Sweet Tooth (Little Cakes, #11)
Pepper North & Paige Michaels
About the Book
Welcome to Little Cakes, the bakery that plays Daddy matchmaker! Little Cakes is a sweet and satisfying series, but dare to taste only if you like delicious Daddies, luscious Littles, and guaranteed happily-ever-afters.
Mix one handsome farmer with a spunky, hardworking chef to create a hot combination that sizzles with possibilities.
Elizabeth Milford is dedicated to providing healthy, organic meals to the community. Her restaurant, Nibbles & Bites, is a town favorite. She’s also close enough to Little Cakes to indulge her sweet tooth any time she wants. All that’s missing in her life is a Daddy.
Tom Delaney works long hours on his family's bountiful acreage. He takes pride in his work and his relationships with his customers. He just wishes he could find a special Little to warm his heart. And the more he gets to know a very bright and talented chef, the more he can't help but wonder if she's the Little he's meant to cook up his own happily-ever-after with.
Chapter One
“Elizabeth…”
At the sound of her name, Elizabeth turned around from where she was closing down the register for the night to find Stacy, her best employee, coming from the back of the restaurant.
Nibbles & Bites was closed for the day, but Stacy always stayed the latest to help clean up and make sure inventory was all set for the following day.
Elizabeth smiled at her. “What’s up?”
“The new produce guy you’re planning to try out just arrived at the back entrance. I let him in.”
“Oh, shit.” Elizabeth slapped a palm over her forehead. “I totally forgot he was coming today.”
“I could come back later, if now isn’t a good time.”
Elizabeth jerked her gaze past Stacy to find a tall, handsome man stepping into the front of the restaurant. Not just any man. Tom Delaney. The man she’d literally run into last week at the salon after she’d gotten her hair cut.
She would never forget him. He’d captivated her in a way that had caused her to think about him every day since. And every night…
She was so startled that she dropped the money pouch she’d been filling at the register on the floor as she gasped. “It’s you.”
He smiled slowly and held up a finger. “Hey, we’ve met, haven’t we? You were coming out of the salon last week as I was entering.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. Stay cool, Elizabeth. He’s here for business. Do not let your imagination get carried away. You have no way of knowing if he’s even a Daddy.
Stacy quickly bent down to pick up the money pouch. “I’ll finish the register for you.”
Elizabeth somehow managed to step closer to Tom and hold out a hand. “Elizabeth Milford.”
He clasped her hand with his much larger one, his grasp firm and strong. “Tom Delaney.”
She knew his name because even after he’d finally stepped around her at the entrance to the salon, she’d been frozen in her spot in the doorway, and she’d remained there long enough to hear him give his name to the woman at the desk to check in for his appointment. “Nice to meet you, Tom.”
Did he hold her hand a bit longer than necessary? She wasn’t complaining.
Finally, he let her go and nodded in the direction he’d come. “Would you like to show me some of your inventory and your menus? Hopefully I can entice you to place an order with me. I’m a huge fan of the entire concept of Nibbles & Bites. I’d love to partner with you to provide your customers with local fare using your farm-to-plate concept.”
Elizabeth nodded and wiped her hands on the front of her khaki pants as she led him to the back of her shop. Her heart was racing. She was pretty sure he’d just said all the right things, but it had been hard to focus on much besides the delicious tone of his voice, his broad shoulders, the way his jeans hung so perfectly on his hips, the dimples on both cheeks, his round nose, the sparkle in his blue eyes, his tanned skin, his dark blond hair, his…
Oh, God. Stop it. Just stop it, she admonished herself. It had been a long time since she’d last been on a date. Surely that was why she was drooling over this near stranger. She needed to pull herself together before she made a fool of herself.
After leading him into the kitchen, she turned around. “So, this is where all the magic happens.” She snagged a menu from the large prep island and slid it across the surface.
He reached for it to drag it closer, but after a glance, he gave her a sheepish look. “I have to confess, I already memorized your menu online before I came. I wanted to be prepared to give you some options of what I have to offer.”
Tom had a leather messenger bag slung over his shoulder, and he set it on the island and lifted the flap to pull out a manila folder. When he opened it, she was pleasantly surprised to see that he had printed out a proposal, which he was now sliding across the marble top toward her.
“Oh. Wow. You are prepared.”
He smiled. “My father instilled a strong business ethic in me. Never show up to a meeting without knowing the client inside and out.”
Stunned, she looked down to find he had listed every vegetable she used and had guesstimated the quantities she might need of each one in a spreadsheet that was based on a variety of sales volumes.