Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
APRIL
Oakley
I was thinking of cooking tonight.
Clementine
Good, I was getting tired of feeding you
Oakley
Liar.
You love feeding me.
Clementine
I want to be fed instead.
Maybe fed something other than food?
Oakley
Don’t go starting something you can’t finish.
Clementine
Guess you’ll have to rely on your fantastic imagination to finish that for you
Oakley
…
Back on topic, may I use your kitchen?
Clementine
What’s wrong with yours?
Oakley
Don’t have enough dishes or a functional oven.
Plus, I like your house and bed.
Clementine
It is a good bed. Will you bring Gracie? I miss her.
Oakley
You were cuddling her this morning.
Instead of me.
Clementine
Yeah, so?
Oakley
You’re cruel.
Clementine
You like it.
Oakley
I like you.
Clementine
You better.
E very single day since their night in his apartment had been much like this. Even though they saw each other first thing in the morning, Oakley would text and make plans for that evening. He’d also gotten a lot more forward with his filthy texts and often they made her feral. She needed to stop what she was doing just to breathe . It was one thing to hear him say it in the privacy of a bedroom, and another when she was elbows deep in dough. However, she loved it. Everything about this relationship was unexpected, but in all the best ways.
Speaking of the best ways…this was meant to be a purely sexual relationship where she got to experience pleasure and understand her body better. She’d even laid down those rules, but they’d barreled right past like they didn’t exist. The fact that Clementine thought she wouldn’t feel so deeply for him was the joke. He’d been slowly and surely worming his way into her heart and she hadn’t even tried to stop him. Proof of that was in the fact that she had changed.
Not in bad or big ways, but enough that she felt the difference.
For one, she was always eager to leave work at the end of the day. In the past, she would have worked from five a.m. all the way until the work was done. Thanks to her mother and Rhiannon reminding her constantly, she was delegating more. This freed up time which she used to see Oakley. Leaving him in bed every morning was hard, so she loved wrapping up on time and meeting him at one of their places. It wasn’t just about sex, which was what she thought would be the focus. Sure, their clothes came off eventually, but they would cook together, watch mindless television or talk about their day. She’d never allowed herself to think about this kind of relationship before. She was fine reading it in her romance novels or watching it in rom-coms. To find it in real life was startling, but exciting.
And the sex?
Romance novels didn’t fully prepare me for how good it could all be .
He’d had that one explosive orgasm a few nights ago, but it didn’t happen every time. She could feel the relief pouring off of him and that was enough. They experimented and explored different ways to make their heads spin and she savored every minute. She’d been researching a lot and was waiting for the right moment to implement her learnings.
In the meantime, she was enjoying having Oakley’s head buried between her thighs. He was damn good at making her come with his fingers and mouth and driving him wild with her hands around his dick. He knew how to push her right up to the edge and make her scream for more before really giving her what she wanted. She appreciated his thoroughness too. Licking her clean every single time, dipping into her and driving her absolutely wild.
Clementine liked this level of intimacy and was always learning how her body responded to pleasure, how to make him feel the way she did. They knew each other’s limits and mental blocks, they talked it out often and if something didn’t feel right, they moved on. Curling up in his arms was definitely a highlight of her evening. They would attach themselves to each other in the middle of the bed and talk . Outside of Mack, and sometimes Ginny and Daisy, she didn’t spend too much time talking about her hopes and dreams.
Through all of this, she was definitely ignoring her feelings, because they were dangerously close to tipping over from like to love and that was what scared her the most. Telling him about her history with crushes had been a huge step, but it was also a reminder that more often than not, her crushes turned into heartbreak. Case in point: Xander. Oakley hadn’t shown any signs of being anyone other than who he presented himself to be, but wasn’t that the case with everyone? She chose to believe that he wouldn’t take advantage of the power he had over her, but the voices in her head sometimes liked to bring her fears to the surface now and then.
Another difference was that Clementine was experimenting with new ideas for her clients the past few weeks. She also introduced tasters for regular customers. Watching Oakley devour the taster slices, she knew others would enjoy it too. Besides, why should only those with weddings on the horizon get to try the delicious creations Pretty Baked made? The one thing she was conscious of was that the cakes were only put into the display case after the couple made their final choice.
The biggest thing was agreeing to be a part of the annual Wildes food festival—Spring Food Fling. They’d been inviting Pretty Baked for years, but she kept finding excuses not to participate. Spring was the most popular time for weddings and she was often drowning in cakes, leaving very little time for anything else. There was also an elitist part of her that believed people who attended the food festival wouldn’t appreciate her baked goods. But the joy she got from watching Oakley and his colleagues at the tattoo shop eat her food made her realize more people would probably feel the same way.
One thing was for certain: her staff was beyond excited.
“This is the best decision you’ve ever made. After offering wedding cakes,” Roscoe said from the opposite side of the big table where they were all gathered to eat breakfast.
Freya nodded. “Agreed. But the more important question is what’s on the menu?”
