an inspection with the city. And put together a whole bunch of tables and chairs. Real glamorous stuff.”
Sloane laughed. She checked the screen. Their viewer count was steadily climbing. The hearts were flowing. “Ahh, the glamorous life of a small business owner. Not to be a downer, but there’s been some concern about the role you and your partners plan to play in Emerald Hills—that you’re only concerned about profits and don’t care about the people here. I hate to bring up the G-word, but…”
“You have to. Gentrification. It’s happening everywhere. My partners and I want to be a part of the community. We want to give, not take or change. Be good neighbors.”
“But you’re rich. Rich people tend to forget about us regular folk.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, we’re rich. But we weren’t always. My father is a successful chef, but it took him a long time and a lot of work to get there. We know what it’s like to struggle. To work hard. To be proud of where you come from. We have no intention of driving people out. We’re here because we want to be part of the community, not above it.”
Sloane couldn’t take her eyes off him. His sincerity was so apparent and unbelievably attractive. “That’s amazing.” You’re amazing . Nope. Not the time. “Now let’s get to the good stuff. And I know you hate this question, but it’s the number-one question in the comments. Does SugarBae have a significant other?”
“You are correct. I do hate that question. And the answer is no, I don’t.”
She knew that already. Duh. But still, a little puff of relief escaped past her lips. Not going to happen, Sloane . She focused on the screen and read another question.
“‘How did you get so awesome? A lot of men, even well-meaning ones, rarely understand the contributions women make to society.’ That comes from Sydney4Ever.”
“Thank you, Sydney4Ever, for saying I’m awesome, even though I’m not sure I agree.” He shrugged. “I live in this world. I observe what’s going on. It’s easy to do when you care about the truth. The truth isn’t always easy or pleasant, but it’s always necessary if you want to make the world a better, more equitable place.”
That was probably the most she’d ever heard him speak at once. But it was obvious that it came straight from the heart. That’s why he’d gone viral. Even when he wasn’t trying, he connected with people because they sensed his innate goodness.
“Great answer, August. Since you are such a truth teller, how do you feel about giving some advice? We’ve gotten a lot of DMs, some of them definitely not safe for work, but others are more innocent in nature.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Let’s do it.”
Sloane read from a notebook she carried. “I’ll keep the account private to keep the peace, but one of your followers wrote ‘My boyfriend wants me to move in with him because we live far away from each other, but the reason we do is because my job is on the other side of town, and I love my job. Should I choose him or my job?’”
Sloane was insanely curious to see how he would answer. They’d agreed he wouldn’t know the questions beforehand, to maintain authenticity.
His head tilted to the side as he considered the question. “My first instinct is to say drop that loser and stick with the job. But, not knowing more than what you just said, I’d say have a talk with him. Maybe compromise is the answer. It’s good that he wants to spend more time with you, but will it be quality time if you’re stuck in traffic for two hours every day. Maybe, when your lease is up, you can find a place that’s midway between both jobs.”
Sloane checked the phone. More hearts filled the screen. The comments were flying by so fast she couldn’t keep up.
“More great advice,” Sloane said. She turned the phone, so that both she and August appeared on screen. “That’s all we have time for today, folks. Thanks for joining us. Stay tuned for more Lives, with more renovation tips and love advice from August Hodges, SugarBae himself. Until next time.”
Sloane ended the session to the sound of August growling in her ear, which was half parts funny and sexy as hell.
She turned to him with wide eyes and an innocent tone. “What?”
“Why do you keep pushing that SugarBae bullshit?”
“Well, let’s see. That’s what the internet knows you as, and we’re trying to get and keep the internet’s attention, which isn’t easy to do. Also, because it’s funny and brilliant and I’m ridiculously jealous of whoever came up with it.” A snicker slipped out before she could stop it.
His glare intensified, which only made her laugh harder.
“Sloane.” His serious tone tipped her off that they were no longer joking.
She swallowed. “What’s up?”
“About earlier? When we kissed…”
Sloane blinked. Oh, wow. He was really going there. She swallowed hard. “Yeah?”
“I said it was a mistake. I just meant—”
Sloane lifted her chin. “You just meant that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to work. There’s too much water under the bridge for us to go there. I get it.”
