Page 51 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

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DORIE

Istood in the kitchen, carefully placing the last of the pastel-colored cupcakes into their boxes. Easter was always one of my favorite holidays. I helped with the egg hunt every year. I donated the cupcakes, which was a hit to my bottom line, but it was my way of giving back to our little community. It was also a little free advertisement.

Toby walked into the kitchen and looked at the counters covered with pink boxes. “This is more than last year,” he said.

I nodded. “Every year we run out. And every year there’s a horde of sad, crying kids and angry parents giving me the side eye. I’m not running short this year.”

“They get what they asked for.” He laughed. “They’re going to all be sugared out.”

“Are you sure you can handle things here?” I asked. “We could just close the bakery.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’ll help you load these in the car.”

I was grateful for his help. We carried the boxes out to my car, careful not to smudge the delicate frosting. Spring was finally here, and thankfully, it wasn’t raining. A couple years ago, it had rained on the egg hunt and that was nothing short of a disaster.

“Thank you, Toby. Call me if you need anything. If it’s slow, close. There’s no reason for you to hang out.”

“Thanks, Dorie. Good luck. Hopefully, there will be no puke, blood, or poop.”

I burst into laughter. “Fingers crossed.”

My mind wandered back to the conversation with Kaisen last night. And the kiss. Mostly the kiss. His offer to help with the developer situation had caught me off guard. I wasn’t used to people stepping up like that, especially not someone like him. But then again, he had a way of surprising me at every turn. There was more to him than the polished exterior he showed the world. I could feel it.

But I still believed he would be dangerous for me. A man like that could do some damage to my heart. I didn’t know how I knew it, but I did. He would make me fall for him and then break my heart when he went back to his life.

When I pulled into the school parking lot, it was chaos. One of the teachers told me where to park. I collected a couple boxes and carried them to the tent area. Parents and volunteers were bustling around, setting up tables, filling plastic eggs with candy, and arranging prizes.

“Where do you want the cupcakes?” I asked one of the teachers.

She looked at the boxes. I saw the look.

“I have more,” I said. “I just didn’t want to risk dropping any.”

“Oh, thank God.” She sighed. “I thought we were going to have to divvy them up and that always leads to problems.”

“No, I made almost double from last year.”

“You’re an angel. I’ll have one of the volunteers help you.”

She waved over a teenager, who quickly came to my aid. We went back to my car to get the rest of the treats. “The kids are going to freak out when they see these,” she said.

We placed the boxes on the table. I glanced around at the madness, kids running around and screaming, already amped up before the sugar rush to come. I wasn’t sure Kaisen would actually show up. I doubted this was something he had a lot of familiarity with. Parents were corralling their children, teachers were giving last-minute instructions, and volunteers like me were putting the finishing touches on everything. It was a scene I loved being a part of—a reminder of why I stayed in this small town, despite its challenges.

My eyes caught a familiar figure near the entrance of the school parking lot, and my heart did an involuntary little skip. Kaisen stood there looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. He looked out of place in his designer slacks and crisp button-down shirt, but he was here, and that counted for something.

“You actually showed up,” I said as he approached, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice.

He gave a half-smile, hands in his pockets. “I said I would. Didn’t think I’d bail, did you?”

“Honestly, yes.”

His eyes scanned the chaos around us. “Yeah, well, you owe me for this.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’ll survive. It’s just a bunch of kids.”

Just as I said that, someone called for volunteers to be on the field to help reduce the chances of “another bloodbath like last year.” Kaisen froze, his eyes widening.