Sugar Rush, page 8
“What, since yesterday?” I chuckled. “Things have been very much the same. Not bad.” Not great either, but I didn’t need to be a downer to make this worse. “How about you? Things at the office going well?”
I didn’t know much about what he did, something in software or something. I couldn’t quite follow it when he tried to explain it to me, but I did like hearing about his office. It sounded interesting. I hadn’t worked with other people under the command of someone else for a very long time, so it fascinated me.
“Yeah, good. The drama between the accountants is still going on though. I don’t know what to do about that. The only thing that makes everyone get along is your cakes. Why do you think I buy so many?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “Well, I’m just glad that I can be a help.”
We chatted back and forth while Brandon ate his cakes about nothing in particular, which was what I enjoyed the most. This man put me at ease and made me feel comfortable when I didn’t usually. It wasn’t a sensation which came easily to me, especially when faced with an incredibly handsome man, but he made it easy. I always hated it when his lunch break was over, and it was time for him to leave. I knew that he would be back the following day but that always felt too long for my liking. I missed having him around. He made me crazy.
“Hey, Jane,” he said just as he handed over the cash to me. “I always see you in work, but I never get to see you in the real world. I would kinda like to hang out with you out of this place. Would you?”
“Yes,” I found myself replying before I was even ready for it. “I would like that.”
His face lit up like a freaking Christmas tree. “You want to go on a date with me? Are you serious? Okay, that’s great news. So, I will come and pick you up on Friday once the bakery closes. That’s 7pm, right?”
Oh my God, this was a date? He wanted a date? I didn’t pick up on that right away. I wasn’t sure why since it was petty obvious that was what his words meant, I guess I just couldn’t imagine a man like him wanting to actually go out on a date with me. He would look right with a super model on his arms.
But I wasn’t going to make this weird and turn him down now just because I wasn’t supposed to be dating anyone. I couldn’t resist wanting to go out with him, it was everything that I wanted and more. I deserved a little bit of happiness in all of this mess anyway, didn’t I? why shouldn’t I just see where this was going to go?
“Seven,” I rasped back nervously. “Yes, that’s right. Friday night. I look forward to it already. And I live upstairs anyway, so this is definitely the place to pick me up. Thank you, Brandon.”
As he left, he walked backwards, keeping his eyes fixed on me the entire time and I had to admit that it had my heart spinning. I felt like the lucky girl in a rom com movie who finally had the man of her dreams staring at her like she was special. Was I really lucky enough to have all of this happen in reality or was I dreaming?
Once Brandon was finally out of sight, I actually danced like a lunatic. I wasn’t ever expecting to go out on a date with someone like that incredible man, I certainly didn’t think that was how I would end up spending my Friday night this weekend, but I was happy about it. So happy that I was willing to dance around my bakery like an idiot. I didn’t stop until Samantha surprised me by walking in and looking at me like I had lost my mind.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You look like you have lost your mind. No,” she paused and stared intently at me. “No, you look like a woman with a crush. What the hell is happening here?”
The warmth in my heart made it a million times easier to forgive. I understood now why she had to follow her heart even if I didn’t like the way that it took her. I threw my arms around her and laughed.
“I have a date this weekend, Samantha. Can you believe it?”
Judging by the look in her eyes as I pulled back, she couldn’t. And nor could I.
15
Brandon
I
might as well have been singing at the top of my lungs when I returned home from work on Friday night with only my date with Jane circling through my veins. I was happier than I had ever been before, so much so that I brought all of the pastries left in her store when I went to see her at lunch so she could finish up early if she wanted to, giving her lots of time to get ready for me. I had so much food that it was even too much for everyone in my office. I had to go to the next building over to hand some out, but it all went down well. I was hoping that it would lead to more customers for Jane soon enough because she deserved that.
Now, I had plenty of time for me to get dressed as well, to prepare myself for what was to come, and I couldn’t wait for it. I was going to be on top form so that Jane got the best of me. I might not have yet told her the truth about who I was, but I had been helping to make her happy which was something. I was happy to go along with that method of thinking until the time was right. I was still waiting for that magical moment to let it all out.
What the…? All of a sudden, I heard something which shocked me, made me jump. A noise inside my house which meant that someone was inside. About five years ago, I got broken in to and while the intruder didn’t have much time to take anything before the alarm system went off, it still freaked me out some what. I didn’t like the idea of a stranger rummaging around in my things., and I felt like it was happening again right now.
Sure, the alarm hadn’t gone off this time, but these thieves were getting cleverer, weren’t they? Perhaps now they had some kind of device where they could turn it off without having to do much.
“Shit.” I grabbed out my cell phone, ready to call the cops. But I didn’t want to be that paranoid guy who called them for nothing. I needed some kind of evidence first. I had to be sure that this was what I thought it was, so I tip toed through my house towards the crashing sounds coming from the kitchen.
