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She smirks. “Oh, I will. But while I assemble the ingredients, I need you to write her messages on the bottom of these cupcake cups.” She hands me six paper cups decorated with pink hearts and a pen. I flip the cup over.
“No, no. On the inside, Lance. So she finds it while eating the muffin.”
Oh. I stare at the blank white circles inside the cups.
“This is why I just threw Anna over my shoulder and carted her off,” Liam mutters behind me.
“Yeah, I can see the appeal, but we still need to eat.”
He snorts in acknowledgement, and I let my gut guide the pen.
For my Warrior Princess
Don’t forget to kiss the cook
And I don’t know what all. I’m starting to panic at the amount of stuff Anna is loading onto the counter.
But thirty minutes later, I’m biting into one of the extras and closing my eyes in disbelief. I made this? Even with Anna guiding my every step, I still can’t quite believe I didn’t mess this up.
Anna hands me the special package of six fancy muffins. “Here, I’ll send you the recipe in a few days so you can make them again. I have to write it out first,” she confesses.
“You just made that up on the spot?” I gape at her.
She shrugs. “It’s what I do. But it’s fun having a focus like this. Isla’s muffins are extra special because you put the love in them. No fancy ingredients can match that.”
I nod, bewildered, and wander to the front door. “Um, thank you. That feels a little weak after tasting those, but I really appreciate it.”
Anna beams. “Come back anytime. And bring Isla. I can’t wait to meet her now!”
Liam is beaming down at his wife with pride radiating from his pores.
Isla
I’m cringing at telling Lance that I’m staying, all the while trying to figure out what he’s hiding and why his car smells likeflowers. Sneaking a peek over my shoulder, I scan the back seat. It’s completely clear. So something in the trunk, maybe? I turn back with a frown. “So, where did you go again?”
“One town over. Sorry, I was late getting back. I’ll tell you all about it over dinner after you get over whatever’s eating you. What did the General have to say?”
He sounds calm enough, but I want to be able to watch his face while I tell him. Yes, I’m second-guessing my decision, even though my gut says it was the right one to make.
When we’re finally seated in the back booth of this quaint little Italian place, complete with the drippy candles on the table that I vaguely remember from childhood, I confess all.
“General Vipont offered me a new job. And I took it.” I bite my lip while I scan Lance’s face. He looks thoughtful.
“What kind of job and are any of those idiots that insulted you involved?”
I shake my head. “No. It’s a completely new position reporting directly to him and because of the idiots. The chief one quit. A few others may come skulking back, but I won’t be working directly with any of them. I’ll need to travel to the various other offices. What do you think?”
“I think you should stop second-guessing yourself. But I’m wondering if that’s over the job or over me?” He reaches for one of my hands and makes a show of pushing my new ring up higher on my finger. It fits perfectly, so I’m smiling when he lets go.
“Are your feelings going to be hurt if I say it wasn’t you?”
He shrugs with a grin. “Not really. As long as you’re putting yourself first, baby.”
I pout. “It’s a lot of money and I like the General — he’s no nonsense but works from common sense not protocol. But I want you to have your friends and family, the study group…” my voice trails off as I realize how much he’d be leaving behind.
Our food arrives and I dive into the cheesy lasagna like I haven’t eaten in a week. It’s stress eating for sure, but sometimes a girl needs extra carbs.
Lance is quiet, eating but not voraciously like me. Finally, he says, “I’ll reveal all about my errand first thing in the morning. I think you’ll be impressed with my newfound skills.” He waggles his eyebrows at me and my eyes widen.
