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Paisley comes through for me, but she’s hiding something. Just as I’m about to go back to my room to wait for Isla instead, I get a text message.Don’t hate me,followed by an address that the attached map says is one town over. I glance at the time. If we go to dinner at seven, I’ll have about ninety minutes to get there and back. Hardly enough time for baking, but… nothing better to do right this minute.
I send Isla a quick message to meet me in the lobby at seven. Not expecting a reply, I head to my car and plug in the new coordinates. It’s only when I’m parking in front of a cute vintage bungalow on a tree-lined street that I see Isla’s message.Where are you?
How to answer that? I finally settle on:Paisley sent me on an errand while I’m here. I’ll explain over dinner.Once I know where we’re going to be living, I can tailor my answer appropriately. I walk up to the tiny front porch and realize I don’t even have a name. I knock anyway.
A burly guy who’s clearly former military opens the door with a frown. My eyebrows go up. He’s my cooking teacher? I meet his glare directly. Unexpectedly, his lips quirk into a smirk, then he calls out. “Anna! Lover boy is here.”
“Liam! Don’t be rude!” A curvy blonde woman holding an equally blond toddler on her hip bustles into the front room. Liam steps aside so I can enter and immediately I see this is a working office slash cooking studio.
“Uh,” I’m truly at a loss for words.
Anna smiles warmly, then breaks into giggles. “Are you really the guy fromEat Your Heart Out? I love that book! So did Liam, but he’ll never admit it. I had to bake him muffins for weeks!”
I can feel my cheeks heat as I avoid looking at the man who clearly enjoyed all of her efforts. “It was fiction, meant to get me out of the hospital bed.”
“Hmmm. And so you want to learn how to make muffins?” Her furrowed brow says Paisley didn’t connect all the dots.
“The real girl can’t cook. I want to show her I can make muffins that would make Muffin Girl weep with envy.”
Liam’s still smirking as he takes the toddler from his young wife. The kid, who looks to be sleepy, gives a sigh of protest and then settles on his dad’s shoulder.
“So you want to make love muffins,” she states with satisfaction.
I choke on that one. “I guess? But I don’t have much time.”
Anna frowns. “You have plenty of time to do this right and Liam is going to observe and take notes on how easy it is to throw a little extra romance into a relationship.”
I give the big guy a side glance and he simply shrugs and smiles. “You get plenty of romance, love. Not my fault you can’t keep your hands off me.”
Anna blushes and turns away, throwing up her hands. “Lance? Come with me.”
We all troop into the kitchen. Anna points to a simple kitchen chair. “Sit.”
I’m confused. I’m in a kitchen and I thought I was here to cook. Quickly.
Nobody says anything, so reluctantly I take a seat. Anna whips out a blindfold. Liam growls.
“Oh hush, you. Lance, relax. Nobody’s getting murdered. There’s a toddler in the room.” She ties the simple black cloth at the back of my head and seconds later wafts a delicious scent in front of my nose. “What’s your girl’s name, Lance?”
“Isla,” I answer reluctantly.
“I need you to think about Isla and tell me which of these scents reminds you of her.”
Smells I only vaguely recognize waft pass me. Then one I don’t, sweet and acidic and I want to grab Anna’s hand so I can take a deeper breath.
“That one,” I groan.
“Mmm hmm. Interesting.”
More scents, then a lighter one with teasing elements that make me yearn to chase it. “That one too.”
“Awesome. This part is all done.” She tugs the blindfold off my head and I stare at the counter now covered with small bottles and pots.
“What was that about?”
“You just chose your recipe. You’re making passionfruit and elderflower muffins.”
I blink. “Okay, tell me what to do.”