Clementine looked around the table. “I was hoping you could tell me. This is a big deal for us and each of you has a speciality. So, what are we offering?”
Everyone started shouting options at once and she scribbled them down, not stopping them from offering suggestions that might be slightly out of their wheelhouse.
“I have a question, Chef Kinney,” Luna’s soft voice broke through the melee. At her nod, the blonde tucked her hair back and smiled. “Would you ever maybe consider adding savory pastries to your menu?”
All heads snapped to the young woman and then back to Clementine, who shrugged. “Never thought about it, but I don’t see why not.” She put it on the list, then said, “You know what, let’s make a few samples and if they do well, we can think about it.”
Luna’s beaming smile was all she saw though. As the newest member of the staff, she was careful with her contributions, but Luna was incredibly valuable—she was the first person customers saw when they walked into the shop. Her positive attitude and knowledge of everything in the display cases drew people in effortlessly every single day. Oakley was proof of that.
“All right, we’ve got our usual line-up and possible savory pastries. This list is too long, so we have to cut it down. Remember that we have to churn out larger amounts than we usually do that weekend, with very little time to make fresh batches if we run out. We need to be smart about this.”
A collective hum of acknowledgement went around the table and she added, “I’ll put this list up on the board and I want everyone to vote on what they think makes sense.”
“You got it, chef,” Roscoe said and stood up, clearing up all their plates from breakfast. “Also, big props to Jude for breakfast. That shit was fucking delicious.”
Jude, who was bigger than Roscoe and the sweetest human in her kitchen, blushed as he nodded. Everyone else got up as well and started clearing up, except for Freya, who narrowed her eyes at Clementine.
“Something’s different.”
She tapped her pen against her notebook. “I’ve been thinking about the expansion again.”
“We’ll come back to that in a minute. Is it the tattoo guy?”
“His name is Oakley,” she blurted out and then sighed at Freya’s smug smirk.
“Oh, I know. Luna is his biggest fan. And if he wasn’t in love with you, she would have made her move.”
“He’s not in love with me.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep better at night.”
Even though he’d made that passing comment about falling in love with her, she couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. She was holding her feelings tightly against her chest. Maybe he was too. “I like him, we’re having fun. He’s making me see things differently. That’s all. Is that bad?”
“Nope. I like this version of you. I mean, you’re still frowning more than a person ever should, but you seem lighter.”
“He kind of helps me not take everything too seriously.”
“I’m glad,” Freya said, squeezing Clementine’s arm. “Now, let’s talk about expansions.”
Poring over her notebook and sketches, the two women discussed all of the things that could be done with the shop space. Being locked in both sides meant having to find a new place, which excited Freya. When the other chef went to the kitchen to work, Clementine looked out at the empty bakery and smiled to herself. Oakley probably didn’t even know how much of an impact he had on her. By injecting his happy self into her life, she’d absorbed some of that hope.
For as independent, self-sufficient and strong as she was, she could also admit that this new friendship made her feel invincible. The extra boost of confidence that she could do it all—try new flavors, be part of the food festival and seriously consider expanding—was difficult to ignore.
For the next few hours, she and her staff worked through their regular fare. An influencer had posted a picture of the bakery and a couple had shared their cake tasting on Instagram, so they had more customers than they were used to. It was the most activity the kitchen had seen in a few months and she was grateful for it. When she took a break after sliding donuts into the oven, she found a long list of texts from almost everyone in her contacts list—Mack, Frankie, the group with her family, a group with Ginny and Daisy (that she was forced into, naturally) and most importantly, Oakley.
Oakley
I just had a client who showed me a picture of your bakery and told me that I need to visit it ASAP.
Then she proceeded to list all her favorite things on your menu.
You better not be trying to replace me, sweetheart.
I know you’re busy, but I wanted to tell you that I miss you.
And I can’t wait to see you tonight.
I’ll be the guy waiting for you at home.
Fuck, why does that sound so good?
Look at what you’ve done to me, Clementine.
Her heart twirled as she read those texts over and over. Home . She’d never had trouble finding a place to belong. Her parents and siblings were some of her favorite people, she had Mack and Indigo, and she had the bakery. Having the word come from Oakley sent tingles up her spine. She didn’t hate it. She also didn’t know how to fully handle the racing and skipping of her heart.
Scrolling down, she read the rest of Oakley’s texts and pictures he’d sent.
Oakley
I’m assuming by the silence that you’re busy.
Which is totally fine, but let me know you’re okay.
It’s been HOURS, baby. I’m taking this personally.
She smiled, almost able to hear that last one as she looked at the pictures. One was of his pouty face with an empty bakery box. Another of him pouting, along with Fox rolling his eyes. She liked knowing there was someone who thought about her through the day, whether it was sexual or not didn’t matter, because she was on his mind.
Clementine
*cat face emoji* *eggplant emoji*
I’ll see you at home.
Oakley
Cruel temptress.
