Chapter One #2
Ana’s great because she’s good at everything.
She hasn’t quite found her own niche yet, but she can remember almost any recipe after being taught once and is constantly researching anything in regards to the field—flavor profiles, predicted trends, new techniques.
Recently, she’s even been helping me create some of the recipes I curate seasonally for the hotel in La Jolla.
We’re all trying to convince her to apply to a program.
Ana insists she’d rather learn from the three of us, people she trusts.
Plus, we recently hired Trina—one of the students at the public charter school my sister and Grady work at—and she’s taken a real interest in baking.
I’ve taught her a lot in the six months she’s been here.
Most of the bookstore employees are comfortable helping at the bakery counter too, selling pastries and making coffee orders.
All of that to say, the bakery has been doing great recently. Lexi and I haven’t quite figured out what’s going to take us to that next level, but I have a team who will be ready once we do.
Lexi and I were both in our twenties when we bought the property, and way too ambitious for our own good.
There have been hard enough months that I expected our staff to leave, and I wouldn’t have blamed them.
They never have—specifically Chuck and Gavin.
Juanita and Ana are equally as stubborn and committed to the business.
A day doesn’t go by that I’m not immensely grateful to them for sticking by us.
Leaning down to arrange the pastries in the large display cases, I don’t notice Lexi walking over until her face pops up on the other side of the glass. Her long, dark brown hair is loose today, and she has on the barest amount of makeup as per usual.
Lexi doesn’t need it anyway. Not with her mischievous brown eyes or the smirk that naturally graces her lips. She carries herself with an air of shameless confidence that most people can only fake.
Standing at my full height, I place the tray of cookies on the counter and cross my arms. “What’s up?”
Lexi’s behaviors are predictable, so it’s easy to guess she’s going to ask me for something, but her mind is a weird, twisted place I’d never want to understand. There’s no guessing what will come out of her mouth next.
“I need you to do a favor for me.” Her face turns into a pout, but Lexi couldn’t look desperate or innocent if her life depended on it. “It’s really important. Like, life-or-death serious.”
Rolling my head to the side, I give her a bored look that should express how over her shit I already am.
“If it was that serious, you’d ask Vivi for help,” I retort.
She sighs dramatically and flops her body across the counter, thankfully a foot away from the cookies. “If that gorgeous woman wasn’t already engaged, I would be on my knees begging her, too.”
My brows raise and I wave my hand in the space between us. “I don’t see you on your knees.”
“Let me ask first. Jesus Christ, have some patience.” Biting back a laugh, I nod in her direction, giving her the go ahead. “Will you go on a blind date for me this Friday?"
Grimacing and shaking my head, I try to process her request. “A blind date? And what do you mean, ‘for you’?”
“Good, you’re following along.” She bobs her head resolutely and stands straighter.
“Apparently, I promised Knox I’d go on a blind date with his cousin-in-law, like months ago.
I forgot about it until he mentioned it the other day.
I guess the guy is desperate to make friends around here. ” She shrugs nonchalantly.
“What the fuck, Alexandra?” I demand, slamming my hands on my hips. “You’re trying to convince me to date a man who you can only describe as desperate?”
She throws her hands up in the air, helplessly. “I’m just telling you what I’ve picked up, okay? He could be a really nice guy.”
“I’m not interested in any type of guy,” I insist. “Much less a ‘nice guy.’”
She perks up. “So, you’re finally considering women? Took you long en—”
Holding up a hand, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
The thing about Lexi is she’s four years younger than me, so I want to treat her like I would Vivi.
Except Lexi’s an older sister herself and one of the most clever people I’ve ever met.
She can start talking circles around me if I don’t keep her on track.
“Aren’t you going to dump Rachel?” I ask, choosing to deflect back to her love life. It isn’t a disaster necessarily, but it isn’t a match made in heaven either.
She shrugs and grabs a cookie off the tray, examining it as if she’s never seen a lavender lemon cookie before—her favorite. “We’re figuring things out. So, I’m out of commission for the weekend.”
Lexi and Rachel have been dating for about four months. It’s the most interest Lexi has shown in anyone in a long time, but sometimes it comes off as forced on both sides. They’re too different—in ways that felt exciting at first, but now creates friction.
“Can’t we just, I don’t know? Cancel?” I sneer.
“I considered that,” Lexi sighs, placating me. “But he’s going to be living here. He’ll assume it was one of Knox’s friends, and try to guess who… Unfortunately, it really only leaves you as an option anyway. So, he’s going to think you hate him before you even meet him.”
Somehow, that makes sense even though I know it’s fucking stupid. The curse of being swept up into Lexi Hart’s convoluted logic.
Gossip spreads like a wildfire out here.
Even though I love Knox, it only takes him or Lucas mentioning it to one person, then that person tells someone else.
Within a day, I’ll be the talk of the entire town for being unwelcoming to the new guy.
Much less the man who is taking over Maddon Construction, Stanley’s very respected company.
Unfortunately, it is one of the local businesses that Lexi and I are very familiar with, too. I love Brighter Daze. The property, the location, our team. Everything. However, it is a very old building that we couldn’t afford to fully renovate. So, we do small projects as needed.
I could ruin a business relationship before it has even started.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, but don’t mean it. If I’m not going on a date, I at least have to make the effort seem somewhat genuine.
“He’s taking you to Max’s,” she smugly adds.
Scowling, I bite out, “I’ll think about it, okay?”
There’s a bit more honesty the second time I say it. Max’s is the best restaurant in Amada Beach, and the menus change monthly, making it one of the top dining spots in all of San Diego. Lexi, Vivi, and I go at least once a year, and sometimes our twin brothers will take us for a special occasion.
Right now, there’s a few dishes I’d pay hundreds for if I could afford to spare it. And Lexi knows that.