I did not need this. Not ever, but certainly not tonight. Not when I wanted to get myself geared up for my date. This was not the sort of shit that I needed to be focusing on. I didn’t have Jane’s cell phone number either so I couldn’t even call her if I was going to be late and I wasn’t intending to stand her up. Not a chance in hell. I was going to have to find a way to make this night still work out for me…
“Oh, hey, babe. Thank God you are final home. I have been waiting for you for ages. I even cooked.”
What the fuck? Why was Lara sitting at the kitchen counter with two empty bottles of wine in front of her and a whole bunch of take out bags like she belonged here? Didn’t she know that me and her were done? And why the hell was she on my laptop, logged in to everything? Seemingly posting even more bd reviews.
“Oh well, I didn’t cook,” she laughed much too loudly, almost tumbling back off her stool because she was laughing so much. “I ordered in but that’s pretty much the same thing, isn’t it? So, I got a mix because I wasn’t sure what you were going to want, babe. I thought it would be a nice treat. And I have more wine…”
“Lara, what the hell are you doing here?” I snapped back harshly. “You don’t live here now.”
She rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? We had a break, I needed to cool off, but I’m back now. It isn’t like we split up, is it? Because we talked pretty much the whole time over text.”
“We haven’t talked for a while,” I reminded her. “And I was trying to be a nice guy, helping you out…”
“You texted me because you still love me.” She rolled her eyes. “You like, wanted to marry me and stuff, right? I mean, I know that you didn’t propose yet but it was coming. I could feel it. that isn’t the sort of thing that you just switch off.” She moved closer to me, swaying her ass as she went. “So, come on, let’s just forget what happened.”
She tried to reach out and touch me, but I slid backwards instantly. I wasn’t sure what she thought was going on here, but it wasn’t. I was really invested in my date with Jane tonight and she wasn’t going change that.
“Forget that you broke up with me because I wouldn’t agree to your crazy plan with the bakery?”
Her teeth clamped together, and I could see the tension growing in her face. I knew that she was still obsessed with the whole thing, I had seen it all over her social media, but I wanted her to tell me now that she was going to get over it. Not because me her were going to get back together but because it would be better for everyone involved if we all just took a clean break and walked away from one another.
“Look, you left, Lara,” I reminder her. “You walked out, throwing away years over this…”
“But I’m back now,” she whined. “I’m here with you. So, let us just forget it all.”
She grabbed on to me and tried to kiss me, but I threw her off. “No, Lara, there is no coming back from this. And certainly not if you turn up at my house with food and far too much booze. No way.”
“Then… then let me stay,” she gasped out. “Let me sleep over. I will even stay on the couch if that’s what you want. We can talk about it in the morning. I can say it all sober and you will see that I still want the same thing. I had a tantrum but now I want to be back with you. Me and you are meant to be…”
“Lara, no.” I moved even further away from her, trying to make my feelings obvious with the chasm of distance between us. “No, that isn’t going to happen. I am sorry if I mis led you with the text messages, I just wanted to be your friend because I don’t like to turn my back on you so quickly, but we are over now.”
“So, you’re over me,” she scoffed disbelieving me. “You don’t want to be with me anymore? Just like that?”
“We had our issues, Lara, and you know that. This isn’t really just to do with the bakery.” As I borrowed Gary’s line, I realized just how true it was. “It’s best if me and you aren’t together anymore. I want you to leave.”
“No.” She shook her head determinedly. “No, I refuse to accept that. No way. You can’t be over me just like that. I won’t take it. There is no way that you want anyone else other than me.”
I let Jane’s face flood my mind, knowing that Lara would consider me dating anyone else a huge betrayal, whether we were split up or not. It wouldn’t matter how long we had been apart because she would still consider me ‘hers’. I knew Lara well enough to understand that. But if my ex knew that my new date was the woman from the bakery, the woman who she had targeted with her hate campaign, she might actually kill me.
But thinking about Jane made me automatically check my watch for the time. I didn’t want to be late for her and this was taking up more of my time than I would have liked. It was too much for me.
“What’s the matter with you?” Lara barked as she watched me check the time. “You got somewhere so important that you need to be meaning you can’t have a conversation with me?”
“I do actually,” I admitted. “And I really think that this conversation is over.”
“No, it isn’t. You are just kicking me out. How is that over? I don’t understand anything…”
“So, it doesn’t make sense to you that I don’t want to be with you?” I knotted my eyebrows together in confusion. “How are you not getting that, Lara? This just isn’t going anywhere tonight. I need you out of here.”
“Because you have something to do that is more important than me? What like a date?”
“I’m meeting a friend,” I shot back instantly, wanting to quell the tantrum before it really kicked off. “And I need to get ready for it, so I would appreciate it if you could just go quietly.”
“It is a date,” Lara screamed. “I can see right through you, Brandon, and you are about to go on a date. How the fuck can you do that to me? How could you be so callous and cold? How can you move on so fast? It’s hardly been any time since we broke up. I’m in shock. You are not the man that I thought you were.”
She started edging towards the front door, so I decided that this wasn’t the right moment for me to argue any more with her. Whatever got her out of house worked for me because this was crazy. What the hell did she think was going to happen here? Did she honestly believe that this was going work?