She put her phone away and returned to the kitchen, watching everybody weaving through the space effortlessly. Donuts cooled on one table, cupcakes were being frosted on the other, Roscoe and Jude were at the whiteboard with markers as they went through the list, Isla was loading the dishwasher and she could hear Luna talking to a customer outside. Even if she’d never use the term with them, Clementine considered these people her family. And she’d be lost without them.
When everyone was done and the kitchen sparkled, she locked up the bakery and climbed into her truck. She was exhausted, but knowing that Oakley was waiting for her at home put a little spark in her soul. He was going to cook for her, they were going to attempt to watch a movie and then fall into bed together. That thrilled her beyond belief.
Except when she pulled up at her house, Mack’s car was parked beside Oakley’s Jeep. In the front hallway, shoes and coats were strewn around. She toed off her sneakers and tidied everything up as the sound of nails tapping on the floor and a squeal reached her. Stepping further in, she found Indigo and Gracie playing in her main room, toys scattered everywhere. Neither of them noticed her, but at the sound of two deep voices in her kitchen, Clementine hurried over as she heard Oakley speak.
“I’m happy to make more if you and Indigo want to stay.”
She peered around the corner and bit her lip at the sight of him—shirtless, beads of sweat clinging to his bare chest, glasses sliding down his nose, basketball shorts hanging low on his hips and his signature ball cap flipped around. Mack had his back to her and she could tell from his posture that his arms were crossed over his chest.
“We’re not staying,” Mack said at the same time that she said, “They’re not staying.”
Her best friend narrowed his eyes at her and she flipped him off before turning to Oakley. “Hi. Why are you half-naked in my kitchen?”
“Hey you,” he responded and blushed. “Went for a run. Wasn’t expecting company.” He came around the counter, kissed the side of her head and walked out of the kitchen, leaving her alone with Mack.
“Calm the laser beams shooting out of your eyes, we just got here and weren’t planning on staying,” Mack said with a chuckle, hands up, posture loosening. “Dig wanted to drop off something they made for you.”
She narrowed her eyes as she stared at her best friend, then at Oakley as he returned wearing a T-shirt. He adjusted his cap—it was still backwards, damn the man —and went back to his cooking.
“Fine. But I’m assuming you were polite to each other and I don’t have to do the whole introduction thing, right?”
“Nope—” Mack shot finger guns at Oakley, who returned them awkwardly ”—I already gave him the ‘you hurt her, I’ll hurt you’ speech. We’re good.”
“ Ross MacArthur ,” she growled and he responded with a growl of his own.
“As hot as all this growling is…I get it.” Oakley wiped his hands on a towel, tossed it over his shoulder and came around to shake Mack’s hand. “I’ll be good to her, I promise.”
Clementine rolled her eyes, which earned her a chuckle from both men.
“I’m going to walk them out,” she said and grabbed Mack’s arm, tugging him out of the kitchen. “You could have warned me.”
“Why? I’m glad I got to meet the guy.”
“But I wanted to be here when you did.”
“Be glad I waited for you to get home before I left.” Mack scoffed and called out to Indigo.
“I don’t wanna go,” Indigo whined from where they were hugging Gracie, who looked like she wanted to be rescued. Clementine squatted to extract the puppy and kissed the top of Indigo’s head. “Tiny, is the sweaty man your boyfriend?”
Her eyes widened, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Seeing her fumble, Mack said, “They’re just friends, Dig. Now come on, grab your stuff.”
“Puppy!” They pouted, staring at Gracie in Clementine’s arms.
“Next time, okay?”
Indigo sighed, but nodded and started pulling their shoes and coat on. After a little more grumbling, they let themselves out of the house. At the door, her best friend turned and smiled. “I like him, Tiny. I don’t know if you’re aware of this yet, but he’s in love with you.”
“Bye, Ross .”
“Don’t break his heart, or I’ll have to hurt you.”
Waving him off, she closed the door behind Mack and leaned against it as she forced herself to breathe. That was two people in one day who said Oakley was in love with her and she refused to believe that.
“Babe, you good?”
Nodding, even though he couldn’t see her, she pushed off the door and walked back to the kitchen. He closed the oven door and smiled, eyes dropping to her chest. “Nice T-shirt,” he said and she looked down at the faded San Clemente tee she’d stolen from him that morning. His hands slid around her waist to pull her against him. “Everything okay?”
“Yup. So, you met my best friend.”
“You didn’t tell me your best friend was hot.”
“Eh, he’s okay.” He chuckled and she smiled, wrapping her around his neck. “Did the run help?”
“Sort of, just had a lot of energy and thoughts to get out. Plus, you’ve been filling me with a lot of sugar.”
Even though he was teasing and joking, she didn’t smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not tonight,” he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her. “Tonight, I wanna feed you and maybe get some cuddling in.”
“I can make that happen.”
With a satisfied grin, he swooped in to kiss her again, deeper and harder this time and she let herself sink into it. Maybe love didn’t have to be such a scary word. Not when it came in the form of this man who made every inch of her body and soul come alive all the time.