S’more Daddy (Pineberry Falls: Summer Daddies #3)

Chapter 1 LEO

In the community center, I sat behind the computer, tapping away and filling information into the spreadsheet boxes. Town mayor, Oliver Johnson was sitting on the sofa in the office, brushing his arms across the plush leather, a big smile on his face.

“Tell me more,” he said.

“There’s nothing more to tell you,” I said, pulling my hands away from the keyboard. “But he let me taste his buttercream.”

Oliver squealed, slamming his hand on the arm of the sofa. “That better be a euphemism, Leo, otherwise I’ll be very disappointed.”

I dipped my head to the desk, pretending to bash it. “I only went to see him because he’d put his details down as being interested in helping provide food for the end of summer festival.” I glanced up at the screen. There were a lot of people interested, and I was organizing the entire thing.

“When he came by the town hall, he seemed pretty excited about wanting to really integrate himself into the community,” Oliver said. “Who knows, maybe he’s the right fit for you. You know how magical Pineberry can be at the end of summer.”

Now I really wanted to bash my head against the desk.

This town was my savior, and every single day I woke up thankful I was able to be part of it.

But in all the years—I’ve of them so far—everyone else had managed to get coupled up and find their future long-term Daddies, and I was still pining after men who were inevitably straight or had zero interest in treating the side of me I wasn’t going to neglect any longer.

My little side. In truth, I’d not been neglecting it, but it was where past relationships were concerned.

“Maybe you should invite him over,” Oliver said, heaving himself out of the leather sofa that really liked to eat you alive with some lethal sinkage. “Do a cupcake tasting, and who knows, maybe this time you can get a taste of his other buttercream.”

“He already asked if I wanted to do a tasting,” I said, bringing my head up from the desk. And he was right there.

Henry Whitaker was handsome. No, not just handsome, those piercing green eyes like sparkling emeralds almost sent me into shock when he made direct eye contact with me. He had a slight beard and wore the tightest white shirt I think he could find.

“He’s right there,” I whispered as Oliver got closer to me.

A clink on the glass of the door made me freeze, and even though he could see me, I didn’t know what to do. Oliver didn’t seem to be affected in the same way and invited Henry into the office.

“Nice office,” he said, walking inside with two large stacked boxes balancing in one hand. “I’m still trying to get a feel for the town and I . . . I think having you—you both in fact—for a tasting would help me nail it. So, what do you say?”

“I say, I have to go do some official town hall stuff, but Leo knows this town so well I think he’ll be able to tell you what works,” Oliver said.

I knew he was being a wingman, but I didn’t want to break my own heart. Henry was a nice guy, and not married, I’d already asked that when I saw him without a ring. He also hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend, or boyfriend. Or anyone in fact.

“Let’s go into the kitchen,” I said. “This isn’t my office, it’s the manager’s. I was just using the computer.”

“Right, right,” he said, still carrying those two boxes with ease on one hand. “Lead the way, Leo, and I don’t want you to hold any punches. Just give it to me. Whatever you’ve got to say, I want to know.”

There wasn’t a mean bone in my body. I could be a little catty sometimes, and competitive, especially when it came to opening blind boxes of my favorite Sublime teddies, but I could never tell someone to their face I hated something they’d put hard work into.

The community center was open to the public.

It had a small computer lab, a large events hall, and a kitchen attached, and we often held big dinners for the public, especially around the holidays when some people didn’t have family to visit.

Pineberry Falls was one big family, and we really meant that.

Summer was also prime time for hosting event days that kept the local kids occupied and out of their parents’ hair. Today was one of the days they were out on a walk with Missy and Ulrick, some college students who worked here during summer.

In the kitchen, Henry sat the boxes on the counter, pulling back the cardboard to reveal eighteen cupcakes in total. Nine in each. Each one was different.

“You’ve got chocolate, regular vanilla, and some red velvet,” he said. “Buttercream is mostly different as well. You can probably taste and let me know.”

I nodded. “Okay, they all look incredible. I don’t want to eat any of them.”

He laughed. “Well, I don’t expect you to eat them all. And you don’t have any allergies, do you?”

“Not that I know of, but we can find out.” I giggle-snorted.

Henry’s face turned to stone. “Oh, well, that sounds a bit dangerous.”

“It’s fine. I don’t have any allergies, and we have first aid kit with an EpiPen in it,” I said.

“I was reading up about nut-free and vegan cupcakes in case people wanted those. I mean, I don’t know how I’d do vegan because I’m not like professionally trained or anything, but I’m sure I could,” he said. “You’re not vegan, are you?”

“No, but it’s nice to know you ask those questions.”

He smiled and nodded. “Good. Okay, so I didn’t bring a plate or knife to cut these up. I kinda assumed you’d have those things here.”

“And you’d be right to assume. Do you also have—”

He pulled out a notepad from the pocket of his slacks. “I’m prepared,” he said.

As we cut the cupcakes and went through the tasting, Henry made notes.

He was precise in it all, asking me what I liked the most, what I hated, and what I thought could be done to make it taste like Pineberry Falls in a cupcake.

I felt like I was a judge on a baking show, except all of the cupcakes were delicious, and I had no clue what I was saying other than, “These are delicious, you’re gonna have to keep me from eating them all. ”

We’d made it through both boxes with notes, and only small pieces had been sliced out of each one.

This was going to be heaven for all the kids and Missy and Ulrick when they came back from the hike.

The cupcakes were a reward for them, and extra notes Henry could take. It also saved me from gorging myself.