“You are a real shit, Brandon, and this will all crash and burn, you do know that, don’t you? You’re going to regret all of this. Losing me will be the worst thing that is ever going to happen to you. And this woman you’re dating… well, she is going to regret this as well. This will be her biggest mistake.”
And with a string of threats rolling off of her tongue, she finally left me alone. That wasn’t the most welcome visit I could have had tonight but at least it was over. I was crystal clear with Lara as well, so surely now she couldn’t mis read the signals this time around. There could be no more confusion from here on out.
Anyway, I didn’t care about that now, I needed to get ready for my much anticipated date with a woman who feels far more connected to me than Lara ever could be. I was just glad that I could finally see it at last.
16
Brandon
S
taring at Jane across the candle lit table brings an intense and happy warmth searing through my body. She was even more beautiful in her sweet little summer dress and hair cascading down her face rather than pinned back because of work, which only made me fall harder for her. I felt equal with Jane, like we were on the same level, like we got one another, not like she saw herself as leagues above me like Lara did. She seemed to like me for who I was which was wonderful. I found myself utterly intoxicated by her.
“So, how is the food?” I asked her cautiously as I watched her chew. “Is it okay?”
This wasn’t the most expensive, poshest place in time but that was because those places required booking months in advance, and I didn’t have time for that with our quickly arranged date. Since she wasn’t Lara, I assumed that Jane wouldn’t mind because she wanted to be on a date with me for me, not because she needed to be seen at the biggest and best places, but I was still anxious as I waited for her answer.
“It’s so good,” she groaned happily. “Wow, I haven’t ever tasted anything like this. It’s lovely.”
God, no complaints. She hadn’t said one negative thing since I picked her up. She was all about positivity which had my heart singing with happiness. I didn’t realize how much Lara’s negativity brought me down until now but being around someone as sunny as Jane was a really pleasant surprise. I couldn’t help but like it. I felt like she was lifting me higher than air, making me see the world from a brand new point of view.
“I can’t wait to see what the deserts are like,” she continued. “If they can compete with mine.”
“Oh, hell no,” I replied with a whole lot of confidence. “There is no chance that can happen. Yours are the best in the business. I don’t even think that we should have a cake from here. I bet it’s utter trash.”
“But I have to check out the competition.” She shot me a wink. “Plus, it’s nice for me to have cakes baked by someone else. It doesn’t happen very often. And if they are worse than mine then that’s all good.”
“True, true.” I nodded and smiled at her. “So, how did you get in to the baking business?”
She let out a strange strangled laugh. “Well, I actually turned it into a business after a bad break up because my fiancé fell in love with someone else. But I always baked, even when I was younger. I love it and always kinda wanted to turn it in to something, but my ex wasn’t supportive about it. He thought that it would be a waste of time to try and compete with the big brands. He convinced me that it wasn’t worth the time of day.”
“Wow, that’s shitty.” I couldn’t believe that someone could be so unsupportive. I had never been that way. “I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m glad that you managed to get your dream in the end. I guess I’m just sorry that it had to come from you getting your heart broken. That really does suck.”
“It worked out for the best.” She shrugged one shoulder at me. “I got to be where I needed to be. I was sad at the time, but now it’s all good. I would rather have my bakery than him, that’s all I care about. I mean, you must get that, right? You have your own company as well. You must love it in the same way.”
It always made my blood run cold when she mentioned anything about my company because I was so afraid that she would learn the name of it and put two and two together way before I was ready to discuss it. I still wasn’t any closer to finding that perfect moment to let the truth come out, but I really didn’t want it to come out without me controlling the situation. I had to be the one in charge of everything.
“Yeah, yeah, I really do. I get it a lot. I know how it is to put yourself fully in to something. To give it your all. And to do that without support must be a real challenge. I’m so glad that you proved yourself.”
“Well, I’m trying to prove myself, but as you know it’s been up and down. I’ll get there though.”
God, she was still being pretty positive about her business even when she was going through a rough time. She was to be admired from everyone because what an amazing person she was. Just wow.
“Well, that is a sentiment that deserves a cake,” I teased. “I am going to order us a selection so we can test them all out. I think that’s necessary. Plus, you have given me a sweet tooth now. I need my sugar rush.”
I honestly wasn’t talking about the cakes when I said that. My sugar rush was her. She was the one who gave me such a high that always had me coming back for more. I was utterly addicted to her. She drove me crazy. In fact, she gave me sch a heady rush that I couldn’t believe it had taken me so long to ask her out. Sure, Lara suggested that I had moved on too quickly, but right now to me this felt like a long time coming. To be honest, things with me and Lara had been over for a long time, I just didn’t realize it until now.
There was a massive smile on my face that Jane put there, and it remained through the rest of the date. I couldn’t seem to stop grinning, and by the time we left the restaurant, I knew that I was in the place I was meant to be. Jane brought a side out of me that I didn’t ever want to shut off. I liked it.
