Sweet Tooth (Little Cakes, #11)(4)

He held up both hands. “I’m certainly not judging you.” He glanced around. “But I’m pretty sure the entire town knows. After all, it’s crowded in here. You’re not exactly sneaky.”

She giggled again and shrugged. “Oh, well. I guess nobody’s perfect.”

Tom thought Elizabeth was damn near perfect. But he did want to set one thing straight. “There’s nothing wrong with eating cupcakes, Bunny. It doesn’t diminish your perfection.”

Tom swallowed hard as soon as those words left his mouth. He hadn’t meant to use such an endearing term with her. It had simply slipped out.

Her eyes were wide and her lips parted before she licked them and smiled. She didn’t mention his endearment. She actually looked pleased.

He quickly changed the subject, pointing at the cupcake. “Are those shiny little silver and pink balls edible?”

“Of course they are.” She plucked one of the metallic confections off the top of the purple frosting and popped it in her mouth. “You just have to be careful not to break a tooth.” She giggled again.

Tom reached for her carton of milk and opened the top for her before handing it back. “You might need this to wash all that sweetness down.”

She frowned. “I can’t eat in front of you. You need a cupcake.”

Just then, a shadow came over them, and Tom turned to find Ellie, the shop owner, stopping by their table. She was grinning wide. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.” She glanced back and forth between them.

Tom cleared his throat. “We just met the other day. I pitched my produce to Elizabeth.”

Ellie nearly bounced. “How fun!” Then she frowned. “You don’t have a cupcake.”

He shrugged. “I got out of line to help Elizabeth find a seat. I’ll get one in a bit.”

Ellie shook her head. “No way. I’ll go grab you one and bring it out. What kind would you like?”

“I was actually going to take one to my mom. She’s the one with a sweet tooth.”

“You weren’t going to eat one yourself?” Elizabeth asked as if the entire concept was blasphemous. Her eyes were wide as saucers.

Ellie gasped. “That won’t do. You need one too. We can pack one up for your mom later.”

Tom chuckled. He knew Ellie was Little. Hell, she didn’t hide it well. He was pretty sure her entire staff was. And the baker who worked for her, Tarson, he was obviously a Daddy. That didn’t mean Elizabeth was Little, but his hope was growing. At least the two of them seemed to be friends.

Elizabeth pointed at her plate. “This kind is the very, very best, but I might be biased.”

Tom couldn’t stop grinning. “Okay then, bring me the purple one. What do you call it?”

Ellie clapped her hands together. “Sweet Tooth because it’s packed with sugar and nothing else to interrupt the craving for something just plain sweet.”

“I see why you like it then,” he said to Elizabeth as Ellie turned around to bounce toward the counter. “It’s sweet and purple just like you.”

She giggled. “It’s the best. I promise.”

“I would never doubt you. How often do you indulge in Sweet Tooth cupcakes, Bunny?” He let that endearment come out on purpose.

Her cheeks turned pink. “Why do you call me Bunny?”

“Because you have a button nose and your hair bounces like a fluffy bunny.” He reached over and tapped her nose.

She smiled broader and didn’t take her eyes off him. Finally, she licked her lips and opened her mouth as if she were about to say something.

“What’s on your mind, Bunny?”

She shivered and fiddled with the napkin that was tucked under the edge of her plate. “I was just wondering…”

He nearly swallowed his tongue waiting. “What were you wondering? You can ask me anything.”

“Are you a, uh…” She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s silly.”

He reached across the table and set his hand on top of hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll never think anything you have to say is silly, Elizabeth. I’m going to be forward and put myself out there and tell you that I like you. In fact, I’d like to ask you out.”

Her wide eyes blinked a few times. “On a date?”

He chuckled. “Yes. Maybe we could go roller skating after you get off work one day. Do you like to skate?” He had no idea where that idea came from, but his Bunny seemed like the kind of woman who liked to do physical activities.

She gave a little gasp. “Do you skate?”

He shook his head and chuckled. “No. I’ll probably fall on my behind, but I’d still have fun trying it with you if you’re up for it.”

“I’m a pretty good skater, actually. I have my own inline skates.”

He groaned dramatically. “Oh, no. You’ll make me look bad. Maybe we should go to the movies instead.”

She laughed and shook her head rapidly. “Nope. You can’t do that. No takebacks. You asked me to go skating. We’re going skating.”

“So that’s a yes?”

She grinned. “Yes.”

“Good.”

Ellie arrived and slid another cupcake in front of them. It was equally ladened with purple frosting and pink and silver sprinkles. He couldn’t remember when he’d eaten that much sugar in one sitting.