3. Rule #3 Cinnamon Rolls Fix Everything

Rule #3: Cinnamon Rolls Fix Everything

Daniel

C huckling to myself, I ran my fingers through my hair as I left Tanaka's Gym, listening to Zoe bicker with her boss. Bloody hell, the little spitfire sure was something. Such a tiny thing, but I could see the strength she was packing. Black jeans clung to her sculpted legs, and between the leather jacket she wore and the scowl on her face, I knew she'd be a handful. Never let it be said that I backed down from a challenge. But something was up with the little witch. Her scent was off. She smelled like sunshine doused in sadness, and for some inexplicable reason I wanted to know why.

I pressed the key fob and the lights of my Ford Mustang GT500 blinked as I approached. Sliding into the buttery black leather seat, I navigated through the small town of Hemlock Harbor, making my way to the bakery near my art gallery. The rumble of the American muscle car settled something in me. It was obnoxiously yellow, like Bumblebee from Transformers, with black racing stripes and everything. Quintessentially American, it was my pride and joy .

My new home was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of London, but the peace and anonymity was welcomed. Well, the almost anonymity. The local werewolf pack had caught wind of who I was and I had been politely declining the invitations after the Alpha and his spawn first ambushed me at the gallery. Benjamin's son was a petulant child and his vapid daughter was no better. Still, life was mostly quiet and I appreciated that. I found a parking spot near the bakery and made my way inside, grinning at Gloria as the bell jingled above me. Classic small town America. I loved everything about it.

"Well, if it isn't my second favorite Brit!" Gloria beamed from behind the counter.

"Ah, Gloria, you wound me," I said, my hands going to my heart.

"Even those dimples won't displace Harry Styles from the top of my list," she replied. Gloria was a matronly woman, somewhere in her fifties with bright, playful eyes and dark brown hair streaked with gray, piled in a messy bun atop her head. She also had a small obsession with the British pop star. Though to be fair, I couldn't blame her. The lad seemed like a laugh and a good time. The smell of cinnamon and sugar filled the small bakery. A couple of mismatched tables were scattered around giving the place a rustic feel. But Gloria had the best coffee machine in a ten mile radius. Unlike mornings, which were normally buzzing with people, afternoons were calmer with only a couple of late afternoon stragglers scattered aroundthe place.

"Your usual, my boy?" she asked, already starting on my Americano.

"Yeah, and a hazelnut latte. Throw in a couple of cinnamon rolls while you're at it. I've got a big project for Michael and he might need some placating."

"How's the gallery doing?" she asked, frothing the milk .

I'd been in town for three months now and while I mostly kept to myself, I had become friendly with the other store owners that surrounded my gallery. It didn't hurt business that it was tourist season. We'd had far more than a few walk-ins and business was steady.

"Running well enough now. Michael can handle the day-to-day by himself. I've taken a job at Tanaka's Gym," I told her.

Gloria raised her eyebrows in question, so I took a seat at the counter and continued, "Just needed something to blow off steam."

"I didn't know Lewis was hiring," she said. A white box stood open on the counter as she used tongs to place the freshly baked cinnamon rolls in it. Gloria wasn't a witch, but her cinnamon rolls were damn near magical.

"Not for Muay Thai," I replied. "I'll be teaching jiu-jitsu classes a few times a week." I didn't tell her the reasoning behind it. I tried not to think about it myself. The pain was too raw and I buried it beneath my sunny demeanor. She wouldn't have wanted this for me.

"You okay there, sugar?" Gloria reached over to grab my hand, a frown of concern on her kind face.

I smiled broadly at her, chasing away my demons. "Right as rain."

She patted my hand then continued putting my order together.

"You meet Zoe yet?" she asked, and miserably failed to conceal the meddling tone in her voice.

"I had the pleasure of meeting the tiny firecracker, yes."

Gloria barked a laugh. "That she is. A secret for when you piss her off – and knowing her, that will happen sooner rather than later – she loves these cinnamon rolls." She closed the lid and handed me the box with the two coffees.

"I think I already have for some reason," I said with a chuckle. "But it seems like a fun thing to do."

"Be careful with her," she warned .

"Why?"

"She's a loner. Doesn't take to people well. She's had a bit of a hard time and she's not very welcoming."

"Ah, Gloria. You underestimate my charm and these dimples," I replied, making her laugh.

Heading down the street, I ambled toward the Aurora Art Gallery. Calmness washed over me as I breathed in the smell of the paint and clay, moving through the white open space. It was small, but I loved it. My sister had loved art too. This was my tribute to her. It was the only place where I didn't drown in the darkness of her death.

