Chapter 8
There are few greater smells in the world than frying bacon.
It took a few long moments for Luna to get her brain together on a level any more complex than ‘bacon good’, but eventually she managed to ascend to a somewhat higher plane of thinking, where thoughts such as I’ve never woken up to someone cooking bacon for me before and Did a hot guy turn into a giant dog right here in my room yesterday? and Wait, I have bacon? jostled for attention.
Blinking, she dragged herself back into the world of the conscious, trying to force her eyes to stay open long enough to make sense of the scene before her. Her confusion wasn’t helped by the fact that she was still lying down, and so she slowly hauled herself upright, sitting up on the bed to peer through the doorway and out into the living room.
The hot guy was very much a hot guy again, rather than a large dog. He was also cooking up a storm in the kitchenette, comically large as he hunched over the tiny stove, lit only by the inadequate light from over the stove and the early morning sunlight that filtered around the curtains.
He looked… amazing.
She took her time, just watching, as he added ingredients to the pan and poked and prodded at its contents.
It wasn’t just that he was gorgeous – though he was, obviously – or that his physique was spectacular.
I mean, he definitely is all of those things!
It was also the way he moved – graceful, like there was nothing wasted, everything designed to be as efficient and smooth as possible.
Like a wild animal.
She shivered.
She’d noticed it yesterday, on some level, but hadn’t really had the time to think about it. Or had the knowledge that he could apparently turn into a giant, deadly beast at will – and okay, as much as she was surprised at how well she’d taken that particular revelation, she knew it would still take a bit of time before the reality was one hundred percent settled in her mind.
She watched as he bent down to feed a morsel of something to an adoring Fillmore, before straightening up and promptly banging his head on the edge of the bench, cursing under his breath.
A smile twitched at her lips. Okay, maybe he’s not entirely like a wild animal. And a wild animal wouldn’t make breakfast for you. Presuming that he’s not just making breakfast for himself.
But she knew that wasn’t the case. Even though she’d only known him for a day, she knew he wasn’t the type to just ignore her needs. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body. His toned, muscular, extraordinarily attractive body. Was there anything about him that wasn’t perfect?
Luna bit back a sigh. It was hard, being stuck in a room with a ridiculously handsome guy who also apparently didn’t want to take advantage of her. It wouldn’t be taking advantage at all – she was completely willing! More than willing!
Still, she supposed, that was all part of the appeal. Even if it did leave her feeling frustrated in all the worst ways.
She watched for a few moments longer as he sawed off some giant hunks of crusty white bread, just enjoying the view, before she decided that she should probably stop staring at him and help him out instead.
With a sigh – the bed really was incredibly comfortable and cozy – she peeled back the blankets and swung her feet to the floor, before slowly standing up and unfurling herself into a full-body stretch and yawn.
Possibly too much of a yawn, as Henry turned, startled, wooden spoon in hand and – oh, she hadn’t noticed before – wearing an apron.
“Luna! Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Oh, that’s no problem – please don’t worry. I want to help. What can I do?”
“No, no!” Henry protested. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed! I mean…” He trailed off, looking embarrassed, and Luna felt her heart fluttering in her chest.
“That’s very sweet of you,” she said honestly. “But I’d feel bad, eating on the bed with you sitting over there at the table by yourself.”
We could both eat in bed together! We could handfeed each other!
“We should eat at the table together,” she finished weakly, distracted by the turn her thoughts had suddenly taken.
We have to do something about this. I’m not even sure how to define our relationship at this point, but it’s definitely not just friends! This can’t go on much longer, unless I want to explode from unfulfilled lust.
“If you insist,” Henry said, though he didn’t sound thrilled about it. Apparently he’d really wanted to bring her breakfast in bed. Luna’s heart soared.
“I do insist,” she replied, trying to sound convincing. “Anyway, I’d hate to risk getting food on the sheets.”
Henry still looked a bit hangdog, so she tried to change the subject. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”
“Absolutely,” he said, even as he tried to rearrange the tiny benchspace so he could cram some plates onto it. “I really want to do this for you. It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s not,” Luna said, sitting down at the table. “But I appreciate the gesture. If there is anything I can do, though, please just let me know.”
