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Joann looked down at it skeptically.
"It's also easier to manufacture big batches of the cake this way so it saves us time and saves you money."
Charlie could see a smile teasing the corner of Joann's lips and he hoped that meant Maggie was winning her over. And since this was his fault, he also felt like he needed to help out.
"I'm sure it's going to taste delicious."
He smiled and pushed his plate forward, watching Maggie delicately try to put some of the cake on his plate.
Riley stuck his plate out next. "Can you give me that piece with a cherry smashed into it?"
Maggie flinched and put her cake server under something that looked like a slice. "Well, I don't know if it's really an actual piece anymore."
Yep, there was that guilt stirring in Charlie's gut again.
"I know it's going to taste amazing so who cares how it looks now that Butter Fingers had his way with it." Riley gave Charlie a shit-eating grin. "No offense, boss."
"None taken."
Yep, it felt weird when people were overly nice to him just because he was the owner. It also felt weird when the players referred to him as their boss. He wasn't sure when he was going to get used to any of this.
It didn't help that he was responsible for smashing a cake that belonged to a potential vendor.
But he tried to be encouraging and was determined to sell this cake to the best of his ability. Although as he put his fork into it, he realized it probably wasn't going to take much selling.
The fork went straight through the delicate spongy cake. He was just the former construction guy and team owner, not a dessert connoisseur, but he knew that was a good sign.
Then he brought it to his lips and took his first bite. It was divine. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander and he wondered if that was how Maggie's lips would taste if he kissed her.
What the...
Charlie's eyes snapped open. What the hell was he thinking? This was their dessert supplier. Would-be dessert supplier. Potential dessert supplier. She was only here as a favor. So why the hell was he having thoughts about this woman and what she tasted like after he smashed her cake?
Charlie looked around, hoping no one noticed him and his dirty thoughts. It looked like he got away with it as everyone else seemed to be just as enraptured by the cake as he was.
"This is so amazing," Riley's sister said with her mouth half full.
Riley took a huge chunk out of the cake with his fork and shoved another bite in his mouth. His girlfriend Cora gave him a pitiful look and reached over to wipe the icing away from his mouth.
Charlie felt a pang of jealousy watching them. He was thirty-three years old and used to have a great life. He had women who would treat him like that, wipe away the icing from his mouth. He would have his way with them later that night.
But now, everyone knew who he was and knew how much he was worth. The papers had plastered that information all over once the terms of his uncle's will had become public.
It made Charlie suddenly distrust a lot of people, wondering if they were being nice to him because they liked him or liked his money or just wanted free hockey tickets. He hadn't been with a woman in months because they didn't seem sincere anymore. He always thought they wanted his money regardless of whether that was true or not.
He looked back at his cake and took another huge bite from it himself. Maybe he could eat his feelings, and he definitely could if his feelings tasted like this amazing dark chocolate explosion in his mouth. Maggie was right about the shavings on top too. Each bite had a bit of crunch so at least he didn't totally ruin that.
"So what do you think of this?" Georgia asked him.
Charlie was caught off guard and simply answered "Good" with a mouth full of cake.
He saw a smile tease Maggie's lips and had to give himself credit for at least getting one thing right today.
But then her face went back to that steely professional look and he wasn't sure if it was because she was trying to be all business or she was still pissed at him for ruining her presentation.
"Let me finish this presentation off with some liquor in the morning if that's alright," she said with a smile. "Would any of you like to try some Irish cream in an edible chocolate shot glass?
Everyone's hand went up, even Charlie's. Maggie grabbed a small tray from her cart and opened it to reveal chocolate shot glasses that she started to pass out along with little bottles of liquor.
