Chapter 6

Six

T uesday morning, Daphne was setting up her muffin display and couldn’t seem to relax.

Actually, she hadn’t been able to relax since she and Tristan kissed Saturday night.

Damn him and his excellent kissing skills!

Yeah, if all she could do is kiss him and never have to talk to him, she’d be a very happy girl because…wow. She knew it was supposed to just be a simple kiss, but as soon as his lips touched hers, it was like they both forgot who they were dealing with. It wasn’t like she was attracted to him. That wasn’t possible. Everything about him irritated her so…no, not attracted.

Although, he smelled really good too.

Like really, really good.

I’m a mess.

His brother had walked in on them—which was the plan—and she had been completely flustered. Tristan, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, like it was no big deal that he had completely brought all of her girly parts to attention.

The jerk.

After that, they rejoined the party and he stayed at her side the entire time. It had felt like the party would never end, but once the last guests left—around midnight—she went into business mode and worked on helping Marcus and Jackie clean up. Tristan had helped too and made it possible for them to get out the door relatively quickly. When he walked her to the door, she was almost expecting another kiss, but it never happened.

“Probably for the best,” she murmured as she put the last muffin in the display case. “No need to make things more awkward than they already are.”

A few minutes later, she had everything set up and was sipping her coffee when Faye stepped up to the counter.

“Hey! I love the new Christmas decorations you added! Now it’s officially the holiday season! It looks great, Daphne. Really. So festive!”

“Thanks, Faye,” she replied with a smile.

“I hear the party was a tremendous success this weekend. I spoke to Mrs. Knight, and she just gushed about everything!”

Uh-oh…

Don’t freak out. Maybe she didn’t mention the whole dating thing.

“And I hear you and Tristan are dating!” Smirking, she leaned closer. “How did he talk you into that one?”

“Oh, um…it just sort of happened. His parents arrived and found us in a rather…semi-compromising position and just assumed…”

Nodding, Faye gave her a knowing look. “Semi-compromising? That sounds interesting.”

“Yes, well…I tripped, Tristan caught me, and I was in his arms when they walked in, so…not really interesting.”

“Mm-hmm…” Faye studied her for a moment. “You look very pretty today. Is that a new hair bow?”

Self-consciously, she ran a hand over her ponytail. “It is! You know, to celebrate the first day of the new decorations.”

“And your nails look amazing! Did you get a manicure?”

“I missed my friend’s party Saturday night to stay at Tristan’s, so to make it up to her, we went for manicures yesterday. I don’t normally do that sort of thing because of all the baking, but I think they look nice. You know, for me.”

“Mm-hmm…”

Daphne didn’t want to think about what that “mm-hmm” meant, so she changed the subject. “What can I get you this morning? The banana chocolate chip muffins are still warm.”

“That does sound yummy,” Faye agreed. “Let me have one of those and a blueberry one for Tristan, unless he stopped by and got one already.”

“No, he hasn’t come in yet,” she said as she placed the muffins in separate bags.

“Really? That’s unusual. Normally he’s here before me.” Then she shrugged. “Maybe he snuck by while you were setting up.” Laughing softly, she handed Daphne her credit card. “You know the Christmas decorations probably annoyed him. He was just getting used to the fall ones and you upped your décor game with the oversized candy canes and ornaments. You know how he is.”

Unfortunately, she did. Still, after everything she did for him Saturday night—and the kiss—she would hate to think he was trying to avoid her. Handing Faye her muffins, she forced herself to smile. “Well, he’ll just have to deal with it because there are more decorations coming tomorrow.” And, feeling smug, she added, “And the landlord gave us permission to play holiday music down here too, so I can’t wait for him to say something to me about it.”

Faye looked at her funny. “So then, you’re not really dating?”

“Um…” Crap! “No. Like I said, his parents found us in that…you know…position and just assumed I was his girlfriend. Tristan panicked and asked me to go along with it. It seemed to mean a lot to them that he was dating someone, so…” She shrugged.

“Oh, it’s definitely a big deal. It’s been a long time since Tristan’s been involved with anyone and I know Cynthia worries about him. The fact that he’s obsessed with work and doesn’t have a social life is hard for her to watch. His brothers are both married and have kids; all of his cousins are married…” She sighed. “Right now, he’s fixated on a project that won’t get approved—if it even gets approved—until after the new year. It’s all he seems to think about and it’s part of the reason he’s in such a foul mood.”

“So you’re saying he’s not usually grouchy? Because the last three holiday seasons that I’ve been here, he’s been that way.”

