Chapter Eleven
Bailey
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Avery was at the confectionery before me the next morning, but that was no surprise. I was running late.
“Morning!” I greeted her when I rushed in. “Mind if I turn on the carols?”
“Not at all.”
She was cleaning up the kitchen area. We’d left a bit of mess last night, but we’d both been too exhausted to clean up.
“I’ll put on my gloves and join you soon,” I promised.
“Thanks. I don’t feel good working when the kitchen isn’t—”
“Squeaky clean,” I finished for her. “I know.”
I immediately put on rubber gloves and pulled my hair up in a ponytail. Then I got down to business, spraying every counter and surface. We weren’t doing a deep clean, but I didn’t want to do a half-ass job either.
“How come you’re late today?” she asked.
“Umm... I had trouble sleeping last night.” I’d tossed and turned and tossed and turned for what felt like forever. The image of Xander with my car door open kept dancing in front of my eyes, teasing me. Clearly the man had been about to devour me. Why had I turned him down when my entire body was yearning for him?
My explanations felt silly, almost like an afterthought. I’d been tempted so many times to grab my phone and text him, but I knew that was ridiculous. Who would text anyone in the middle of the night?
That’s the code for booty call, a voice said at the back of my mind.
“Did you do anything in particular?” She sounded like she was on the prowl.
I glanced over my shoulder, but she had her back to me, scrubbing the wooden table.
“No.”
“So, you went straight home after celebration?”
“Yep. It was freezing. I didn’t even manage to complete the whole walk.”
My sister straightened up, turning to me. “Really?”
“What’s up with you today?” I turned around, putting my hands on my hips. “You’re acting funny.”
“No reason,” she replied. But there was for sure a reason. She had a twinkle in her eye. It reminded me of when we were kids and she caught me with my hand in the cookie jar.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I said, faking that I had no idea.
“I’m just wondering when you’re going to fess up.”
“About what?” I asked, deciding to tease her.
Her jaw dropped before she laid into me. “I can’t believe you. Xander said that he was joining you. And I talked to Jasmine last night. She said Xander showed up with hot chocolate with marshmallows.” She said it in a tone that indicated it was all the proof she needed to make her point—which it kind of was.
“Jasmine just told you all of this?” That caught me off guard.
“Of course not. It took some convincing on my part, but eventually I loosened her tongue.”
“When did you even do that?”
“Last night, of course.”
I shook my head. “Oh, man. What’s she going to think?”
“I don’t think she knew what was happening. But don’t distract me. So, you went home with Xander?”
I nearly jumped back into the counter. “N-No,” I stammered. “Why would you think that?”
She frowned. “You really just didn’t complete your walk because you were cold?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t get it,” she said.
“First of all, please don’t call Jasmine. Just ask me whatever you want to know.”
“But you aren’t telling me anything!” She was clearly fighting laughter. “Obviously something happened between you and Xander when you went to the LeBlanc-Broussard mansion, and yet I didn’t hear a whisper of it except ‘It was a very nice evening.’”
I glanced down at my feet and then back at my sister. “We had a lot of work yesterday.”
“Bailey! Who can I call to find out what happened at that house?”
“No one,” I said even though Beckett came to mind.
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t going to call anyone. Goodness, I do have some decency.”
I sighed. “Fine. We kissed at the mansion, and it was very hot.”
“How did that even happen? I thought you didn’t like the guy.”
“I didn’t in the beginning. But after he showed up at my house and helped me bag the pralines, I figured that he wasn’t a bad person. He just has a different perspective on things.”
She raised a brow. “Is he a good kisser?”
I nodded but decided not to share any more details with her.
Now she was grinning. “So, why didn’t you continue that last night? Don’t tell me he brushed you off. Although, he showed up with hot chocolate,” she said, clearly talking to herself more than me, “so that’s not possible.”
“I just don’t think it’s smart,” I confessed.
My sister let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re saying that.”
“Why?”
“Because I was thinking the same thing. But it’s been a while since you’ve had any action, and I didn’t want to take the wind out of your sails.”
My stomach bottomed out. “So, you think it’s a bad idea, huh?”
“His family owns this place, and I know he wants to shut us down.” Her tone was gentle but firm.
“I know that. But he is a good kisser,” I countered.
“I wouldn’t totally condemn you if you threw all caution to the wind. Men have forgotten how to kiss these days. I’m not sure what happened.” She looked at me tenderly and added, “But he’s treating you nicely, isn’t he? What with the marshmallows and helping you at the house?”
“Yes, he is. I think we’ve misjudged him. He’s kind to his family, and he’s really cute with his niece. At the house, they spoke for more than an hour, and he was really paying attention. Most people just brush kids off.”
