I kept trying to get Jules’ attention and untangle myself from the fan octopus without stiff arming anyone. Maybe Jules would bail me out. Drag me away from the growing circus as more people showed up with Fulton U swag for signing and chattered about the draft and Reece’s first game right around the corner.
And then she was gone. The gentle swing of her ponytail and delicious sway of her hips disappeared down the escalator. She’d left me, and I tried to pretend that didn’t hurt, but it did. Not to say the circus didn’t get old real fast, but it would’ve been a hell of a lot better with her at my side instead of the thirty snapping wolves.
I might just need to make a pit stop at a certain bakery later today. And it was somewhere she couldn’t run away from me.
16
Jules
After peeking out my blinds for a solid twenty minutes, I’d made a mad dash for my escape from my house. Berk had already caught me once trying to avoid him; twice in a row would make it even more painful. Why’d he have to be so cute? And gorgeous? And the center of attention?
Not that I’d be able to avoid him for long. The smells from anything I baked wafted across the street like a cartoon, straight into his nostrils. It would only be a matter of time before he was back at my house, but I needed a little more time to get myself together before the Berk Bombardment began again. More time to shore up the sandbags in my stomach to stop those butterflies in their tracks.
“Where you going, Jules?”
I yelped and jumped. “Could you not do that?”
Zoe sat on the couch with her computer on one side of her. “Do what?”
“Sneak up on me.”
“I’ve been sitting here this whole time.”
“I’m not used to other people being here. I’m going out.” I turned and ran smack into a bare chest. Peeling myself off Mr. Hardbody, I stared up at him.
He was in a towel again. One of mine. “Do you own pants?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged and smiled, walking past me with two bottles of water.
“Plan on wearing them anytime soon?”
“Eventually.” He flopped onto the couch and lifted his foot, propping his leg up.
The front door slammed behind me. I think that was the fastest I’d ever moved in my life. Watching a full penis promenade wasn’t on my list of things to do today.
I showed up at the B&B with my apron, not really sure if I’d need it. We hadn’t gone over everything during the tour, which had mainly been Max shoving more food into her face.
Using the code Avery had given me, I tugged the back door open and flood-light levels of brightness slammed into me.
Shielding my eyes, I stood in the doorway waiting for the aliens to beam me up.
“Yay, you’re here.” Avery’s voice sliced through my preparations for probing.
I walked inside, trying to blink away the blindness.
She bounded up to me in her cap-sleeved B&B top and jeans with her hair piled up on top of her head.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s been a slight change in plans.” She pulled me into her office and laid it all out.
“They’re doing a reality show about the bakery?”
“Not a reality show like they follow us around all the time, but they’re going to do episodes where I make my most popular menu items and then post them up every week or a couple times a week. I have no idea.” She dragged her hands through her hair.
I knew that feeling all too well. Taking her hand I gave it a squeeze.
“You’ve got this, Avery. It’ll be amazing.”
“Standing in front of a sea of lights and cameras isn’t really my thing.”
“I don’t think it’s something most people like, but you’ll do an awesome job.”
“Sorry that this is your first day. I’d have called you earlier, but I knew you were away for the weekend and I didn’t realize they’d be here as early as I was to get everything set up. Holy crap there are a lot of lights.”
“My face was 2.5 seconds away from melting off.”
“But you’re here now and I won’t be alone. Thank god.” She clung onto my arm. “Everyone else is actually getting work done and I figured since you’re new and I’m walking through the recipes anyway, it would be a good way for you to learn.”
My stare went on for way too long as I cycled through all the reasons I shouldn’t be in front of the camera. Especially a camera that would be broadcasting my image to who knew how many people.
The little voice of Dr. Schuller came ringing back. I’d already run away once and I couldn’t leave Avery hanging.
“I’ll be right there at your side.”
She let out a sharp breath and her shoulders relaxed a millimeter. “Thank you.” She threw her arms around me and squeezed me so tight my arms started to go numb. Max strolled into the office. “She got you to do it, huh? Did the big pouty eyes and squeezed your hand?”
“If you’re talking about the video thing then yes. What about you?” I rubbed my chin. “With a mouth as big as yours, it seems like you’d have been a perfect fit.”
Max’s eyes got wide and she braced her hands on the chair, staring at me with her mouth wide open. And looked between me and Avery before letting out a belly laugh that vibrated the air in the room. The three of us laughed and I wiped at my forehead, happy I hadn’t misjudged the room with that one.
“Oh, shit, Ave. You pick them well.” Max wiped at the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She was the kind of bad-girl beautiful that made guys fall all over themselves to get their shot at cracking through her rock hard shell—and probably ended up cradling their bruised balls instead.
“I curse way too much to be considered a Bread & Butter brand ambassador. Avery would shit a brick if I burned myself and let out a string of four-letter words.”
“Instead she’s stuck with me.” I’d meant that to come off a lot more lighthearted than it did. It fell to the floor between us all like a lobbed dummy grenade.
“Gah, I’m so sick of you pretty girls playing the I’m-so-plain card.” Max clutched her hands to her chest and batted her eyelashes. “Oh no, no one will like me with my cute glasses and giant boobs. Whatever will they think?” She unclasped her hands and dropped the sugar sweet voice. “You’re perfect for this, I can already tell.”
“How?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“First off, I’ve tasted your stuff and it’s amazing, so you know your way around the kitchen. Second, you’ve got that young, bubbly personality with a hint of snark, and you look so damn cute you’re about to send me into a diabetic coma. It’s a total I’ll-bake-you-muffins-and-whip-up-some-chicken-noodle-soup-if-you’re-sick look.”
“Thank you?” Compliments somehow dripped off her tongue like insults and I wasn’t sure how to react.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. I’ve got sort of a prickly personality. You’re still taking the job, right?”
“I think Avery’s getting my uniform now.”
Avery grimaced. “Crap, I almost forgot. When I say uniform what I mean is shirt. It gets super hot in here once we start baking, so you’d freaking burn up in that long sleeve, what the hell is that? A thermal?”