Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“That’s sweet of you to say but we both know you could have anyone you wanted,” she observed, trying to keep her perspective and not tumble head over heels in love with Adam.
“You’re giving me more credit than you should. I’ll confess that I have a terrible habit of blowing bubbles and popping them. You may find me totally annoying.”
“Like with bubble gum?” she asked curiously.
Suddenly, Ellie appeared, giggling next to them. “Now that’s a flavor we haven’t considered yet. Bubble gum would be a great cupcake. Thanks, Rose,” Ellie said as she placed a fancy tray on the table. With a wave, she disappeared to greet customers as they approached the counter.
Rose leaned forward to unload the beautifully decorated tray, but Adam stopped her by running his hand over her forearm. Confused by his action, she glanced up at him.
“Daddy’s job,” Adam explained as he placed a glass of milk and a cupcake in front of her with a small stack of napkins and a fork. “There you go. Dig in.”
She waited until he had served himself before saying, “Do Daddies take care of everything?”
“I think most Daddies enjoy taking care of their Littles in big and small ways. I know I do.”
Nodding, she tried to digest his words and look for any possible hidden meaning. To give herself some time to think, she carefully peeled off the paper wrapper. A funny thought went through her mind. Would he eat the cupcake with a fork or just take a bite? She peeked up at him, trying to guess.
He held the cupcake in his hand. With the wrapper partially removed from one half of the treat, Adam lifted the decorated top to his nose and sniffed the Santa hat. “I think it’s something mint flavored. Do you want to try it first or do you want me to make sure it’s okay?”
“You.”
She watched Adam tilt the cupcake and bite the holiday hat away. Staring at him in surprise, she blurted, “You ate the decoration first.”
“Is that against the rules?”
“I’ve never seen someone eat a cupcake from the top down,” she answered in amazement.
“Wait until my next bite,” he suggested and held the cupcake back to his lips as if he would bite off the rest of the frosting next. At the last moment, he tilted the cupcake and took a bite from the side, devouring a combination of cake and frosting. A scant bit of frosting clung to his full mustache.
“Anything in my beard?” he asked, brushing his napkin over his full lips.
She’d never been jealous of a napkin before. “Got it. I bet cupcakes and mustaches don’t go well together.”
“I’ll never turn down a cupcake in fear of decorating myself. That’s what napkins are for, right? Try yours.”
Rose bit into the cupcake and got only a small taste of the center decoration. Looking at the bite mark, she nodded and turned it to face him. “You’re right. It is something minty.” She scooped some of the frosting onto her finger and tasted the sweetness. “Oh, yum! This is amazing.”
“Told you,” he answered as he leaned forward to brush frosting from her cheek.
His warm fingers against her flesh felt comforting and personal. Without thinking, she turned her head to press her cheek into his palm. His expression switched from fun-loving to caring in a flash. Rose closed her eyes for a fraction of a second to engrave this cherished feeling into her brain.
“Little girl, you delight me.”
“Better than cupcakes?”
“Yes.”
Time seemed to freeze as they stared into each other’s eyes. The jingle of the door opening reminded them they weren’t alone. Regretfully, Rose pulled his hand away from her cheek. Searching for something to break the spell, Rose remembered Ellie’s new thought for a featured treat.
“You do something with bubble gum?”
Thankfully, Adam allowed her to change their focus. “I do. I own a bubble gum factory. It’s been in the family for years. I’m the next Connell to run it.”
“I hadn’t put your name together with the company. That must be a fun job.”
“Definitely not as fun as your shop. There are days when every machine decides to act up.”
“Oh! So you work in the factory. I figured you had managers to do that.”
“That’s not the Connell style. I’ve manned every position at the factory. My dad and grandpa thought all the kids needed to work to appreciate their employees. I thank them almost every day.”
“Not every day?” she teased.
“Nope. Some days, I wish I had a fancy office with a view.”
“So do you still even like bubble gum?”
“Of course. I perform quality control and sample all the flavors. I might just hold the company record for the biggest bubble.”
When she looked suitably impressed, he asked, “Do you like bubble gum?”
“I do. I haven’t chewed it in a while,” she admitted, taking another bite of her cupcake. “This is so good.”