CHAPTER 16
Joanie
Aaron met me in the kitchen bright and early the next morning. He did all the cooking but the pies were my babies. After I gave up the socialite life, I’d needed something to hold my focus while I deprogrammed myself. I’d detoxed while rolling out pie dough. I’d unplugged while creating meringues that sat high and proud on top of my pies. Pies had saved me from crawling back to a life that didn’t want me. I spent several hours in the diner before the sun came up every other day of the week. It was hard work, but it still granted me peace when I needed it.
Aaron, dressed in a glittery jumpsuit and wearing makeup which highlighted just how beautiful he was, worked alongside me in silence until the last pie was finished and the muffins were in the oven. When I’d cleaned up his kitchen and washed my hands, he went in for the kill. “So. You don’t need that sex dance anymore, huh?”
I groaned. “Don’t start. I just finally got the last of the knots in my shoulders to loosen.”
“Charlie’s over the moon about you and Chase.”
I glared at him. “There is no ‘me and Chase’. Interesting you’ve been having gossip sessions with Charlie, though. Should I assume the two of you are getting closer?”
Aaron grunted. “No more talking about relationship stuff. Got it.”
Laughing, I hugged him tight and then patted his cheek. “The day you open up about Charlie, I’ll open up about all the nothing happening in my life.”
The bell over the front door rang and I frowned. It was still too early for customers. We weren’t open for another half hour.
“I’ll handle it. You go out the back and go home. It’s your day off.” Aaron pushed me towards the back door. “Though I hardly count this as a day off. You’ve baked your ass off already.”
I waved him off and moved towards the front of the diner. “You get started on your prep work before Charlie gets here and distracts you. I’ll take care of whoever this is.”
It was an overcast morning with thick fog making the world outside the large front windows look dystopian. The sight of Smith in only shorts standing just inside the diner with Mack sitting at his side brightened up the space, however.
He was looking down at the giant dog and was deep in conversation before noticing me. “You’re probably not even supposed to be in here. God knows you’re not any kind of service dog. You didn’t even make it past day one of training. You know you still hold the record for the fastest expulsion from that school?”
I covered my mouth to fight a laugh but Smith still heard me. I shook my head at him and walked over so I could pet Mack. “That’s not very nice. You can’t just tell him all the things he did wrong. Where are the compliments?”
Smith squatted next to Mack and scratched him behind the ears. “Here’s a compliment, Mack. You’re great at getting Joanie to come closer.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I tried to keep a straight face so he wouldn’t see how much his bare chest was distracting me. “For the record, Mack can come in anytime. As long as he’s on his best behavior. The same goes for his Dad.”
Standing up, Smith smiled and leaned closer. Reaching out, he ran his thumb over the corner of my mouth. “You’ve been taste testing the baked goods.”
I quickly looked away and wiped my face. “That doesn’t sound like me.”
“I saw the lights on and just wanted to make sure you were okay. Mack and I still have the rest of our morning run to finish.” Backing away slowly, he smiled. “Maybe I’ll come back by for whatever smells so good, though.”
I hesitated for a second and then held up my finger. Rushing into the back, I grabbed two of the muffins I’d made and refused to make eye contact with Aaron. Back in the front of the diner, I held a muffin out for Smith. “You can be the first to try this new recipe.”
He took it and held my gaze as he took a big bite. When he moaned after chewing for a few seconds, I had to look away to hide my blush. Smith finished off the muffin in one more bite and nodded after he finished chewing. “It’s terrible. You should just give me the entire batch so no one else has to taste them. I’ll take them off your hands.”
I laughed and then broke off a piece of the second muffin. “Everything in it is pet safe. Can Mack have a bite?”
Mack looked from the muffin to his Dad with drool hanging in big strands from his mouth. Smith grunted and nodded at me. “Jesus. If I’d known he was going to activate the drool machine, I wouldn’t have brought him in.”
I laughed and tried to feed Mack the smaller portion of muffin, but he had other ideas. He bypassed that hand to get to my other one which held the rest of the muffin. Gobbling down his ill-gotten gains, he let out a happy bark and looked up at me with adoration in his eyes.
“Mack!” Smith sighed. “I’m sorry. He’s pretty clear about his love of food. You aren’t the first person he’s stolen from.”
I tossed him the smaller piece and rubbed his head. “He’s a big boy. I don’t mind.”
Mack stood up and moved closer so he could lean his body against me. I was prepared for him this time and braced myself so he wouldn’t knock me over. His tail wagged as he stared up at me. I felt like I was waiting for him to speak to me. His eyes were just so expressive.
“After that muffin, I think we’ll both be walking home instead of running. Want to join us?” Smith smirked. “I promise we’ll both be on our best behavior.”
I didn’t trust myself around him, not after the way I’d thrown myself at Chase and Bear. There was something about the three of them that made me a little crazy. “I have my car…”
“There’s something else.” He smiled. “You don’t trust me?”
I snorted. “I don’t trust me.”
His eyebrows rose and his head cocked to the side. “The plot thickens. Is this about Bear and Chase?”
I choked on the air I was breathing and took a big step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He’s talking about how everyone knows you’ve slept with both Bear and Chase.” Aaron leaned out of the kitchen service window and grinned. “I say go for gold, honey.”
Smith held my gaze. “I hear the third time’s the charm.”
Throwing up my hands I walked around the counter to grab my keys. “On that note, I’m going home. Goodbye, Smith.”
He leaned into the door, easing it open. “See you around, Joanie.”
I let my eyes linger on his tanned muscles as he slipped away. Then, I turned to Aaron and flipped him off. “You’re lucky I love you or I’d fire you.”