Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Audrey
Had she been hoping to run into Mason when she’d gone into Black Fox?
No.
She was pretty sure she hadn’t.
In fact, she’d almost avoided going in because she’d wanted to avoid running into him.
Then she’d talked herself into it because she did want to invite everyone to the soft opening, and she had wanted to say hi to Jennifer.
She’d told herself that she probably wouldn’t see him, anyway, because she wasn’t going farther than the front desk.
When Jennifer had told her that everyone was in a meeting, she’d been relieved. Okay, maybe a little disappointed, too, but mostly relieved. And her disappointment could be attributed to missing a chance to see David.
But now Mason was here, and he was somehow even more handsome than she remembered, but he was also still taken, and she needed to get past this stupid crush.
“How’s your day going so far?” she asked brightly to cover up how uncomfortable she was being alone in an elevator with him. It wasn’t his fault she had a stupid crush.
Besides, the more she pretended they were just friendly, the easier it would be to think of him as a friend.
Just pretend he’s Jensen.
She liked Jensen, but she hadn’t been attracted to him at all. She was happy for him that he’d asked Jennifer out and got a yes. Just like she was happy for Mason that his parents had found a bride for him.
Yup.
Just like that.
Fake it ‘til you make it.
“Not bad. Meetings aren’t my favorite things, though, which is why it’s nice to get out of the office afterward. This afternoon, those of us who are in the office will be training.”
“But not everyone will be there?”
The elevator doors opened, and Mason gestured for her to step out in front of him, leaving his hand up to hold the doors at bay even though it probably wasn’t really necessary. It was still a nice gesture. Gentlemanly.
As soon as they were both through the doors, he ended up beside her as they left the building, and he gave a little wave to the security guards they passed on the way out.
“No, Claudia and Drew have a job this afternoon for a jewelry show that’s happening downtown.”
“Oh, well, that’s fun.” Audrey shook her head. “I knew David did security, but well, he doesn’t talk about the job much. He mostly tells stories about things on the job, but sometimes, I don’t know what he’s actually doing. I always pictured bodyguard services.”
“We do some of that, too. Sometimes, we consult with companies looking to beef up their own security.”
Mason grinned, and when she glanced up at him, his eyes had unfocused, like he was remembering. She was still surprised that Cassidy said he didn’t smile much. Then again, she’d met him on the day of his engagement, so maybe he was just smiling more all the time now.
“One time, we got to break into a company’s headquarters because they wanted an assessment on their current system. That was a lot of fun.”
“Fun and hopefully not dangerous.” She shivered as they stepped out onto the street, not from the idea of danger but because a cold blast of air hit them the moment they stepped outside.
Mason didn’t seem bothered, even though he wasn’t wearing a coat, just another sweater similar to the one he’d worn on Saturday.
Her brother always denied when he was cold, too. Maybe it was an ex-military thing.
“Not dangerous at all, since they knew it was going to happen. But they didn’t know when or how we were going to do it. It was a good exercise for us as well because it helped us see things from the other side of things and gave us ideas on how to prepare.”
“Makes sense.” The sidewalk was far from empty, but Mason stuck by her side as they moved past some people walking dogs, a few harried-looking workers rushing past, and several other couples.
Not that she and Mason were a couple. They weren’t. They were a pair of people walking together, side by side, because they were going in the same direction.
“Are you excited about your grand opening?”
“Yes and no,” she admitted. “Excited but terrified is more accurate. What if nobody comes? What if my business is a bust?” What if everything her parents had said was right? What if she’d ruined her life by moving away and trying to set up her own business?
What would she do then?
“Well, first of all, even if no one came on day one, that wouldn’t be an indication that no one will ever come,” he pointed out.
Audrey frowned. That seemed… but he was right.
“That might be true, but I would still rather have a huge rush of people at the grand opening. It would feel like I’m getting off on the right foot.”
“But what if you have a huge rush on day one and then no one shows up on day two?” he teased.
She ground to a halt, her jaw dropping open.
She hadn’t even considered that. It felt as if day one went well, then so would everything after that.
But if it went poorly, she’d never recover.
But he was right. She could do all this work for a grand opening, get everyone in the door on day one, and then nothing.
It suddenly felt hard to breathe.
“Woah, Audrey, I was teasing. I’m sorry.
” Mason had quickly realized she wasn’t right beside him and turned so that he was facing her.
His hands came up to hold on to her shoulders, giving her a bit of extra stability, which she appreciated.
“I shouldn’t tease you like that. The only reason I did is that I am that sure that your bakery is going to be a wonderful success. ”
Looking up into his dark eyes, framed by his glasses, feeling his hands on her shoulders, she suddenly felt very, very warm. Warm enough that a blush started to creep across her cheeks in response to it.
There was something incredibly intimate about standing this close, meeting his gaze like this.
“Okay,” she said, because her brain had gone on the fritz, and it was the only thing she could think of to say.
“Have you run a business before?”
Audrey snorted as Mason released her and stepped away, his question shaking her out of her frozen state.
“No. I studied business in school, but I think my parents always expected me to use that to help whoever I married. They didn’t want me actually working.” At least, not more than a cushy, nepotism position at her dad’s company, where she didn’t have any real responsibilities.
