A tapping on the door had Olivia turning far too fast, her mouth still full of caramel and cake. And then her heart was turning, over and over, as she caught sight of the familiar—well, somewhat—figure standing in the window, scarf wrapped around his neck, eyebrows raised in a hopeful way.

Swallowing so fast she nearly choked, her mouth still full of sweetness, she walked quickly to the door and flipped the lock, unable to keep from grinning even though she suspected she had icing on her teeth.

“Am I too late?” Simon asked in a dramatically aggrieved way as she opened the door and stepped aside so he could come in. She was still smiling.

“Almost.”

“Are there any cupcakes left?” He nodded towards the window. “The cake stand...”

“Is empty. I’ve kept one behind for you, just in case.” She blushed, wondering if that was too...well, something.

“You are amazing! A saint and a wonder.” He grinned. “Am I laying it on too thick?”

“Perhaps,” Olivia acknowledged with a little laugh, although truth be told she liked his rather theatrical manner.

“Here you are.” She fetched the last cupcake and presented it to him with a flourish. Simon took it, a slightly odd, whimsical look on his face as he gazed at her.

“What...” Olivia said, starting to blush all over again.

“You’ve a bit of icing on your mouth...”

“Oh.” Now she was turning a lovely—or not—shade of scarlet as she managed an unsteady laugh. “Whoops...” She rubbed her mouth a bit frantically, but Simon shook his head and then, leaning forward, he touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb. It was a brief yet tantalising gesture, and it felt shockingly intimate. It made Olivia realise just how long it had been since she’d been touched, in any way, by a man. Too long.

“Sorry.” Now he was the one who was blushing, a faint rosy tint to his lean cheeks as he stepped back. “I didn’t...”

“It’s okay.” She turned away quickly, trying to hide how unsettled that little touch had made her. How it made her mind jump to other, more extensive possibilities. What was wrong with her? “Would you like a box?” she asked, speaking so fast that her words jumbled into one another. “And a ribbon?”

“Um, yes, sure.” Simon sounded as unsettled as she was, which was both faintly gratifying and...more unsettling. This was getting too weird.

Olivia felt as if she were all thumbs as she fetched a box from the pantry, jamming the sides and flaps together, her mind a blur. Quick, think of something to say...something innocuous and witty...

“Did you like yesterday’s cupcake?” she asked a bit desperately. “The cookies and cream.”

“Ah, well.” Simon looked a bit embarrassed, his smile apologetic. “It looked absolutely delicious, of course, but I didn’t eat it.”

“You didn’t?”

In an icy flash of horror, Olivia pictured him giving the cupcake to someone else—his adorable girlfriend, his pregnant wife, his little daughter. Of course he had people like that in his life.