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“Mars!” I snatched the paper up, swiveling towards the kitchen, only to run headlong into him.
“Ouch,” he complained, rubbing his arm. “I’m right behind you.”
“I see that. Look.” I shoved the paper in his direction and understanding dawned on his face.
“This is it? The write-up?” His brows shot to the ceiling as he took the paper from me.
“Yep.”
“You seem happy, so I’m assuming it’s good?”
I nodded, smiling and chewing on my bottom lip. “It is. Very good.”
Mars laid the paper back down on the table and read it, his lips moving wordlessly, with the occasional mumbled word slipping out. I caught “holiday,” “gift,” and “Station 54.”
“Macarons. Freaking macarons. Why did it have to be macarons?” he muttered under his breath.
I grinned. “I told you they’d be a hit.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was worried about. That’s great, though, Lanie. Super write-up. You didn’t even get bumped for the Station 54 story.” He elbowed me, flipping through the rest of theLifestylesection until he found the article.
“Ooh, hunky. Nice pic of Quinn.” He pointed to the black-and-white photo of Quinn standing next to Santa and Mrs. Claus, a smile on his face as he accepted a toy donation. My heart flip-flopped. He really was good-looking, with his chiseled pecs and strong jawline. The man even looked hot in black and white. How could I contemplate leaving him, even for my dream bakery in New York? I was more torn than ever.
“Try not to drool, Lanie. You’ll mess up your copy and I’m sure you want to frame it.” Mars jabbed me in the ribs.
“Haha, very funny.”
“Did you know about the station and the town matching the donations in your mom’s name?” Mars asked, a serious expression crossing his face.
I shook my head. “No, but that was a nice gesture. It will mean a lot to my dad.”
“Wonder if Quinn had anything to do with that...” Mars stroked his chin.
“Anything to do with what?” A deep, familiar voice rumbled behind me as the door swung shut.
I spun around, smoothing an invisible wrinkle out of the fabric of my shirt. “Hey, I didn’t know you were dropping by.”
I walked over to Quinn and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “We were just reading the review in the paper. I saw that the station made a donation in my mom’s name. Did you know about that?”
“Yeah. The chief ran it by me and I said I thought it was a great idea.”
“Thank you,” I said with a shy smile. “That was sweet of y’all. You look nice.” My eyes swept over his body, taking in the blue button-down dress shirt and pressed khakis, dock shoes, and jacket.
“Thanks, I’m on my way to church with the family. Afterwards, we have Sunday supper. Thought I’d see if you wanted to come over later.” He shoved a hand in his pocket, his serious eyes locked on mine.
I swallowed hard over the lump in my throat, hesitating. I wanted to properly meet the family, but all at once? At Sunday supper? Seemed intense.
“What time?” I asked, scuffing the toe of my shoe on the tile floor. “The bakery’s open this afternoon.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lanie. I can cover. You go.” Mars waved a dismissive hand at me.
“Are you sure?” I looked back at Mars, my eyes wide. He caught my look, but nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, no problem! I’ve totally got this.”
“Cool. I’ll swing by and pick you up around one.” Quinn leaned over, putting his arms around me and kissing me on the lips. “See ya.”
As soon as the door swung shut behind him, I started freaking out.
