“Because you can’t be left alone all day?” Jane asked. “You’ll be bored or get into trouble?”

“Or both,” he agreed. “I’d rather have an office where people might come in and where I can pop out for lunch.” Even as he spoke, he could imagine an office with a huge front window where he could watch the traffic and wave to people walking by. “I could put a cappuccino machine in and have a candy bar there,” he said. “I’d encourage all the local businesspeople to stop by to chat and grab some candy or coffee.”

“Ahem,” Zoe said. “I sell coffee. You can’t have free cappuccino in your office just because you might get lonely.”

He grinned at her. “I guess I can just pop in here whenever I get bored.”

Zoe smiled even as she arched a brow. “And that would be, what, three or four times a day?”

“Oh, way more than that.”

She laughed. “Maybe you could rent an office at Hot Cakes. Then you could have Aiden and whoever else around to talk to.”

“Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe they could move down here. That would make Hot Cakes more a part of the local business scene, right? We’d mingle with the other people who make this town work. And that will help out some local business owner who has space they need to fill.”

“You don’t think management should be on scene at the factory?” Jane asked. Then she shook her head. “You know what? Never mind. Having management off-site might be great.”

He laughed. “And if I’m based here, we can actually put together that gaming conference here those friends of Kelsey and Aspen’s were interested in. That would be a big boon to the town and local economy.” He started to nod as the idea took shape. “Yeah, great idea. I’ll have to hand a lot of it off to Ollie. These big plans are his thing.” That would also keep his friend in town longer. Dax would miss Ollie the most if he were back in Chicago. “We’ll leave our headquarters in Chicago, but this can be a second location for Fluke Inc.” He grinned at her. “Thanks for the great idea, Jane. That’s awesome. When should I bring my stuff over to your place? That will really cut down on my drive time too.”

She was just staring at him. Then she looked at her friends.

Zoe held up a hand and shook her head. “Don’t look at me. Aiden walked back in here day one saying we were going to get married, and I thought he was nuts, but look at me now.”

Yeah, now she was madly in love, happy, and engaged to be married.

“Can you put a few strawberry muffins in a bag and on my tab?” Jane asked, completely changing the subject from moving in together. “We need to go.”

“Of course.” Josie wiggled her eyebrows at Jane and Dax laughed.

“Not like that,” Jane said quickly.

Josie nodded. “Okay.”

“We have somewhere to be.”

“I believe you.” Josie grabbed four muffins and slid them into a bag.

“Seriously,” Jane said.

Josie handed the bag over. “Enjoy whatever you’ll be doing.”

Jane just took a deep breath and then blew it out. “See you later.”

“You will,” Josie promised.

“Wine night Monday night,” Zoe said.

Jane glanced at Dax then back to her friends. “Yeah, I think I’ll need that.”

Dax didn’t know why exactly, but that made him feel proud. Like he was achieving something here that he didn’t even fully understand. But being something Jane wanted to discuss at wine night with her friends—which was obviously what they all meant—seemed like an accomplishment.

Jane started for the door, but as he went to follow her he heard Josie whisper, “Dax.”

He turned back. “Yeah?”

“She’s not used to having a lot of positive attention focused on her. She’s the one always focusing on everyone else and what they need and how she can help them.”

“Okay.” That definitely seemed to be exactly who Jane was.

“So just keep it up,” Josie said. “She’s going to feel a little discombobulated at first. She’s pretty used to taking charge and knowing what needs to happen next. Just keep coming at her with this you’re-amazing-and-I’m-completely-into-you stuff. She really deserves that.”

“It’s all real,” he felt compelled enough to say.

Josie nodded with a smile that was almost affectionate. “I know.”

“That’s why we’re not leaning over this bakery case and threatening to make your life a living hell,” Zoe added.

He gave her a wide-eyed nod. “Duly noted.”

Zoe smiled. “Just remember, to melt unsweetened chocolate takes low heat and time and patience. You add the sugar in slowly. You just keep stirring. Eventually, it will melt. And once it does, it’s smooth and sweet.”

Dax nodded. “Got it.” He started after Jane then turned back. “Oh, except the low-heat part.” Then he gave Jane’s best friends a wink and went after her.

Dax joined Jane on the sidewalk outside the bakery. “I have a surprise for you,” he said.

“Oh?”

“I’ve come up with the perfect date. The surefire way to your heart. The only thing I could do once I heard about it.”

She tilted her head with a curious smile. “What is it?”

“The bridal fair.”

Jane’s eyes went wide and she gave a little laugh. “Five minutes ago, we were just moving in together. Now you want to do wedding planning?”

Dax grinned and moved in closer to her. “Don’t tease me, Ms. Kemper.”

“You’re a little crazy.” She said it softly, looking into his eyes.

He nodded. “Crazy about you. And the perfect way to make you a little crazy about me is to take you somewhere we can eat all the desserts we could possibly want… for free.”

He could see the humor in her eyes.

“I have to admit you pretty much nailed it as far the perfect date to take me on.”

He nodded. “Movies schmovies. Candlelight dinner? Please. Surprise flight to Paris? No way. But all-you-can-eat sweets… bingo.”

But instead of laughing, she took a deep breath. “I actually can’t go.”

“To the bridal fair?” he asked. “I was kidding about wedding planning. We’re just going there to make sure none of the bakeries have to take leftovers home.” He paused. “We can always do the wedding planning next weekend.”

She did smile then. “As much as I would love to eat pie and cake all day with you, and you know I really would, I spend Saturdays with my sister and dad.”

Okay, that wasn’t an absolute no. “Well, that’s fine. We’ll take them with us.”

Jane shook her head. “That’s sweet but I don’t think so.”

“They don’t like cake?”

“They both love cake.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“My dad,” she said. “He’s not very social lately. Well, for the last several months. His condition has made him depressed, and he really just wants to stay in his room all the time.”