Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery

her safe and hope for the best.
    He ate his own pancakes, remembering that when he’d been Brittany’s age, he and Serena had been doing it for nearly a year. They’d tried to be careful, but passion had often overridden common sense. Brittany had been the result. What had seemed like a disaster had turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. He’d been lucky and he knew it.
    Speaking of luck…He remembered the previous evening and kissing Nicole. There was an activity he could get behind in a big way. She wasn’t going to be easy, which was fine with him. He was more than up for the challenge.

    NICOLE CONFIRMED the deliveries for the upcoming week, then shut down her computer. Once the rush for Saturday-morning pastries was over, there was a lull until the cake order pickups started. They were usually done by lunchtime. The bakery closed in the afternoon. She was often done by noon. Today she’d finished early because she’d forced herself to only think about work. It was either that or endlessly relive kissing Hawk. While it might seem like a great way to waste time, she knew he was nothing but trouble and she would be smart to avoid him, even in her thoughts.
    Maggie knocked on her open door. “There’s a bunch of high school kids out front.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Just what I said. They came in a few minutes ago, ordered coffee and pastries. Now they’re just sitting there, talking. Like we’re a hangout. We’ve never been a hangout.”
    “Are they causing any trouble?”
    “No. They’re real polite. It’s just weird.”
    Nicole had to agree with her. “Let me see what’s going on,” she said.
    She walked to the front of the store. Sure enough most of the tables were full of teenagers laughing and talking. They were a little loud, but not doing anything she could object to. She was about to turn away, when she recognized one of the girls. A pretty blonde in shorts and a T-shirt who smiled and waved.
    “Hi,” the girl said. “I’m Brittany. We met last night.”
    “Raoul’s girlfriend.” Hawk’s daughter—a fact that was still hard to believe.
    “Right. We’re waiting until he gets off work, then we’re all going to lunch and a movie.”
    “Sounds like fun.” Nicole glanced at the clock. It was quarter to twelve. “I’ll go tell him you’re here so he can finish up. It should only be a couple of minutes.”
    “Thanks, but he doesn’t have to hurry. We’re having fun. Your Danish are incredible.”
    Nicole patted her hip. “Tell me about it.”
    She returned behind the counter where Maggie waited. “You know them?” her employee asked.
    “I met a couple of them last night at the football game.”
    Maggie had worked at the bakery for years. She and Nicole were friends, so a simple questioning look got the point across.
    “I don’t know what I was doing at a high school football game,” Nicole admitted. “Raoul plays. He asked me to go. I wanted to be supportive. He introduced me to Brittany, his girlfriend. She’s a cheerleader.”
    Maggie started laughing.
    Nicole glanced at the kids. “Stop it. Nothing about this is funny.”
    “It is to me. You’re popular.”
    “Great. It only took ten years of being out of high school for that to happen.”
    Nicole went in the back and told Raoul he could leave early. According to Sid and Phil, he was doing a great job. She appreciated having her instincts validated. She was about to leave herself when Maggie found her.
    “You have a gentleman caller waiting out front.”
    Nicole winced, even as her heart started thundering in her chest. Hawk? Was it Hawk? She hated how much she wanted it to be him. “No one talks like that.”
    “I do and he’s gorgeous.”
    Definitely Hawk.
    “Thanks,” Nicole said. “I’ll go see what he wants.”
    Maggie patted her hairnet. “If you’re not interested, ask him if he’s into older women. He’s what, in his mid-thirties? That’s only twenty years.”
    Nicole