She came around the counter and stopped in front of me. “Then yes, Ethan,” she said, smiling now, “I will date you exclusively, on purpose.” I grinned so openly she ordered me not to look that pleased with myself, an instruction neither of us expected me to follow. I kissed her while the industrial mixer hummed in the back and a tray of croissants cooled nearby, and for the first time in days I let happiness be the only thing happening.
When a large catering order was canceled less than forty-eight hours before delivery, Maya told me she was handling it. She had already bought ingredients and scheduled extra staff, and the loss would eat most of that month’s expected profit. By evening, her messages had become shorter, and when I went over, she was sitting on the kitchen floor beside Walter. She looked up and said the tree gave excellent business advice because he kept his opinions to himself.