“Sure thing,” Henry said, a little distractedly, as the toaster popped and very nearly sent the toast flying onto the stove – only quick reflexes on Henry’s part stopped the toast from meeting a sticky end, and Luna thought that she probably ought to stop distracting him.
She fiddled with her camera while she waited, the intoxicating smells and sizzles of her impending breakfast setting her stomach to grumbling. Luckily the camera seemed to have come through its ordeal yesterday intact – it was a little dinged-up, but it still turned on fine and her photos were still there. Still, it was a good reminder to back up her photos ASAP.
She pointed the camera in Henry’s direction, idly taking a few photos to check that everything was still working in that respect, then flicked through the results. He even photographed well, looking as effortless as a model.
Is there anything he can’t do?!
Probably she would make a killing on her article about the festival if she included some pictures of a gorgeous hunk cooking her breakfast, but no, she would never do something like that to him.
Besides,a surprisingly possessive voice said inside her head, you’re not sharing him with anyone.
Before she could get too caught up in where that had come from, Henry came over bearing a tray full of breakfast goods, including two plates piled high with steaming hot breakfast, a pot of tea, a French press full of coffee, two cups and even a tiny jug of milk and bowl of sugar.
“I wasn’t sure how you liked your tea, so I just got everything,” Henry said, and Luna smiled helplessly. How has this guy not been snatched up yet?!
“Thank you,” she said honestly as she took the nearest plate. Everything on it looked and smelled amazing: the piles of bacon still sizzling slightly, the bread toasted just how she liked it and topped with an egg done over easy, the king oyster mushrooms grilled to golden buttery perfection, the cooked cherry tomatoes showing just the tiniest hint of char along the edge of the skin. The whole thing was topped off with an artful arrangement of fresh basil leaves and a side of fresh goat’s cheese.
Luna thought she might die of happiness right here and now.
Sure, she had overindulged yesterday, but that was then. This was now, and she’d gone to bed early. She suddenly realized that she was ravenous, and this was exactly what she felt like eating.
“Are you sure you work in security?” she said, genuinely impressed. “Because it seems to me that you’re actually a chef or something.”
“What? No,” he said, looking baffled. “I can barely cook at all. I just kind of looked at what was in the fridge and then fried it up. Also,” he said, looking embarrassed, “I checked online how best to cook everything and what order to cook it in. I normally don’t care much when it’s just me and just throw whatever in the pan and hope for the best, but I wanted it to be as good as possible for you.”
Perfect! He’s perfect!! Maybe I’m still asleep, and this is all a dream. That’s the only explanation.
“Well,” Luna said, “I’m pretty sure it’s actually delicious, but if you’re not sure, I’ll check for you.” She paused, realizing that he was still hovering there with the tray. “Also, please sit down? I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more if you’re eating as well.”
“What? Oh, yeah. Sure.” She hadn’t thought it was possible for Henry to be any more attractive than he already had been, but holding a tray of delicious food that he’d made for her, wearing an apron, and obviously flustered? Luna just wanted to throw him onto the bed, yank the apron off, and ravish him silly.
She supposed she would have to settle for eating the delicious breakfast he had made for her, and she sawed into the thick, crispy toast, spreading some of the goat’s cheese on top and then using it to stick a little bit of everything onto the toast so it wouldn’t fall off, before popping the whole thing into her mouth.
It was even more delicious than it had looked, if that was possible, and she moaned happily, eyes closing in bliss.
“Incredible,” she said, feeling a bit bad for talking with her mouth full, but it really was that good, and she wanted him to know. She opened her eyes to see Henry looking relieved, if still a little apprehensive, and she nudged his plate toward him.
“Eat up,” she ordered. “You don’t want to let it go cold. And I don’t want to be eating without you.”
She watched as Henry tried out some toast and bacon with what almost looked like trepidation; after a few chews, he looked surprised.
He swallowed the mouthful. “That’s… actually not bad,” he said. “I really didn’t think I could cook.”
Luna grinned. “You’re a natural. It really is good.”
The two of them tucked into their breakfasts together, falling into a silence that was easy rather than awkward, broken only by the sounds of eating and the morning songs of birds outside the window.
It felt like no time at all until they were almost finished, and Luna found herself regretting it. Yesterday she had been desperate to get to the festival and try all the different food, but now all she wanted in life was to sit here with Henry, enjoying his quiet companionship… okay, and his amazing food.