At the time, she’d thought that he was being supportive and putting her to work so she could get some experience and start moving up in the company. It had quickly become clear to her that she wasn’t there to actually work, just to get a paycheck and meet ‘the right kind of people.’
Which was not what she wanted.
“Well, jumping into having your own is definitely one way to go,” he replied. “Sink or swim, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve had to use most of the money that’s currently available to me from my trust fund to set it up. I have enough to live on for this year even if I make nothing, but after that… well.” She sighed. “And twenty percent of businesses fail in their first year.”
“That many?” He sounded surprised, then shook his head. They were coming up on her bakery now, the pink and white awning sticking out from the building was a nice, cheerful landmark. “Yours won’t.”
He sounded so sure of it, Audrey almost believed him, even though he couldn’t guarantee any such thing.
“I hope not. I have high hopes, but it’s scary.”
They came to a halt in front of the glass door to her bakery, where Cupcakes & Crumbs was printed in large letters above her logo—a cupcake with pink frosting in a green and cream striped liner, adorned with a little red heart on top, and several large crumbs scattered around the base.
The pink frosting matched the pink on her awning and the upper half of the walls inside the store. It made her happy just to look at it.
“Anytime you do something new, it’s scary. The important thing is that you do it, anyway.” He smiled at her. “It’s going to be great, Audrey, I believe that.”
Taking a deep breath, Audrey let it out on a huff and nodded.
“Thank you.”
If she could find half the confidence that he had in her, she would be in a good spot. But first, she had to get things ready and train her new employees. And Mason had lunch to get to. And a fiancée.
“Thanks for walking me. Tell Yasmine I say hi.”
He blinked, then nodded his head.
“I will. Have a good rest of the day.”
Turning, Audrey unlocked the front door and let herself in. She deliberately did not look to watch him walk down the street. That man was firmly off the market.
Mason
Walking away from Audrey, Mason gave himself a little shake.
He’d almost forgotten about Yasmine until Audrey had said to tell her hi. Because, of course, he would be speaking to his fiancée on a regular basis and be able to tell her hello.
The fact they hadn’t done more than send a couple of texts since Saturday…
Well, it wasn’t like they were pretending to be a love match. Still, he was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to forget about her completely while he was talking to another woman.
I’m a fucking awful fiancé.
Or maybe he was just engaged to the wrong woman.
No. He put the mental brakes on that line of thinking.
Absolutely not.
He wasn’t going down that path. There was no way he was going to hurt Yasmine like that.
She already believed that she was cursed, based on her dating history.
The whole point of doing this arranged thing was to find a compatible person with the same goals to have as a life partner. Chemistry was a bonus, not a necessity.
Having incredible chemistry with someone else did not mean he was making a mistake.
Just like with Audrey’s bakery having no guarantee of success based on opening day, there was no guarantee that initial chemistry would last beyond the first interaction. Similarly, there’s no guarantee it would be a failure beyond that.
Scowling, Mason dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He might not be able to control who he felt chemistry with, but he could control his actions. He could control his choices.
Right now, he was choosing to call his fiancée and let her know he was thinking of her. Which was true. He just wouldn’t say exactly how or why. Maybe he couldn’t force love to grow, but connection was something that could be encouraged by taking specific steps.
“Hello? Mason?” Yasmine’s smooth tone was tinged with confusion. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.” Crap. His own fiancée thought he wouldn’t call her unless something was wrong. He really was failing at this fiancée thing. “I was just calling because I was thinking of you.”
“Oh. Oh! Well, that’s very nice to hear.” She sounded pleased but also a little guilty, which actually made him feel better. Maybe she sounded guilty because she also had not been thinking of him. “Um, anything specifically?”
“Uh, not really. Although David’s sister’s bakery is having a soft opening on Friday. Do you think you might be able to get away from work for a bit to go with me?” Surely the more time he spent with Yasmine, the better. Especially when Audrey was around.
He wasn’t sure if chemistry was transferable, but it couldn’t hurt to try, right?
“Sure, I could take some time around lunchtime. We could eat and then go there for dessert?”
“Perfect.” He turned the corner and smiled as he saw the food trucks that were his destination, already feeling more relaxed as he put a plan into place and prepared to reward himself with good food. “And then Outlands in the evening.”
“Right.”
Was it his imagination, or had she hesitated just a little? Did she sound excited or reluctant?
“Right then. I’m about to get lunch now.”
“Okay. I will see you on Friday then.”
“Great.”
“Great. Bye.”
Hanging up the phone, Mason grimaced as he pushed it into his pocket. He didn’t think he was imagining how awkwardly the call had ended. They would get better at all of this. They’d jumped from acquaintances to engaged very quickly. They just needed practice.
But he’d done the right thing, and he could feel good about that.
Now. Was he in the mood for gourmet grilled cheese or birria tacos today?
A cool gust of wind blew past him, making him shiver.
The tacos. He needed a little bit of heat.
Getting into line for the Rojo Fondo Taco truck, Mason tilted his head back and stared up at the sky.
It was very blue today, with puffy white clouds.
A gorgeous day. A perfect day. And he was making good choices, taking steps toward the future he wanted and improving his skill at being a good fiancé.
So, why did he feel like something was very wrong?