“I wouldn’t say that. He’s definitely…uptight,” Faye carefully explained. “And he thrives when things go smoothly. This whole thing with you and the other craft vendors just…I don’t want to say he’s a snob, but…”

“He’s a snob,” Daphne finished for her. And this was exactly what she needed so she didn’t start actually liking him. He had needed a favor from her Saturday night and was on semi-good behavior, but the fact was that Tristan Knight was still the grumpy, grouchy, uptight snot he’d always been.

Remember that when you see him and he looks and smells delicious…

“Sometimes he can surprise you,” Faye said, interrupting her thoughts. “Thanks for the muffins! I need to get up and get my day started. Any chance you’re going to have the apple caramel coffee cake this week?”

Smiling, she nodded. “It’s on the menu for tomorrow!”

“Can I possibly order a small tray for the weekend? I can pay you for it tomorrow if that’s okay?”

“That’s fine. And thanks!”

After Faye left, she stayed busy for almost an hour. When the last customer walked away, she felt like she’d run a marathon. It wasn’t a great way to start her week—exhausted—but…here she was.

For the next few minutes, she refilled her display cases and refreshed her coffee. When that was done, she allowed herself to sit and relax. Taking out her laptop, she pulled up the file for her current client and began to flesh out some of the design elements they wanted on their website.

“Oh, Daphne! This setup is absolutely darling!”

Looking up, she spotted Tristan’s mother smiling from ear to ear.

Standing, she smoothed her apron before stepping up to the counter. “Mrs. Knight, what a wonderful surprise! What brings you here this morning? I haven’t seen Tristan, but he didn’t mention you were coming in today.” She smiled nervously because she had no idea how she was supposed to act.

“My son has no idea I’m here. I was thinking about all your wonderful desserts, and I know you’re catering all of Tristan’s parties, but I wanted to talk to you about ordering some stuff for myself. We’ve been spending a lot of time helping my mother pack up her house and getting it ready to sell, and I thought it might be nice to bring over some goodies. She’ll be moving into the assisted living facility this week, so I’m trying to do things that will make her smile.”

“That’s very sweet of you. I’m sure it’s a very emotional time,” Daphne commented as she reached over and covered Cynthia’s hand with hers. “Does your mother have a favorite cake or cookie?”

“She loves frosted sugar cookies and anything red velvet. Neither of us is good at baking, so we’re always looking for bakeries that have the best goodies.” Squeezing Daphne’s hand, she added, “And now we found one!”

“You are very sweet and I’m happy to help.” Pausing, she had a bit of inspiration. “You know, maybe we should make up a big box or even several boxes of frosted sugar cookies that she can bring with her to her new home. It could be a great icebreaker and a way for her to introduce herself to her new neighbors. What do you think?”

Cynthia’s eyes shone bright with tears and Daphne panicked that maybe she had said something wrong. She was just about to apologize when…

“Mom? What are you doing here?” Tristan asked as he came up to the counter.

Daphne’s traitorous heart kicked hard in her chest at the sight of him. He had on his navy blue wool coat and a burgundy scarf, his hair was windblown, and his jaw was scruffy.

In other words, he looked delicious.

Ugh…I need to stop thinking of him as a yummy treat.

“Good morning, sweetie,” Cynthia said as she turned to kiss him on the cheek. “I came in to order some things from Daphne. I thought about doing it at the party Saturday night, but she was there as a guest—even though I saw her helping the servers—and I didn’t want to impose.”

“It would have been fine,” Daphne assured her. “I’m always happy to talk about my business and helping people decide what they should order.” She winked. “And I’m excellent at picking the perfect treats for every occasion.”

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit! The idea of bringing the cookies to my mother’s new home is just…it was so thoughtful! You really have a gift and…” Pausing, she shook her head and took a step back. “I’m sorry. I’m here dominating the conversation when the two of you haven’t even said a proper good morning to each other.”

“Oh, uh…”

Giving Tristan a nudge, she took another step back. “It’s okay to kiss your girlfriend good morning, Tristan. I don’t mind.”

“Mom…it’s okay. We’re not…”

Sighing loudly, Cynthia gave him another nudge. “Fine. I’ll go and look at the other vendors so the two of you can have a romantic moment.” And yet another nudge with a wink. “Don’t be shy. Kiss her properly.”

Oh God…

They both watched her walk away before even looking at each other. Daphne again smoothed her apron and fidgeted with her ponytail. “So, um…good morning.”

He repeated the sentiment. “Sorry for the ambush from my mother.” Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “Is she still watching us?”