Still, she supposed that she had to get to work at some point, especially since yesterday had been such a disaster.
Feeling a bit self-indulgent, she picked up her last piece of bacon with her fingers, munching away happily on its salty goodness until it was, sadly, all gone, licking her fingers to make sure that she got every last bit of flavor.
It wasn’t until she was done that she realized that probably hadn’t been the best of manners, particularly when eating with someone she’d met less than twenty-four hours ago. She looked up to see Henry watching her intently, though he looked away the moment she looked up.
Well, let him look. Maybe she needed to be a little more forward with her intentions. She definitely liked him, and at this point she was sure that he liked her, too. They couldn’t keep just dancing around each other like this!
“I guess I’d better start thinking about what I’m going to do today,” she said, taking a sip of her Earl Grey. “I originally had a whole raft of activities planned out, but given that not a single thing has gone to plan, I’m thinking that maybe I should just throw my schedule out the window and play it by ear.”
Henry’s brows creased in concern. “Are you sure about that? I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss. I can deal with any issues if that creep decides to show his face.”
Luna waved her hand dismissively. “No, no, it’s fine. The heart of this article was always going to be about the town and its people, so maybe I need to switch my focus a little. And the festival goes for a week, so there’s time to do everything. Anyway, I’ve got a wrong I want to right.” She set her jaw in determination. “Given that I destroyed your cake yesterday and smeared it all over you, I’m going to buy you some new cake. Nope –” She held up a hand to forestall his protests. “No arguments. I’m buying you this cake, and you’re going to eat it and you’re going to enjoy it.”
Henry still looked like he was going to protest, but then he shut his mouth.
Luna nodded. “A wise decision.”
Besides the fact that she really did want to buy Henry some cake, she’d also heard a lot of chatter about just how good the cakes were at Sylvie’s Sweets and Bakery. It made sense to go where the locals went as well, and see if she could find some good stories about the town from those who knew the place best. She thought that Eula might be someone else who could add some local color!
In any case, she thought as she pulled back the curtains and peered out the window, it looked like it was going to be a bit of a gray and drizzly day. Not prime festival weather. Anyway, given her run of bad luck, probably any activity she tried to take part in would just result in her risking life and limb, like getting eaten by wolves while going on a treasure hunt, or bleeding out from a papercut while taking the origami class.
No, she had a plan: 1) Make Henry eat delicious cake. 2) Work out who the hell was sending her these text messages, and put a stop to it. 3) Ask Henry out, if he didn’t do it first. 4) Get back to the festival so she could do her job.
She hurried through her morning routine, barely staying in the shower long enough to get clean, acutely aware of Henry right there in the next room. She was excited for the day to come, certain that any weird behavior from her would-be stalker could be dealt with now that she had Henry by her side.
Henry was still in the room when she got back, having not disappeared through any walls this time, and it was with a thrill in her stomach that she headed out to her car with him by her side and Fillmore in her arms.
The ride down the mountain was a slow and careful affair – while the misty rain and fog were beautifully atmospheric, they didn’t make for ideal driving conditions on the narrow, winding mountain roads, and the drive down into town took place mostly in comfortable silence.
Despite the weather the town was still bustling, and the only parking space Luna was able to find was a five-minute walk away from the bakery.
She also hadn’t thought to grab a spare umbrella from the BB, and so the two of them were huddled together under her tiny fold-down umbrella with the broken spoke as they scuttled down the sidewalk, Fillmore tucked safely inside her jacket. The cold didn’t seem to be bothering Henry at all – maybe it was a shifter thing? Or just a hellhound thing – and she huddled close to him, feeling brave, letting the excuse of the rain and the cold push her closer to him than maybe would usually be considered entirely proper.
She almost jumped out of her skin as, suddenly, a bare patch of skin between her sleeve and her glove brushed against Henry’s hand, and a shock of electricity ran through her. She’d somehow almost forgotten about how this had happened yesterday, what with all the weirdness that had gone on since, and she’d just assumed it was some sort of static shock. But it definitely wasn’t static, that much she was sure of – it had felt like… like… a connection.
Great, now I’m imagining some kind of magical psychic link between us,she scolded herself as Henry held open the door of the bakery. Get a grip, Luna! Is this what happens just before you go insane from unfulfilled lust?!
