Page 30 of Xander

I beamed. “It tastes like spring.”

“Here’s the second layer,” Kelly said, holding two more plates. “Vanilla and rose.”

“I’m sensing a theme,” Xander said dryly.

“I’m serving a dry brut,” I said. “The cake is going to be three layers, covered in orchids. Every tier is going to be botanically infused.”

“Did you train as a chef?” He didn’t ask rudely, tilting his head as he regarded me curiously. “You seem to know a lot about food.”

“No.” I blushed. “I’m not very good in the kitchen. But I’m pretty good at putting flavors together. I love food. Maybe in my past life I was a chef,” I added. “Or maybe in somebody else’s story for me, you know?”

It felt strange to admit this out loud. On one of our dates, Henry had bragged to one of his colleagues that I “ate like a bird.” After that, I hadn’t felt fully comfortable eating around him. It felt like I needed to keep up the illusion that I was an ethereal creature who thrived on light and air.

“What do you like?”

“Well, I could live on cheese.” I laughed. “I guess you could say that I have a fondue attitude.”

Xander stared at me—and then laughed.

“Here’s the last layer.” Kelly came with another plate. “Bourbon-infused chocolate and a few sprigs of French lavender.”

“Mm, chocolate, lavender, and bourbon.” I closed my eyes. “I’m in heaven.”

When I opened my eyes, Xander was staring at me. He looked quickly away, a hard set to his jaw.

What was wrong? Had I said something to offend him?

After arranging a few final details, I said goodbye to Kelly. Xander waited a polite distance away and slowed as we left the building. I presumed it was so I could keep up with his long strides, but he was suddenly awfully distant.

I tilted my head up to look at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” His voice sounded reserved.

“Okay,” I said doubtfully. “If any of the flavors were terrible, tell me.”

His mouth twisted, and he looked away. “The flavors were fine.”

For some reason, I didn’t believe him. For another more peculiar reason, I stopped in my tracks. Xander did the same out of curiosity. He jerked when I threw my hands around his neck and took him into a hug.

There was a long moment where neither of us spoke, though his hand had unthinkingly landed on my back. When I pulled back to gaze at him, he appeared unsure how to process such a simple affection.

“What was that for?” he asked in a muted voice.

“For coming to the tasting with me. I had a really good time today, thanks to you.”

A thick wall started to build behind his tranquil eyes. It was my turn to be perplexed. He acted like no one had hugged him in years, and affection shouldn’t be given freely and instead earned through monumental effort. I knew Henry was rigid with the boys, but surely he hugged them now and then.

I tried to lighten the mood. “Well, I was going to take you out for dinner as a thank-you, but I’m so full I might explode if I eat anything else.”

His eyes flicked back to me. “Hug is fine.” I was shocked when he added, “And I had a good time at the tasting, too.”

I leaned over to squeeze his arm. There was another one of those faint, reserved smiles, veiling some sort of secret.

Maybe one day, he’d trust me enough to tell me what he was thinking.

Chapter

Ten