Daphne snuck a glance and nodded. “She’s trying to pretend like she’s not, but she totally is.” More fidgeting. “We should probably just kiss so she’ll move on, right?”

What is wrong with me? Did I seriously just ask him to kiss me? Again? He probably thinks I’m into him now.

Raking a hand through his hair, Tristan quickly agreed. “It seems like the only thing to do, so…”

“Should I come out there? Do we just lean over the counter? Would it look more believable if you were in here with me?” She groaned. “Like I seriously don’t know how this is supposed to work!”

“Me either,” he murmured. “Why don’t I just join you inside the booth? We won’t be on display quite so much.” Then he glanced around. “How…is there a door someplace or do you hop over the counter or use one of these oversized candy canes like a pole vault…?”

“I thought you agreed to no more snarky comments about the booth.”

At least he looked apologetic. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“And the door is around the side. Just…make it quick. I’ve got work to do.”

“So do I,” he hissed before coming around and opening the door. When he stepped inside, he paused. “This is much smaller than I thought. How do you stay sane in such a tiny space? This would make me crazy.”

Why did she think he was capable of changing?

“Can we just get this over with?” she quietly demanded. “The more you speak, the less I’m interested in helping you. I don’t care how much you’re paying me; nothing is worth listening to you…”

And just like Saturday night, he cupped her face in his firm hands and kissed her. He was warm and just towered over her, making her want to burrow in close. Her hands smoothed up his chest and up over that scratchy jaw before raking into his hair. Pressing up against him was easy when Tristan lowered his hands and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

Now wasn’t the time to remind herself that no one could see them, so it wasn’t necessary for them to keep kissing, but neither seemed inclined to stop. He tasted like mint and coffee—two of her favorite things. It was crazy to feel this attracted to him when she genuinely disliked him, but as long as he wanted to kiss her, she’d gladly kiss him back.

It was insanity.

Pure madness, really.

And yet, kissing Daphne was all Tristan had thought about since Saturday night. Hell, he’d purposely decided to come in late today so that her breakfast crowd would be done and he might have a few minutes alone with her. Not that he thought they were going to kiss, but he wanted to convince himself that it was all a fluke—that he just simply got caught up in the heat of the moment.

Oh, you’re caught up in something alright.

The woman was pure temptation.

When she wasn’t talking.

They didn’t seem capable of having a simple conversation without arguing with each other, and it made what they were doing even hotter. Her lips were soft, her curves were even softer, and she smelled like the sweet confections she baked.

And he wanted to taste every inch of her.

Whoa…hold on…that’s…that’s…

Accurate.

One hundred percent accurate.

“Hey, Daphne! Do you have any… oops ! Sorry!” someone was saying.

Reluctantly, Tristan ended the kiss. They were both breathless as they held each other’s gaze. Daphne licked her lips, and he nearly dove back in for another taste, but refrained. She had customers, and this was just supposed to be something chaste to satisfy his nosy mother.

“Hey, Morgan,” Daphne said as she stepped around him. “What can I get for you?”

“Um…I’ll see you later,” he murmured before turning to leave the booth. He took a moment to really study the interior, and he had to admit that she utilized every inch of space. It was impressive, even if it was impractical. Luckily, he didn’t have to work in this space because he meant what he said earlier—he’d go crazy.

When he was out of the booth, his mother waved him over to the pet portrait booth. “How cute are these?” she gushed. “Honestly, your landlord is a genius. These are all such unique vendors and a great way to get your holiday shopping done when you’re short on time! I love it!”

All he could do was smile and nod.

“Do you and Daphne have any plans this week? Your father and I would love to meet you for dinner one night. It would be nice to get to know her when we’re not in the middle of a holiday party.”

“Daphne has to get up super early every day to bake so we don’t go out on weeknights. The next party is Friday, and I know she’s not going to stay after working all day.” Sliding his hands into his pockets, he shrugged. “Maybe after the holidays?”

He already knew he’d be able to get out of that because they wouldn’t have to be fake dating after the holidays and he could just say they broke up. It was the perfect plan.

“That poor girl. I don’t know how she does it,” his mother said. Her phone rang and when she looked at the screen, she frowned. “It’s your grandmother. Please tell Daphne I’ll be back later to place my order.” Answering her phone, she walked away. Actually, she walked out of the building and Tristan knew he should just go back over and relay the message, but he was a bit of a coward.

“I can text her when I get up to the office.”

So that’s what he did. It was safer that way. If he had gone to talk to her in person, he knew the only thing he’d think about was kissing her again.

