Page 154 of A Taste of Vanilla

“What?”

“You’re reading my recipe without saying a single thing.”

“You said not to comment on your handwriting.”

She glares. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“Your abbreviations aren’t super clear, but the formula is really strong.”

She stops mashing and watches me.

“I like that you use sour cream. A lot of people overdo the banana and lose structure.” I look back at the recipe. “You use more vanilla than most people would.”

She goes still for half a second.

She turns her head slowly. “In the recipe?”

My brows furrow. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

I look at her.

Her lips curve, just barely, and I catch on that she’s trying to make a joke.

And I know that the last thing I need to do is engage.

This is banana muffin matter. It should be one of the safest topics available.

“It says vanilla paste,” I say.

“Yeah. I’ve found that it works best.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” I confirm.

“Great.” She nods with enthusiasm. “Thank you for the clarity.”

I look back at the page. “Vanilla gets dismissed too often.”

“Oh, does it?”

“Yeah.”

“As boring?”

“Yep.”

She hums, and I know that I’ve walked into something. And it wasn’t by accident.

“That’s unfortunate,” she says. “People really shouldn’t underestimate vanilla.”

“No, they shouldn’t.”

“Sometimes vanilla has hidden depth.”

I close my eyes for half a second when I hear the smile in her voice.

“Halston.”