Glancing up at Henry to see if he’d noticed her quietly going insane, she couldn’t help but notice he seemed to be… kind of wary? In any case, he was looking around a lot, his eyes scanning the crowd, as if he was expecting something – or someone – to jump out of it.
“Everything okay?” she asked cautiously – he’d told her he’d look out for her, so perhaps it was just that he was trying to check if he could see anyone hunched over their phone typing out a text in an especially suspicious way.
“Uh, no, it’s nothing,” Henry said, before he followed her inside the bakery, letting the door close behind him. “Or… well, perhaps it’s something we can discuss later. It’s kind of hard to explain.”
“Harder than that you’re a guy who turns into a massive shaggy hellhound?” Luna wondered aloud – though not too loudly – as they made their way up to the counter together.
Henry laughed softly, but he still sounded a little uneasy. “Well, perhaps not.”
“Welcome to Sylvie’s Sweets and Bakery!” chirped a voice, and Luna looked up to see a petite, dark-haired woman greeting them from behind the counter. “What can I – oh, you’re back again already! Couldn’t stay away, huh? Oh, and you brought a friend.” She waved at Fillmore where he peeped out balefully from Luna’s jacket. “Two friends!”
Luna blinked in confusion for a moment, before putting two and two together. The woman – the eponymous Sylvie, going by her name tag – must have served Henry his ill-fated cakes yesterday.
Henry shifted awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I really wanted to come back and get some more.”
“Which one was your favorite?” Sylvie asked. “I can get you more of the same, or you can try something new. Our daily special today is a white chocolate, coconut and mango cheesecake.”
Luna could see that the dilemma of lying about what happened was just about causing Henry physical pain – he obviously didn’t want to say that her lovingly crafted cakes had ended up a smeared mess on his shirt, but he didn’t want to say anything about something that he hadn’t actually eaten, either. His clear need to be honest while trying to spare her feelings was kind of endearing.
Still, sometimes you just needed to cut through the crap, and Luna was pretty sure that Sylvie could handle knowing the sad fate her cakes had met.
“Hi!” she said brightly. “My overly polite friend here didn’t actually get to eat any of his cakes in the end, because like an idiot I knocked them all on the ground. I’m here to make amends.”
“Oof.” Sylvie shook her head in sympathy. “Destruction of cake? You’re lucky he still calls you a friend at all.”
“I am lucky,” Luna said, and blinked a bit at how cheesy she sounded. It was true, though. “I’m hoping he’ll be able to find it in his heart to forgive me.”
“Well, let’s see what we can do,” Sylvie said. “I still remember what he bought yesterday, so I can do that again, and throw in the mango cheesecake on the side. How does that sound?”
Luna exchanged a glance with Henry, who nodded. “Sounds great, thanks,” she said, impressed with Sylvie’s memory.
“Will you be eating here?” Sylvie asked. “The weather looks pretty nasty outside.”
Luna nodded. “Yeah, I think that’s the safest option.”
“I tell you what – there’s a table just around the corner there, right down the back, that has a great view. You go sit down there, and I’ll have this out to you in no time. On the house, of course.”
“What? No!” Luna said, as Henry also voiced his own protests. “Please, that’s not necessary –”
“Of course it’s necessary,” Sylvie said with a twinkle in her eye. “There’s been a terrible cake-related catastrophe, and the universe needs to be set to rights.” She grinned. “Also, it’s my shop, and I’m bringing it to you and refusing to take your money no matter what. So either you eat it, or it just goes in the trash.”
In the end, Luna supposed that she couldn’t argue with that kind of logic. She was starting to see why people loved Girdwood Springs so much!
The two of them made their effusive thanks and wandered down to the back of the shop, finding the table that Sylvie had mentioned, which was tucked a fair distance away from the other patrons.
The view, indeed, was spectacular – while the rolling fog obscured the details somewhat, Luna could see that there was a river farther down the mountain at the bottom of a gully, its pale greenish-blue waters churning white as it ran along its rocky path. The steady beat of the rain against the glass and the green fern fronds that surrounded the window completed the feeling of being warm and enclosed, protected from the dreariness outside.