Why her? Why now?

The now part was completely his own fault. He had panicked Saturday night for a myriad of reasons, but he honestly thought having Daphne there would be a simple solution. He hadn’t expected her to kiss like a damn fantasy. The dress had been ridiculous, but it showed him all the curves she was hiding under those sweatshirts with the silly sayings on them. Now that he knew what she looked and felt like, it was going to be impossible to look at her the same way.

“Tristan?” Faye called out as she walked into his office. “Your ten o’clock appointment is here and your mother is on her way up.”

“Okay, tell my mother she can wait in here and I’ll take the meeting in the conference room. Standing, he glanced around. “I thought I had made myself some coffee when I came up here…”

“Oh, darn it! I bought you a muffin this morning and it’s still at my desk. Sorry. The phones were ringing, and time got away from me. You go into the conference room, and I’ll bring you all some coffee.”

Now he really wanted the muffin, but it would have to wait.

An hour later, he walked back into his office and found his mother sitting at his desk. Walking over, he kissed her cheek. “I didn’t expect to be that long. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

“No worries, dear. I thought maybe we could go to lunch?” she suggested. “I know Daphne can’t join us, but maybe we can bring something back for her.”

“Um…sure,” he agreed because it was easier.

“Excellent! We’ll stop at her booth—which is absolutely adorable!—and see what she’d like. I was thinking we could go to the Asian fusion place around the corner. I love their Cantonese Tiger Beef. It’s a little spicy, but so good. Does Daphne like spicy foods?”

“Maybe?” he said vaguely. “It’s never come up in conversation.”

“Let’s go find out!” She stood and headed for the door. “She’s going to make up cookies for your grandmother to bring to her new…you know…the assisted living place.”

“It’s okay to call it her home, Mom. You said it’s nice and that the staff have all been very attentive. I think the more you refer to it as her home, the more comfortable she’ll feel about it too.”

Turning, she smiled at him. “You’re very wise, Tristan. Thank you.”

Together they rode the elevator down to the lobby while talking about how well the party had gone and the plans for the one this weekend.

“Your girlfriend has a gift,” his mother was saying. “Truly. I’ve worked with a lot of party planners and caterers, and nothing was ever as festive and charming as your home was Saturday night. And the ornaments you asked everyone to place on the tree? That was such a wonderful, personal touch. She really created something that I never envisioned.”

Grinning, he felt a bit proud. “I’ll take that as a compliment because you are the queen of parties.”

“You’re sweet,” she told him. They were approaching Daphne’s booth, and she was talking to a customer. “You have to admire her creativity. I mean, look at this booth! It looks like a life-size gingerbread house! I almost thought it was edible because it looked so real! I’m telling you, she’s amazing.”

They stood in silence for a moment, and Tristan was wondering how he was supposed to act. Was he supposed to go up and kiss her or just act casual?

“Maybe it’s too soon to ask,” Cynthia softly began, “but…is this serious? Because I already see her fitting into our family. Does she have plans for the holidays? Do you think she’ll be free to join us?”

“Mom, this is all new, and Daphne has a family of her own. We’re taking this one day at a time.”

“Oh. Okay.”

They stepped up to the booth when the customer walked away and Tristan could feel his mother’s disappointment. He hated disappointing her, but he also didn’t want to give her false hope. This arrangement with Daphne was only supposed to be for the parties. There was no way he would impose on her beyond that.

In the meantime, however, he would do what he could to keep their ruse going.

“Hello, love,” he said as they approached the counter. “How’s your morning going?” Her smile was radiant, and he fought the urge to lean over and kiss her.

You know, to keep up appearances and all.

“Definitely busy,” she replied. “My goal was to do this four days a week so I could do the bulk of my prep work over the weekend and have at least one day off. But I think for the month of December, I may need to be here Monday through Friday. I almost can’t keep up with it all. This has been my busiest year yet!”

“That’s because your food is delicious,” his mother chimed in. “It’s a shame there isn’t an actual storefront here in the building. If there was, I’d bet the landlord would love to have you here full time. It’s obvious all the tenants and employees love what you do.”

Daphne glanced at him with an almost smug look and he did his best to keep his own expression neutral.

But he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Tristan and I are going to the Asian fusion place around the corner for lunch and we wanted to know if we could bring something back for you.”

“Ooh…I love that place. They have this spicy, crispy beef dish that is to die for!”

Beside him, his mother gasped happily. “You like the Cantonese Tiger Beef too? It’s my favorite!”