His lips pressed tightly against each other for a beat. “Right.”
Did he not agree? Her traitorous heart fluttered in unwise hope.
“Hello, there,” someone called out.
The voice, familiar and completely unwelcome, came from the front door. Once again, they would need to do something about leaving the door unlocked. Paige, the flirt from the town hall and Cynthia’s daughter, stood there, holding a dish, dressed like she’d stepped off a Fashion Week runway. Sloane hated to admit it, but she’d kill for the red dress that slipped oh-so-artfully off Paige’s right shoulder. But so what? Sloane’s attire of jeans and a T-shirt was completely appropriate for the situation and location. So there. Take that, ye olde insecurities.
It took Sloane a moment to realize Paige wasn’t alone. Two more women stood beside her.
“Oh, hey, Paige,” Sloane said oh so casually. “What’s up?”
Paige sauntered over, her red stilettos click-clacking on the wooden floor, all red lips and stunning white teeth. “We wanted to properly welcome August to the neighborhood. We saw the Live, so we knew you were here.”
Great, this was all Sloane’s fault. Her big bright idea for people to get to know August had backfired spectacularly. Wait. No. She didn’t care if August had fans.
“We came right over.” Paige trailed a fingertip down August’s bare forearm.
Sloane didn’t growl. Barely even glared. Didn’t yell at Paige to take her hands off her man, who, okay—objectively speaking—was not her man, but that was beside the point. She congratulated herself on her restraint.
“I told my parents I was coming to get intel, so they wouldn’t object,” Paige added.
Intel on what? The shape of August’s body? How much body fat he carried? Sloane very much doubted Paige cared about the store’s impact on the neighborhood.
August’s lips tipped upward. “Thanks. But you didn’t have to come all the way down here.”
“Of course we did.” One of the other women, this one wearing a purple romper, which Sloane begrudgingly admitted was really cute, came over. Clearly not in the mood to be outdone by Paige, she stepped entirely too close to August and cooed. Like, actually fucking cooed like a baby. “I’m Desiree, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Desiree,” August said. Sloane wanted to yell at him to ignore his manners, but that would make her look super jealous, which she totally was, but there was a huge difference between feeling an emotion and broadcasting it to the whole world. She’d learned that lesson long ago. Made it much harder to deny said emotions and put you in a vulnerable state, which she never wanted to be in again.
“And I’m Terri,” the last member of the triumvirate added. “We brought gifts. A man like you, who owns a cupcake shop, must love sweets.”
“But we know we couldn’t compare to your cupcakes,” Paige said breathlessly. “Sugar Blitz cupcakes are the best on the West Coast.”
Laying it on a bit thick there, aren’t we? Sloane turned away before they could see her rolling her eyes.
“So we brought pie. We actually made them for the church bake sale, but we’ll make more later. We thought you could tell us which pie you like best,” Paige continued. Each woman held out a towel-covered tin.
“Oh, I can’t do that,” August said.
“Oh, but you must,” Sloane said.
It was his turn to glare at her. But she was having fun now. Ridiculous situations called for ridiculous responses. “This will make for great social media content.”
The three women wasted no time in procuring a table to lay out their goods. A knife and fork were whipped out from somewhere. Sloane hid behind her camera, recording it all.
“This is my famous apple pie,” Paige said. Famous to who? The snarky thought had barely crystallized in Sloane’s brain when Terri snorted. Seemed they were on the same wavelength about one thing at least.
August, still looking like he wished a sinkhole would open beneath his feet, took a bite. “It’s good.”
Paige beamed.
Desiree was next, with a pecan pie. “I serve this every Thanksgiving, and my family always raves about it. Everyone always asks for seconds.”
August dutifully took a bite. And chewed. And chewed. “It’s good,” he said after finally swallowing the pie and taking a gulp of water.
Desiree’s face fell like an undercooked soufflé. “Maybe I used a little too much corn syrup this time. I just wanted it to be extra special.”
August shook his head. “Don’t worry. It was great.”
August truly was a good man, and her feelings for him were her problem to deal with.
“Okay, me next,” Terri said. “My blueberry surprise is next. Step aside. The queen baker is here and I do not play in the kitchen.”