Sylvie reappeared at that moment, carrying a tray that was overflowing with cakes, two plates, two cups of tea, a small bowl of chopped-up vegetables and boiled egg that was presumably for Fillmore, and what looked like a cardboard box for leftovers. Which was good, because there was no way that they could eat all of this – but surely this was more food than Henry had bought yesterday! There had to be at least ten different cakes here!
Henry must have felt the same way, because she could see him opening his mouth to protest, but Sylvie held up a hand.
“I’m not hearing anything you have to say! Enjoy!”
With that, she scurried off, leaving Luna and Henry to exchange bewildered looks.
Luna shook her head in bemusement, and set down the bowl of food for Fillmore, who sniffed at it suspiciously.
“Well, I can see why business here is so good,” she murmured, looking over the array of cakes with what could almost have been described as lust. “Not that she needs to offer anything for free to get anyone in – I would’ve been more than happy to pay for these.”
Henry nodded in agreement, looking a little overwhelmed. Luna couldn’t say she blamed him! Everything looked – and smelled – so good, she had no idea where to start.
Her indecision must’ve been clear, because suddenly Henry laughed, and the sound made her heart flutter. “You know what – close your eyes and hold out your hands, and I’ll pick a random one out for you.”
Does he even realize that he’s flirting?!
Luna laughed a little breathlessly. “Oh, like a lucky dip for grown-ups with no self-control? Count me in.”
She obediently closed her eyes and held out her hands, until she felt the solid weight of what felt like a tart in them. Feeling a little adventurous, she kept her eyes closed, bringing her hands up to her face and taking a sniff.
She was rewarded with a warm, sweet, spiced smell. It was heavenly.
“Hmm… banana?”
“You’ve got a good nose.”
Luna opened her eyes to see the most amazing-looking caramelized banana and pecan tart. It was all she could do not to shove the whole thing into her face at once, but she supposed she should be civilized about these things and use a fork.
… Except that Henry was smiling as he watched her, and suddenly the whole idea of being civilized just didn’t seem to be so appealing.
She held the tart between her fingers and took her first bite, just a small one, mostly a scraping of thick, delicious tart crust. She knew that some people just considered the crust to be a vehicle for the filling, but a good crust was a treat all on its own.
And this was a good crust: just the right texture, the flavor rich and buttery.
Moving on, she peeled a piece of banana off the top and dangled it into her mouth, enjoying the deep, sweet caramelized flavor, the undercurrents of rum and vanilla and cinnamon and something else she couldn’t even pick.
“Mmm,” she sighed. “That is so good. I think I need to revise my food rating system for this place when I write my review, because five Fillmores isn’t going to cut it. I think I’ve just discovered six-Fillmore food.”
“That good?” Henry said, looking impressed.
“Better, even.”
The more that she thought about it, the more that the name Sylvie rang a bell – she thought she might have read an article a few years back about a small-town baker named Sylvie who made absolutely incredible cakes, but she’d completely forgotten about it until now. This had to be the same one – there was no way there could be two bakers called Sylvie in mountain towns who were this good!
She bit into the tart properly this time, possibly making slightly inappropriate noises as the whole flavor experience hit her full-force. The satisfying mild crunch of the pecans, the rich taste of the banana, the warmth of the vanilla, the crumbly butteriness of the crust, the sweetness of the goo that bound it all together…
Note to self: find better word than ‘goo’ before you write your review.
It took a long moment for her to remember that she had an audience, and she looked up, slightly chagrined, to see Henry watching her with hunger in his eyes.
Is that for me, or the cake? I wouldn’t blame him if it was the cake.
His expression was intense – not in a scary way, but in a way that made her feel like there was something way more important afoot than just eating some cake. Even if the cake was amazing.
She laughed, trying not to let her nerves show. “Is it your turn now? I can pick one out for you, if you like.”
“I’d love nothing more,” said Henry honestly. “But you remember how earlier I had something I wanted to explain?”
“… Now?” Luna said. She didn’t mean to sound rude, but the timing was odd. Still, she supposed that if he had something on his mind, he might not be fully able to enjoy their… was this a date? It was a date, right?
“If that’s okay,” Henry said seriously.
She wondered what more he could possibly have to say after his whole ‘I can turn into a giant slavering beast’ confession. Surely it couldn’t be anything too terrible?
Luna swallowed, before nodding. “Sure, that’s fine.”
I guess I’ll just have to see what he says.