After lunch, they sat at the back porch with a mix of contemporary and traditional themes. Charleigh settled on the lounge chair, watching Clary playing fetch with Lotus while Bryce went back to the kitchen.

When she took the project, she never thought of spending with someone, or worse, playing an important role in someone who had a kid. She couldn’t exactly tell it as a role, but spending a day with Bryce was a different story.

Right now, she felt like she wanted to stay for a while, and she could definitely spend time watching kids playing at the backyard like this.

It felt normal and simple just like she always dreamed about her future when she was still with Dax.

Sadly, she, herself had never experienced this. When their parents got divorced, she and Tripp spent their weekends being passed back and forth between their dad and mom.

When she reached eighteen, she worked her ass off to get into college and barely saw her brother. They may have the same passion, but their relationship changed in an instant as if they didn’t know each other anymore.

Bryce placed down a tray of refreshment and a spiral stand of cupcakes.

“Oh, my god!” Charleigh had a full-blown smile on her face when she saw the colorful and exquisitely decorated cupcakes. The smell alone was amazing, making her mouth water.

“I promised you cupcakes, and I bet that’s the only reason that made you agree to accept my invitation.”

“Silly.” She hit his arm playfully. “I’m not only after your cupcakes. You’re well aware that I’m also up to something.” She rolled her eyes, and she saw the right reaction she wanted to see in his eyes. His gaze burned into her.

Now she had trouble picking which one of the cupcakes she would taste first, and just the frosting alone made her more undecided.

Bryce laughed. “Let me choose for you.” He picked up the one at the center. “Try this.”

She took it from his hand and studied it. “Why this one?” It was a chocolate cupcake with pastel pink frosting, chocolate flakes with a cherry on top, but what made him choose it, she was about to find out.

“I call it sinful.”

Her brow arched. “Why do I feel it represents me?”

Bryce chuckled. “Confident, are we? Try it then, and tell me.”

Charleigh quickly noticed the glint of excitement and the wickedness in his eyes. They probably had the same thought. She peeled off the tiny cake and took a bite, keeping her gaze at grinning Bryce. She then closed her eyes the moment she felt the softness and the bittersweet of the chocolate flooded in her tongue. Then she relished the tanginess of citrus and the refreshing taste of orange.

She took another bite, keeping her eyes close. She even licked off the tiny frosting on her upper lip. Another bite. Then she folded the cupcake liner and placed it down the table. She was still savoring her new favorite thing in the world, speechless.

“Say something.” Bryce pulled her out of her dreamy state.

She opened her eyes, thinking. “What do you want me to say?”

“Do you like it?”

She leaned closer to him and whispered, “Sinful? I think it’s you, mister, and not me. You’re now my favorite thing, sinful Bryce.”

Bryce burst into laughter. Charleigh joined him, and it caught Clary’s attention.

“What was that, Daddy?” She stopped playing with Lotus and turned to them.

“It’s nothing, sweetheart.” He waved off. There was no way he would tell his kid about Charleigh’s innuendo.

“Your dad is the best pastry chef in the country, Clary.”

“I know right? My daddy is the best!” She went back to play with her dog after giving her dad thumbs up and a wink.

“How old is she?”

“She’s seven. I have her when I just barely twenty.”

“You’re a good father, Bryce. I am sure her mother is so proud of you for raising her alone.” Her own words were like sharp shards in her chest. Would she ever become a good mother when she, herself never felt the care and love of her own?

“I’m glad you think of that. Your ex thinks I am a loser and that I don’t deserve to have Clary because I don’t have a proper job other than managing the shop and baking.”

“Why would you care about what people said about you and your kid? Who cares what he says? It doesn’t matter as long as you raise Clary with everything you can, you give a roof over her head, and provide her needs. And she loves you, Bryce. I can see how much Clary adores you. Does Dax ever come to see her?”

“Sometimes.”

“He’s an asshole. He was not like that before, but I think I just didn’t know him well back then.”

“How did you two meet?”

“He was my brother’s best friend.” That was she only wanted to him know. “Why don’t you pass a petition and let everyone sign to save the building?”

“We did that already, Charleigh. We thought he would just renovate and not break the whole building down. Then we found out he planned on replacing it with a nightclub.”

Charleigh’s gut twisted. She took her sweet tea and sipped it to wash over her guilt. It didn’t help a bit though. This new information was aggravating. All she wanted right now was to blame her brother and Dax for putting her in this situation. When she looked at Bryce, he was also staring at her. He must have seen her change of expression.

But it was done, and she had to suck it up.

***

She ran her fingers against the name of the cupcake box Bryce gave her earlier. The moment she learned about the half-century-old building, she’d been convincing her brother, and she even called Kayden last night, but even him, he couldn’t help her plan.

She cried when her brother threatened her promotion. That was how Bryce found her eyes were red when he knocked on her door.

The line kept on ringing. When she was about to hang off, he picked up.

“Charleigh, I was expecting your call last night and not this time.”

She rolled her eyes at his remark. “I have a new proposal.”

“If it’s about the plan. I already approved the one you presented, Charleigh.”

“I know, but I’m gonna present you a way better design than the one I did that doesn’t involve tearing off the entire building.”

“Why? What’s wrong with the previous? You know what you’re doing would reflect your firm, right? Even if I like your new proposition, I still own the building and I will tear it down.”

“This will give us a better impression, Dax. Trust me on this. We don’t have to tear the whole building down—” She wasn’t even finished when Dax cut her off.

“Does your brother know about this?”