"Is your phone fully charged?"
"Yes."
"Locator app on?"
"Yes."
"You tell him that if he does anything funny, I'm punching him in his rich balls."
Autumn couldn't help it; laughter bubbled out as she struggled to keep a straight face. "Yes, Jor, I'll tell him that." She looked down at her phone and pulled up the message thread between Corbin and herself: <Would you like to go on a hike tomorrow? Late afternoon, of course.>
A hike? she'd thought, staring at his request. The most walking Autumn did was from the counter to the refrigerator and back. Sure, she could lift large bags and boxes with relative ease, but walk through the woods? With Corbin's athletic physique, he'd outpace her in no time.
Of course, Jordyn was in earshot of her cell's ping and demanded to know if it was Corbin. When Autumn told her what he planned, it took a solid minute for the kid to stop laughing. That was all Autumn needed to agree to the outing.
<Will sneakers be okay?>
<Perfectly fine.>
<I'll see you then.>
Autumn tried not to dwell too much on her upcoming hike, pulling dozens of lemon bars and cookies out of the oven and sending them up to the mansion where they would be stored until the party. The black forest cookies, red velvet cake and pops, and chocolate sponge cake would be left for last because she wasn't sure how they would taste after a few days. Congealing blood and all. That meant early mornings and late nights to ensure everything turned out perfect. At least Jordyn was holding up her end of their bargain by helping with the non-blood desserts.
"Ah, here comes Captain Hottie," Jordyn announced as Autumn pulled on her sneakers.
Autumn stood up and peered out the large glass window in the front door. Corbin strolled down the driveway, hands stuffed into the pockets of a worn pair of jeans. Well, that was unusual, she thought. She didn't think a man with a penchant for professor chic owned a pair of jeans—or a flannel shirt for that matter.
And damn, if he didn't fill them out.
"You got this, Mom," Jordyn said, patting her firmly on the back as she opened the front door. "Hey," she greeted Corbin, grinning like a fool.
"Hello. Are you ready?" he asked Autumn, tilting his head towards the garden.
As ready as I'll ever be, she thought, straightening the hemline of her red shirt with the bakery's logo above her heart. At least this time, she didn't feel underdressed.
"Yes," she replied.
"Be back before dark!" Jordyn called out as they began walking.
Corbin twisted around and gave her a thumb's up. "I'll want to see those sketches later," he told her.
"Will do!"
Autumn laughed softly and shook her head. That kid. "So ... how's the party coming along?" she asked as the path took them past Corbin's massive garden. She'd been in there once before—with permission—to grab a few vegetables for personal use. It was even more impressive up-close, with produce that blew anything she'd grabbed at the Northampton Farmer's Market away.
Corbin made a little growling sound deep in his throat.
"That bad, huh?"
He sighed. "You have no idea."
YOU ARE READING
The Vampire's Pastry Chef (ONC 2022)
Paranormal|| WINNER AMBYS 2022 VAMPIRES CATEGORY || || FEATURED: FOODKART || When single mother and baker Autumn Milford is hired to cater a high-end party in the Berkshires, she discovers the "special ingredient" she is required to use isn't just the quirk...
