“That’s fine. Unless you’re scared,” he said to her back. He ignored Ella’s muffled snort of laugher.
The critic spun around with admirable quickness and agility. She could teach his teammates a thing or two. “I’m not scared.”
Ooh, looked like he’d scored a direct hit. “Then you won’t mind trying one.”
Her jaw worked side to side as she glared at him. “Sure. Why not?”
Needling a customer definitely was nowhere to be found in the “How to Be a Good Business Owner” handbook. But he’d never claimed to be perfect. Driven, yes. And his driven ass had had a bad day. The least she could do was admit his cupcakes were damn good. He clapped his hands together and hurried around the counter before either of them could come to their senses. “What kind can I get you? You eat sugar, right?”
She gave a reluctant nod.
“Are you gluten-free?”
“No.”
“Great. That means our entire menu is open to you.”
“Can’t wait.”
He chose to ignore the sarcasm. “You look like a vanilla person.”
Okay, maybe he hadn’t ignored it.
Her lifted eyebrow said she’d caught the shot. “Is that the best this shop can offer?”
He deserved that. “It is the most classic of flavors, but we’ve worked hard to come up with unique flavors and put our stamp on the San Diego cupcake scene.”
Her head tilted to the side. “The San Diego cupcake scene? I didn’t realize that was a thing.”
His lips quirked in spite of himself. “It is.” Too much of a scene, actually. The competition was stiff, but it only drove him to be better.
She considered him, a wide, and if he was honest with himself—dazzling—smile stretching across her face. “Who knew? You learn something new every day.”
“So what’s your poison? Cherry chocolate? Cotton candy? Apple crumb?” Donovan was inordinately proud of the display. Variety abounded. The cupcakes were fresh, appetizing, and colorful. And most importantly, big. Sugar Blitz scrimped nowhere.
She tapped her index finger on her gloss-coated lips as she contemplated the choices.
“I get the cookies ’n cream flavor,” her friend said.
That’s right. They weren’t alone. He’d almost forgotten.
Donovan flashed the friend a smile, grateful that someone appreciated the cupcakery’s offerings. “Thanks for your repeat business. What’s your name?”
“Olivia.”
“Well, Olivia, I happen to know a fresh batch of cookies ’n cream cupcakes came out of the oven less than an hour ago. I’d be happy to buy you one.”
He opened the case and carefully extricated a cupcake, making sure not to smudge the swirl of cream frosting or the Oreo crumbles adorning the top of the dessert. He handed it to Olivia, who immediately took a big bite. Her moan of appreciation made him do a Tiger Woods fist pump. He turned his attention back to her friend.
She was watching Olivia, but she still didn’t look convinced. If he’d been in a more charitable mood, he would appreciate her stubbornness. He’d been labeled that more than once in his life. He owned it. Lots of people dreamed of becoming a pro football player. Few people made it happen. “My favorite is the chocolate chip chocolate swirl.”
“Good for you. I’ll take the strawberry shortcake,” she replied with no hesitation.
A woman who knew her own mind, something he always appreciated. Maybe he could be charitable after all.
“Hard to mess that up,” she muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, he heard every word.
Just like that, his appreciation disappeared like water from evaporated milk. But he could not, would not let her get to him. He consciously relaxed his jaw, then withdrew the dessert from the case and offered it up. “Good, safe choice.”
Her brown eyes narrowed. But she reached for the treat without saying a word. Their fingers brushed. A spark of something electric, definitely pleasurable, zipped up his arm. What the…？ He could not be attracted to the customer from hell. A quick flaring of her eyes was the only indication she’d felt it, too.
“I hope you like it,” he said. If his voice sounded huskier than normal, well, no need to overanalyze things. Even though that was the exact opposite of how he usually handled situations. Which he would not think about right now.
“What if I don’t?” she challenged.
He blinked. He hadn’t considered that possibility because it made no sense, and everything he did made sense. “You will.”