He shook his head. “Not me. I’m not good with animals.”
“Daisy might disagree. Huh, girl?”
Simon glanced down as the little dog crunched on the biscuit. “She really likes that treat.”
“She does. I’ve been working on perfecting them.”
Simon glanced at her. “Perfecting?”
Pepper nodded. “I’ve started making treats for the dogs. At first I was just playing around, trying something different. But with the shelter hurting for money, they can’t afford extras for the animals. So I’ve been making as many treats as I can and bringing them into the shelter. The dogs seem to really like them.”
He paused as a thought came him. “These treats... You’ve developed your own recipes?”
She nodded. “I figure if I can make cake recipes, it can’t be much harder to make pet-friendly recipes.”
This was what his Pet Playground stores were missing—the personal touch. They needed something that wasn’t mass produced. They needed Pepper’s treats. But how would he make it possible to have fresh baked treats in each store of a chain that eventually would extend from coast to coast?
“Simon?” Pepper looked at him with a look of concern.
“Sorry. I just had a thought about work.” He thought back to their conversation. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
Her cheeks pinkened. “Lots of things. I don’t know how to fly a plane or create the hottest toy of the year. I heard on the radio that your company has one of the most sought-after toys for Christmas. Your miniature robo ball is wildly popular.”
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “It’s sold out. We’re checking to see if we can get more produced and shipped before Christmas, but it’s going to be close.”
“Then it sounds like you’re a hit.”
“Not me. The toy.” He glanced down at the phone in his hand as it buzzed. “I should be going.”
He leaned forward to kiss her goodbye. It seemed so natural. So right. And then he spied the wide-eyed surprise on her beautiful face.
He pulled back. “I’ll, uh, see you at home.”
“See you there.”
And with that he walked away. He couldn’t believe he’d almost kissed her. It hadn’t been anything he’d planned. It just seemed like the right thing to do in the moment.
Things were changing between them. Quickly. But he wasn’t ready to examine the implications.
He was a man on a mission. He pulled out his phone to contact his assistant. He wanted meetings set up for the rest of the day with various departments. There was no time to waste.
He knew it was far too late to implement the homemade biscuits and treats in the grand opening, but he wanted to be able to announce it at the grand opening. It was the perfect time to grow a swell of interest. And it would be the perfect thing to help Pepper now and in the future. But would she agree to sell him her recipes?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HOW HAD THINGS gotten so comfortable?
Three days later, Pepper moved around Simon’s enormous kitchen in her bare feet as though she’d lived there for years. The gleaming white tiles were cold to the touch, but with the dual ovens going, the air was quite warm and the coolness of the floor felt good to her.
She glanced up to find Simon in the doorway, staring at her with a smile on his face.
“What?” she asked, feeling self-conscious. “Do I have batter on my face?”
He shook his head. “No. You just look cute in your jeans and apron. Maybe instead of being called the polka-dotted baker, we should call you the barefoot baker.”
She glanced down at her holly berry dazzle nail polish. She wiggled her toes, letting the recessed lights catch the sparkles and make her toes twinkle.
She lifted her head and smiled at him. “You like them?”