"I bring treats, Michael," I called out. The gallery's manager and my assistant scurried out from the back room, probably doing inventory on God only knew what, but more likely on a call with his on-again, off-again boyfriend. "Oliver good?" I asked him.

A faint blush rose to his cheeks at being caught out. "Well, he wants to go to Inferno tonight and I want to stay in. I said he can chase tail on his own."

"Maybe he just wants to go dancing with you," I replied, handing him a coffee.

"Maybe I just want to spend a quiet night in with him," he shot back.

I held my hands up in defense.

"Anyway, how did the kickboxing thing go?" he asked, peeking into the white box. His eyes lit up when he noticed what was inside.

"Jiu-jitsu," I corrected, "and it went well. I'll probably start next week. And because of that, there's a little project I'd like you to help me with."

His eyes narrowed as he bit rather aggressively into a cinnamon roll.

"I want to do an artist's call for local talent across the county. I think there's so much untapped potential around here and all people need is a chance."

"And you need me to do what? "

"Your job," I deadpanned. "I need you to manage it all. I'll make the decisions on the portfolios, but I need you to be the point of contact and get it all set up."

His face smoothed out. "That's actually a great idea," he said.

Gloria's cinnamon rolls truly were magical.

On my first day at the gym, Zoe blew through the front door like a Category 5 hurricane. Her midnight blue hair flew around her, but my gaze was drawn to her strong, brown legs in black and gold Muay Thai shorts. I spied the edge of a what looked like a moth tattoo on her upper thigh. My fingers itched to push the fabric up and see the rest of it. Damn, my attraction to her was a heady thing. I barely knew her, but that didn't mean I didn't want to. In more ways than one it seemed.

"You're late," Lewis said from behind me.

"Eat a bag of dicks," she replied. "My piece of shit car won't start again."

"Just take one of mine," he said with a sigh that told me this was an argument they'd had before.

"No," was all she said, stomping past us to the changing rooms.

"Did you run here?!" he yelled after her but she didn't answer.

He ran a hand over his face. "She's so stupidly independent."

"Kinda impressive," I commented.

"She is. But it's annoying. She never thinks of her own safety."

"Seems like it's other people who should be kept safe from her."

"You're not wrong. But she can't be an island. That's no way to live."

"She has you, though. "

"I can't always be there for her," he said, staring after her before turning back to me. "Anyway, seeing as you're still here, do you mind starting her class with stretching and warming up?"

"No worries," I replied. I was already out of my gi and in sweats and a t-shirt, but I didn't need anything more for stretching.

I got the group of women in Zoe's intermediate class in a circle and tried to ignore the giggles and suggestive looks thrown my way. I zoned out as I went through a stretching routine and the scent of sunshine and sadness hit me just as one of the girls, Caroline, I think, decided that turning around and reaching down to her ankles, showing off her ass to me, was a great idea.

"The fuck are you doing?" Zoe growled from behind me. I didn't know if she was barking at me or Caroline because that question could honestly have been directed at either one of us.

Caroline straightened up slowly, throwing a sultry look at me as she did.

"We're here to work, Caroline, not flirt with the trainers."

"Jealous, Hurricane?" I asked, trying to hide a smile.

She narrowed her eyes at the nickname. "Of what?" she asked. "All you're doing is distracting my girls. What are you doing anyway?"

"Lewis asked me to warm them up because you were late," I replied. I smirked as the steam practically poured from her ears. I didn't know why riling her up turned me on so much.

"Such a great warm up," Caroline preened. "I think I'm ready for more."

"I swear to everything that is holy, Caroline, I will kick you out," Zoe said, glaring at her.

Jealousy looked good on her, even if she wouldn't admit to it.

"And I'm not jealous," she seethed, turning her fire on me once again. "We're not messing around here. "

I sidled up to her.I couldn't help it, I wanted to be within her orbit, even if it meant I'd probably be castrated for my audacity. Leaning down to whisper in her ear, I took a deep inhale of her scent. I could smell how turned on she was, even if she fought it. Her erratic heartbeat and her shallow breathing gave her away. "Good to know I'm a distraction," I said in a low voice. The little shiver that went through her made me almost feral with need. I laughed when she shoved me away and I stumbled. She was strong. She could take me, and the challenge excited me.

"Warm up's done. You can go now."

"A thank you would be nice."

"It will be a cold day in hell," she replied before turning her back on me.

Oh, this was going to be so much fun.