“I think I might have some front runners,” he told me as we went back to the office. “I’m gonna need numbers as well for the festival.” He sat on the leather sofa, immediately getting himself sucked into it. “Whoa.”

“You’re gonna be one of a bunch, so don’t make too many.” I tried holding back my smile, but his attempts at fighting his way out of the sofa were just too funny.

“Give me a hand,” he said.

I reached out a hand and he took it, but I did not possess the necessary upper-body strength to even try pulling him up. His pull, however, had me flying onto his lap, my elbow and hand precariously close to doing damage to his crotch.

“Well, now we’re both stuck,” he said.

I sat there for a moment. “Thanks for bringing the cupcakes in.”

“No, thank you. I got great information,” he said. “Back in Chicago, you’ve got to pay for a focus group like that.”

“A focus group,” I repeated. “That’s all I am?”

“It’s hard to break out of thinking patterns.”

“I’m just joking, I was definitely more than paid by all that deliciousness.”

We stayed in a moment of silence. I felt like he wanted to say something, and I also wanted to add to what I’d said. The longer we were quiet, the harder it became to speak and break it, though.

At the same time, we spoke. “Maybe—” I started.

“You should come by the—” he began. “You go.”

“No, you.”

He finished his thought, inviting me to the bakery. “As long as you have the time to come by. I feel like you’re the first friend I’ve made here.”

And there it was. He called me his friend.

“Yeah, friends,” I said, getting off the sofa with ease now.

“I’d love to come and help, but I am pretty swamped here.

The festival isn’t going to plan itself.

” It might’ve been a lot of work, but I’d wanted to do it for the longest time.

It was part of my new title as the activities coordinator.

“But I will put you on the list as definitely bringing cupcakes.”

“I also make a mean pie,” he said, pushing with all his might, his white shirt becoming taut across his chest. There was fear and excitement in my hitched breath, as I watched and waited for one of those buttons to pop and reveal some of the skin underneath. “And a nice pie too,” he laughed.

“Right,” I said, my eyes focused on that singular button I knew was about to make my dream come true. “Yeah, I’d . . . I’d love to try those as well.”

Henry’s hand touched the button I’d been staring at. He rubbed a thumb over it and then moved his hand up to his face where he brushed it under his chin, guiding my gaze. He had to have known what he was doing with that smile and those shiny white teeth all perfect.

“Don’t you get cavities from all the things you make?” I asked, almost as if I could feel the sugar drilling tiny cavities in my back teeth. “Not like you eat them all, though, I suppose.”

“Good oral hygiene practices help,” he said. “And I should get off, but when you’re not busy, we could maybe talk a little more. You can ask me anything then. Okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded slowly, my eyes focused on his lips then those emerald eyes. “I should have free time, because it’s not healthy to work all the time, right?”

He tapped the side of my arm, like a pat mixed with a slight single-handed hug.

Perhaps he was sizing me up. I didn’t possess much muscle, so if he was about to ask me to help him carry bags of flour or boxes of cakes, he’d have to ask someone else.

I was overthinking it. Everything in my brain was rushing with all that sugar in my system, and I was going to crash from it. I could not do that in front of him.

“You’ve got my number, right?” he asked, not giving me any room to answer. “You definitely do. Anyway, text me if there’s anything you need to know, or if you have information about the festival. Three weeks is plenty of time.”

I nodded. “Perfect.” I held two thumbs up. Now I was getting into the silly part of my sugar high. “Talk to you later, then.”

Once Henry left, I sat in front of the computer screen and let out a giant exhale, my entire body nearly collapsing in on itself as I hunched my shoulders and took on a shrimp pose.

Henry was the new owner of Hearthstone. It was a bakery that had been on the market for a while.

It wasn’t open yet, but I could already see myself going in there every single day just to order something and see him.

Wendy, the manager of the community center, knocked on the glass. “Hey, doll,” she said. “I’m going to need to jump on there if you’ve finished.”

Pushing myself out of the crusty crouched positioned I’d gotten myself into, I saved the document. “Yeah, yeah, just waiting on a couple more confirmations, but I’ll get the rest of that filled in and chased up tomorrow.”

“I saw the cupcakes in the kitchen,” she said, letting out a moan with a hand to her chest. “Divine. In a word, divine. Was that the new baker I just saw leaving as well? You know, if I were ten years younger, and single, I’d be chasing after him.”

“He’s a real treat,” I said. “I’m gonna head off, unless you need me to stick around?”

“Oh no, you head off. I’ll see you later.”

I needed to work some of the energy off, but before that, I went to the restroom and looked at myself in the mirror.

The single streak of color in the front of my hair was purple.

It was only temporary coloring that rinsed out within three washes, so I got to change it out most weeks.

Splashing a little water onto my face, it was like a slap, refreshing me and forcing my mind to think.

Specifically, I thought about Henry being nice because he was new, and I was connected in this town. Of course he wanted to talk; he probably had so many questions.

Collecting my backpack from the small cubby room for staff, I checked the return dates on the picture books from the library.

My bag was also filled with my collectable teddies.

They were my comfort items, and I needed easy access at all times, especially now, with the high stress of event organizing.

I rode my bicycle to the library a couple of streets away.

I was a part-time assistant there, and although my shift wasn’t until tomorrow, I was there almost every day for personal reasons.

Today, I needed a new picture book for my evening bedtime story and tea party, both of which I currently hosted for myself . . . alone.

One day I’d have a Daddy to read to me and host tea parties for me—maybe someone who could make tiny sandwiches and cakes. And maybe that someone was already in town, but I couldn’t get carried away with my growing crush.