Gingerbread Kisses Page 7
Jilly wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. “I’ve tried to tell her there isn’t a rush, she’s still young and has time to meet someone, the perfect someone.”
“You don’t even believe in that,” Sadie argued. “Perfect someones.”
“Correction, I don’t believe that for me,” Jilly pointed a short, black lacquered nail at her chest. “But for the rest of you, sure I do.”
I wasn’t going to go into all the details behind my decision to try to get pregnant now and on my own. No one wanted to hear my sad ass story of how long it took my parents to have me and how they’d tried for years afterwards to give me a sibling and nothing worked. I wouldn’t drag down the night with my story of how my dad died suddenly of a heart attack my sophomore year of high school. And how that had kicked my mom into early-onset Alzheimer’s. Yes, technically I was still young—only twenty-eight—but my family genes weren’t on my side when it came to fertility. Or longevity. Suffice it to say my biological clock ticked in my ear like a fucking bomb about to blow.
Calliope leaned in. “I know this dating site.”
“No!” Jilly yelled. “She’s a dating disaster.”
“You just said she needs to meet someone,” Sadie said throwing her hands up in the air. “Make up your mind, Jillian.”
“True. But what I really meant was she already knows her perfect someone and she just needs to get her head out of her ass.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not this again. For the last time, Jilly, Coop and I are only friends. We’ll never be more than that for so many reasons. Least of which is the fact that he’s a total commitment-phobe.”
“Okay, wait let’s back up. Before we talk about the delicious piece of man your best friend is,” Calliope said, “I want to hear more about why you’re such a dating disaster.”
I shrugged. “I’m not sexy enough.”
Calliope shook her head, pale gold ringlets swished in the movement. “That can’t be it. Men don’t need much more than a pair of tits to think a woman is sexy.”
I knew better than that. I happened to have pretty great tits, though I hid them well in my clothes. Men just rarely hit on me. And those who did always ended up with a sexier woman. I took a sip of my drink. “Honestly, I don’t know. I have a tendency to scare men away.”
“She bakes for them,” Jilly said.
“Well, that doesn’t seem so wrong. Everyone enjoys baked goods,” Sadie said.
“Thank you.” I smiled brightly at Sadie then took another hearty sip of my drink. The whiskey heated a trail down my throat and warmed my belly. Later, I’d have to thank Jilly for making me come out. I was so used to relying on Coop that I forgot I needed girlfriends too. I’d needed this tonight. Even if it did entail airing all my embarrassing laundry.
“After the first date—” Jilly started.
“If the date is good,” I added, holding up a finger.
“Okay, after the good first date,” Jilly conceded with an eye roll, “she sends them baked goods.”
“As a thank you,” I said.
“It scares them off.”
“Men are ridiculous.” I emptied my drink and before I could even consider another, the waitress had a fresh one in front of me. “Coop loves my cookies.”
“Coop loves you,” Jilly said.
Warmth filled my chest and my heart sped. Clearly, my drink was hitting faster than I’d anticipated. “Friends, Jilly, we’re just friends.” How many times did I have to assure people of that? It was almost a robotic response at this point.
“Tell them about the last guy,” Jilly said.
I blew out a breath. I’d had so many decent first dates in the last year, it was obnoxious. But never a second date. “Okay, so I went out with this guy named Jim who was an investment banker or something—I don’t know because I wasn’t paying close enough attention—we had dinner and it was nice. We had some things in common. He was attractive enough.”
Jilly was already shaking her head. “No. He wasn’t attractive. He had way too many moles,” she interjected, then shuddered. “Too much like Matt Damon, but way less cute.”
Sadie snorted, then fell into a coughing fit.
“Anyways, he gave me a sweet kiss at the end of the night and said he wanted to see me again. So the next day I sent him cookies to his office to say thank you.”
Calliope was hiding a grin behind her hand. “What did he say?”
“He said nothing. Not a thank you or anything. I mean, I sent him shortbread. Shortbread are the carnations of the cookie world, totally innocuous.”
“Baked goods freak men out,” Jilly said.
“Why?” Sadie asked.
“They represent family and home so it makes them think she’s ordering wedding invitations and subscribing to Modern Bride,” Jilly said.
“That’s so dumb,” I said. “I’d never pick a dress from that magazine.” I grinned at my friends and before I knew it that drink was emptied too, followed by another until I was pretty much feeling no pain.
Order your copy NOW!
or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
About the author
Kat Baxter is the pen name for a bestselling historical romance author. She lives in Texas with her family and a bunch of furry creatures.
Connect with Kat:
Facebook reader group: Baxter Babes
Friend her on Facebook
Follow her on Pinterest
Follow her on Instagram
Follow her on Twitter
Follow her on Bookbub
Follow her on Goodreads
Email her
Join her newsletter
What readers have said about Kat’s books:
“This was a great story!! I’m not usually one for surprise baby stories but this one was different. They didn’t wait long for Kevin to find out. It wasn’t this long drawn out surprise. I liked both characters and the fact that they were both trying to do right by their child but also each other. I loved how amazing Jane was as a single mother with always putting her daughter first but also yearning to want to be someone’s first choice.” ~Stacy, Goodreads
“This story was troupe heavy in the best of ways. Steamy and sweet, there might even have been a swoon worthy moment or two. I love me a Navy Seal and this man will be in my dreams. I loved the contrast between the two main characters, they just worked so well together. Lovely story, 4.5 stars. “ ~Elysian, Goodreads
“5 Stars! Loved it, the initial meet & chemistry between the main characters and the timeframes throughout throughout the book worked really well. “ ~ Paula, Goodreads
“Such a very sweet and spicy story!” ~ Lori, Goodreads
“This anthology is packed full of sexy alphas and the badass ladies that take them on. My favorite stories were Kate Meader’s Coming in Hot and Kay Baxter’s The Navy Seal’s Secret Baby. “ ~ Kristina, Goodreads
“The connection between the characters felt real, and I liked the author’s writing style.” ~ Cara, Goodreads