Sweet for You: A BBW Billionaire Romance by Harper Ashe Page B

life. It was a new experience for him, and one that he definitely relished.
    Energized by the defined scope of the new Blake Foods diet desserts line, the marketing team began working on logo concepts, advertising copy, and dessert designs. The manufacturing group started building the production line. As the weeks flew by, Stephen reveled in the excitement of being at the heart of the action – and working side-by-side with Abby Branson.
    Even though he had been at the helm of Blake Foods for almost 15 years, he had never taken a hands-on, in-the-trenches role at his company. His father had taught him to sit at the head of the table, bark orders, and focus on ways to make more money. But he realized now how flawed and isolating that was. Being a figurehead was simply a way to detach from emotion and avoid human interaction. A way to hide his hurt and protect himself from getting too close to others.
    Stephen could now see that Martha had recognized this flaw long before he did. And he was only beginning to reconcile her gentle prodding of him to open up with his newfound insights. While he wasn’t quite ready to step completely out of his shell, his executive assistant seemed to sense the crack in his tough exterior and used her powers of observation to slowly widen the chasm. And for the first time in their working relationship, he let her. Maybe it was because he was tired of living such an empty life.
    With Abby on his team, every day had become an adventure. Even though Stephen was in charge, Abby was leading the way forward. He couldn’t wait to get to the office each morning to see what she had in store for him. It was exciting because he never knew what she would come up with next.
    There was that time when she dragged him on a tour of her favorite bakeries in the city, where they sampled baked goods until they were almost sick. Another time, she took him on a guided tour of the gourmet foods section in a dozen grocery stores so he could see how his products were positioned compared to the ones from the boutique producers. She even convinced him to do away with formality and start addressing each other on a first name basis. This immediately changed the dynamic between them. Instead of being employer and employee, they became more like friends sharing a grand journey toward an unknown destination.  
    What was most surprising about all the changes in his life was that he was actually enjoying himself. Miss Branson had a flare for turning the most mundane and ordinary task into something stimulating, whether they were tasting a new recipe, reviewing ad designs, or doing a walk-though of the production facility.
    A knock on his door interrupted his internal reverie. He looked up from his desk and spontaneously smiled. It was Abby.
    “Chef Laurent is ready for us, Stephen,” she said. This was going to be the final tasting before the production lines were fired up.
    “Is Molly coming?” Mr. Blake asked.
    “She can’t make it, but Martha’s coming.” Abby approached Stephen’s desk and lowered her voice. “I think the chef is sweet for her.” She winked at him. “Pun intended.”
    “How can you tell?” Stephen responded, wondering if Abby could also tell that he was sweet for her .
    “It’s obvious from the way he looks at her and does little things to make her feel special, like bringing lunch to her desk a couple times a week. And I think she likes him, too. They would make a great couple. After all, Martha’s an attractive woman and Chef is so jolly and fun.”
    It dawned on him that he didn’t do much of anything to make Abby feel special. That needed to change if he was going to convince her to see him as more than just her boss. “Chef Laurent and Martha; I never would have guessed. But now that you point it out, I suppose I can see the subtle signs.”
    Abby perched on the edge of his desk and leaned forward. “We should do something to get them together,” she whispered. Stephen was