“Oh, sister, you really like him.”
“How is that a surprise?” I said, turning around and continuing to wipe the counter. “I wouldn’t kiss someone I didn’t.”
“This isn’t just a lapse of judgment, like ‘Oh, here’s this hot guy. Let’s test his kissing skills.’ You genuinely like Xander.”
I didn’t reply, not really knowing how, and Avery said, “I admire you.”
“For what?” I looked over my shoulder again, then returned to cleaning because she was too busy scrubbing a table.
“Basically turning him down. I couldn’t have done that. But out of the two of us, you’ve always been the stronger one. And you have a good head on your shoulders.”
Yes, I did, but where had that gotten me? And why did I suddenly want to be reckless and “throw caution to the wind,” as Avery put it? What had Xander told me, that he acted differently with me? Well, it seemed that the same was true in reverse.
“By the way,” Avery said. “Maybe we should start making a plan for expanding our online courses. In case this ends up being closed down or sold.”
“We should,” I agreed. “I already have some ideas.”
“So do I.”
Extending our online business would be an exciting endeavor. But I wasn’t ready to let go of the confectionery. It had become my safe haven.
After we finished cleaning, I cranked up the carols a little bit more. I also put a pot of mulled wine to simmer on the stove, which I planned to do every day from now until Christmas—obviously no alcohol. I mixed all the ingredients for the batter, tapping my foot to the rhythm of “Jingle Bells.” I had a playlist with about fifty Christmas songs, but I got excited every time one of the classics came on. They were just a vibe.
I checked the time on my phone and found an unread message. I knew it was from Xander before I even opened the app—I simply felt it—and I was right.
Xander: Morning. Someone brought hot chocolate for all the employees at the office, and it made me think of you. How was your evening? I hope you didn’t catch a cold.
I loved that he was checking in on me.
Bailey: I’m good. No signs of a cold. I’m just super tired because I couldn’t sleep.
Xander: What a coincidence. Neither could I. I kept thinking of a certain feisty woman enjoying the lights as if she was seeing them for the first time. Why didn’t you sleep?
I licked my lips, looking over my shoulder at my sister.
Bailey: I was thinking of a certain grump who doesn’t have time to watch the lights at all.
That was a good comeback.
He responded only seconds later.
Xander: He did come to watch them with you. You’ve got a strange power over him.
My pulse quickened as I shifted my weight from one leg to the other. God, I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to ask him exactly what kind of power and how far it went, but instead I simply replied to the message.
Bailey: Sounds dangerous.
Xander: It is. Very much so. Do you have a lot to do today?
Bailey: No rest for the wicked. I’ve still got plenty of deliveries, and a hot handsome man is keeping me away from my work.
What are you doing, Bailey? You told him that this isn’t a good idea, yet you’re sending him mixed signals.
Xander: Wouldn’t dream of it. Have a great day.
I’d essentially told him to leave me alone, yet for the rest of the day, I kept checking for messages. I so wanted to hear from this man. Mixed signals or not, I was glued to my phone. But he didn’t write anything.
I had to focus on my pralines. They weren’t going to bake themselves, and I didn’t want to make Avery shoulder more than her share of the work. It simply wasn’t fair.
Later in the afternoon, I did get a text from him.
Xander: How was your day? What are you doing this evening?
Bailey: It was productive. I’ll relax with a vampire show. You?
Xander: I’m on a date.
I stared at the phone. What the hell? Why would he even write that to me? I was about to swear off men, but then he sent me a picture of himself and Bella, and I just melted. My heart seemed to quickly fall back in place again.
Xander: I’m taking my niece out for some beignets. I promised her back at the party, and I can’t break my word.
I read his text a few times, smiling more and more. Okay, it was true that he was a grump, but he was also an amazing person. Two things could be true at once, right?
Xander: I wish you were here with us.
Ha. I actually wasn’t a beignet person, which was weird for someone living in New Orleans. But I didn’t want to say that right now because I was still busy swooning. So I replied with something entirely different.
Bailey: I wish that too.
Way to send a guy mixed signals after turning him down last night. I had no idea where I’d gotten the willpower to do that, but it was melting away completely.
Bailey: Have fun with Bella. I don’t want to hijack your time with her.
Xander: That means you’re willing to hijack it another time? Let’s pin down exactly when.
I started to laugh. Leave it to Xander to try and nail this down.
My entire body was on high alert. Oh, Bailey, what are you doing? I had no idea, but I simply didn’t have it in me to shut him down again. I didn’t want to.
Bailey: You focus on Bella. We’ll see about the rest.
Xander: Hell yes, we will.