Page 30 of Big Girl Panties

I released his shirt and shoved him back. "Just a little incentive." I twisted, pointing to my phone, which was sitting on the bench behind us, that was audio recording the entire thing. "If you come around her again, I'll make sure her daddy gets a copy of you saying such vulgar things about his daughter. I'm sure you'll find yourself out of a job."

He huffed out a laugh. "You should hear the way he talks about her. Why do you think I married her in the first place? Because he offered to make me partner." I kept my facial expression neutral, but I sure as hell hoped he was bluffing. "He knew no one would want to marry her, or at least no one successful. No one who would fit into their family."

I took a step closer, my voice low and menacing. "Well, I guess we could find out how it goes."

Chris's bravado faltered for a moment before he squared his shoulders. "I'll stay away from Brooke," he said, his voice tight. "But go ahead, share that with her father." A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "You'll be the one embarrassed." He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

In one swift motion, Niko yanked open Chris's locker. The metal door clanged against the neighboring locker as he grabbed his belongings and shoved them roughly into Chris's chest. "Let's go," Niko growled.

Chris stumbled back a step, clutching his gym bag. His eyes narrowed as he glanced between Niko and me. "I haven't even started my workout," he protested, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

"You'll have to find a new gym," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You're not welcome here anymore."

Chapter 12

Recipe for Romance

I squinted at my checklist like it held the secrets of the universe. "Flour, check. Sugar, check. Ability to function like a normal human around attractive men…" I glanced up at the chaos of baking supplies scattered across my café counter. "Jury's still out on that one."

"Please tell me you didn't start the party without me," Matt's voice boomed from the doorway, and honestly, the man should come with a warning label.

Caution: May cause sudden loss of motor functions and ability to form coherent sentences.

He was basically a walking hazard to my nervous system.

Matt filled the doorway like some sort of gorgeous, unapologetic giant in a black T-shirt that was clearly having the workout of its life trying to contain his chest.

"Party?" I gestured at the chaos around me. "This looks like a party to you? I'm pretty sure parties involve less inventory management and more actual fun."

He grinned, stepping inside. "I have been to some pretty boring parties. This has potential."

"Well, you're in luck because I was just about to reorganize my spice rack." I bounced my brows. "Really gets the adrenaline pumping."

"Whoa there, save some excitement for the rest of us." He surveyed the mess with amusement. "So am I too late to help?"

"Nope, you are right on time," I smiled. "I was just going through the shipment that came in this morning, and I'm not sure there's a whole lot to do today since the construction crews are still working."

"That's perfect," he smiled. "I accidentally overbooked myself today." My brows knitted together. "I have a Make-a-Wish this afternoon that I completely forgot about."

My eyes widened. "Oh my… You go, I can handle everything here." I didn't want to be the reason someone didn't get their wish.

"I need your help on something." He looked almost sheepish. "Are you any good at making chocolate chip cookies?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously asking a café owner if she can bake cookies? That's like asking a fish if it's good at swimming."

"Fair. But I mean really good. Like, 'make a seven-year-old forget he's in the hospital' good."

"My chocolate chip cookies are award-winning." My heart did this annoying little flip thing. "What's his story?"

"Seven years old, leukemia, loves wrestling and chocolate chip cookies. My team's working on getting him tickets to a show, but I wanted to bring him something special." He looked almost vulnerable. "I feel like store-bought cookies aren't good enough, so I was hoping you could help me make them?"

"Oh my God." My eyes lit up. "Yes, of course." Matt had done so much to help me in the few days since I'd met him. It would be nice to return the favor and bring a smile to a little boy's face.

He seemed to visibly relax as if he thought I might say no. "How many cookies, and what time do you need them by?"

"A couple of dozen, I guess." He checked his phone, brow furrowing. "And I'm meeting him at four, so by two."

I glanced at my watch and felt a flutter of excitement. We had plenty of time to whip up a few dozen chocolate chip cookies before Matt would need to dash home and get ready.