“Yes! I always forget the name!” Daphne laughed. “But it’s seriously one of my favorite dishes. I’ve ordered it multiple times since I set the booth up last month. And I never have leftovers because it’s the kind of dish you have to eat fresh.”

“Then that’s what we’ll bring you! Do you need a drink?”

“Thanks, but I’m good!” Turning to Tristan, she grinned. “It was so sweet of the two of you to think of me.” Then she batted her eyelashes at him.

“Anything for you, love,” he said before leaning in and kissing her. Tristan knew he took her by surprise, but he kept this kiss short and chaste. When he pulled back, he loved the dazzled look on her face. “We’ll be back soon.”

“I can’t wait,” she whispered.

Did he bring her back lunch? Yes.

Did he insist on his mother coming in with him so he’d have an excuse to kiss Daphne again? Also yes.

And did he continue to invite members of his family to the office every day so he could keep up this farce while giving himself an excuse to keep kissing her? Sadly, yes.

Although, Daphne didn’t seem to mind. If anything, every morning she always looked up expectantly when she saw him, as if checking to see who was with him and if they were going to do more than just talk.

Those small interactions were the highlights of his days.

And the most frustrating.

Every day, the gingerbread house became more…just more. She added twinkly lights, more oversized decorations, there seemed to be glitter on everything, and today there was music and fake snow around the whole thing. Obviously, he commented on each additional element in his typical tone, which naturally rubbed her the wrong way.

But a kiss always stopped their heated exchange before anyone knew they were arguing, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Friday afternoon, Tristan made his way across the lobby toward Daphne’s booth. His party for his top clients was tonight and he was kicking himself for making it an after-work event. Maybe he should have just had it at his office. All week he’d been obsessing over it, but Daphne didn’t seem fazed by it at all.

She was packing up when he spotted her. “Can I give you a hand carrying anything out?”

“That would be great. Thanks.” She looked a little flushed and seemed slightly out of breath, but he figured maybe she was just busy.

And probably shouldn’t have said…

“Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Her expression turned instantly hostile. “What does that mean?” she demanded.

“I just meant you look tired and you sound out of breath,” he stammered. “I’m just making sure you feel alright.

“I did until you showed up,” she murmured. “Those two black bins need to go out to my car, and I’ll carry the rest of it. I need to run home to take a shower and then my mother is going to meet me at your place with everything.” She picked up a couple of smaller boxes and two shopping bags. “The servers will be there by six-thirty. Since it’s a Friday, they both had to work. That’s why my mother is making the delivery.”

Picking up the bins she needed, Tristan followed her out of the booth and then out to her car. It was a small Hyundai SUV, and everything fit in the back. “Do you think they’ll make it in time? The servers, I mean.”

“They’ve never been late to any event, Tristan. You need to stop worrying.” She closed the hatch and faced him with a serene smile. “It’s all going to be great—a repeat of Saturday night, so there won’t be any surprises. Well…not a total repeat. We’re not doing the ornaments, but everything else is the same. They’re going to love it. And it’s thirty people, right?”

He nodded. “That was the last count that Faye gave me.”

“She’ll be there too, won’t she? Acting as hostess?”

If he wasn’t mistaken, it sounded like she was hopeful, like she was looking for an excuse not to stay. Honestly, she didn’t really need to, but…

“My parents will be there tonight, so with the way everything’s been going, they’re going to expect you to be by my side.”

With a weary sigh, she mumbled, “Fine.”

But he caught the small smile.

“Wait…why are your parents going to be there? In all the planning, you mentioned more than once that they weren’t going to be at this one. What changed?”

I asked them.

Okay, he couldn’t admit that, but there it was. He didn’t know why he was enjoying this…whatever it was he and Daphne were doing, but he was, and the only way he could enjoy spending more time with her was by inviting his parents.

“Mom really needed a night out, and these parties were always her thing.” It wasn’t a total lie. “Plus, she wanted to talk to you about catering some brunch she’s hosting next month. I told her you’d love to, so…”

“What?” she cried. “Why would you answer like that for me? You have no idea what my schedule is like! God, you are insufferable! What gives you the right to accept catering jobs? It’s not your place, Tristan! And…and…” Her breathing was hard and somehow, they had moved closer together.

Ah…so I’m not the only one who seems to enjoy this.

Unable to help himself, he reached up and caressed her cheek, even as he hungrily stared at her lips.

“You’re the worst,” she whispered, even as she closed the distance between them.

“And you’re infuriating,” he murmured, right before silencing them both with a kiss.