She leaned down to place her pie directly in front of August. A good move, Sloane had to admit. The woman had cleavage for days. Her V-neck top did a great job of highlighting her assets.
August’s version of a smile made a reappearance. “Great, thanks.”
He chewed slowly, nodding his head in appreciation.
Sloane distracted herself by taking photos. Better than pretending she was wrestler Bianca Belair and taking all these women out.
Paige stepped forward. “So which pie wins?” Desiree and Terri quickly joined her, jockeying for position in front of August.
“Ladies, you can’t expect me to choose. That wouldn’t make me much of a gentleman.” He actually sounded sincere.
He could be charming when he wanted to be. And kind. Sloane would not find it attractive. Except she did. She totally did. The women all sighed in appreciation. Sloane barely refrained from joining them.
Terri turned her way. “Did you get my good side in the pictures?”
Was she for real? “I did my best,” Sloane answered.
“Sloane, put down the camera and have some pie,” August said. He pointed at the deadly pecan pie.
“Oh, I couldn’t.” She held up her phone. “I’m here to record the action, not to be part of it.”
His shark teeth made an appearance. “Sure you can. Our guests were so nice to stop by. I’m sure they don’t mind sharing.”
“Nope,” Paige said.
“Whatever you say, August,” Terri cooed.
“’Course not,” Desiree said with a bright smile.
Sycophants were gonna sycophant. And she could and would kill August later. Sloane accepted a fork from Paige and took the teeniest tiniest piece of the pecan pie. That was still too much. It was positively awful. It tasted like mud and pecans baked in paste dyed brown. “Mmm.”
August stood. “Thank y’all for coming, but as you know we still have a ton of work to do before the shop happens.”
“I know my mother has her doubts, but I can tell you have the best heart. Say the word and we’ll come back at any time,” Paige said. There went her damn finger again, tracing August’s bare forearm. Sloane bit her lip hard to hold back a growl.
“Any time,” Terri chimed in immediately.
Sloane stuffed a bite of Paige’s apple pie into her mouth to stop herself from snorting. Ooh . Okay, this was good stuff. Not as good as her mom’s lemon meringue pie, but delicious all the same. Credit to August for not showing favoritism. Sloane studied the plate. One more bite couldn’t hurt. Maybe Paige wasn’t all bad.
“All the other SugarBaebies are going to be so jealous we got to see you,” Desiree said.
Sloane choked on the pie. SugarBaebies? What the hell was a SugarBaeby ?
“I’m sorry. All the who?”
“The SugarBaebies. That’s what August’s fans call ourselves.”
Oh, good Lord. She rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help herself. How had she missed that trend on Instagram? If it wasn’t in fact, horrible, the appalled look on August’s face would’ve been hilarious.
“He’s the best, and he deserves the best.” Paige’s finger went to work again on August’s arm. Clearly, she meant herself. “I’d love to get to know you better.”
“So would I,” Terri said.
“Me too,” Desiree added.
“The SugarBaebies just want you to be happy and find a good woman,” Paige said. After they took a group picture with August (and Paige got one more grope in for good measure), the women left.
“Don’t say it,” August said after the SugarBaebies departed.
“Say what?” Sloane said. Although she knew exactly what he was talking about. Not that he had to worry. She wouldn’t have made that suggestion in a million years. She could only be pushed so far. She knew her limits.
“That if I go out with Paige, then her parents might back off with their boycott if they think their daughter is happy.”
She hated that he could read her mind. “I’m not going to lie. The thought did cross my mind, but I wasn’t going to say it.”
“Why not?”
“Why not what?” Although, again, she knew what he was asking.
“Why weren’t you going to say it?” Clearly he had an infinite amount of patience and wasn’t about to let her get away with BS.
She stood and began gathering the extra pie and plates the SugarBaebies had left behind. Anything to avoid looking him in the eye. “Because it’s not any of my business who you go out with.”
“Even if it would help you out by generating a lot of social media buzz.”
She shrugged. “Even then. I’m not a pimp. You can date whoever you want. That’s it.”
He stared at her for a long moment with unreadable eyes. “Right.”