He’d barely switched on the ignition when she said, “Right, from the arctic air I’m guessing it didn’t go too great.”

“It went. And it’s done. And we’re all moving on.”

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Was he okay?”

“Don’t think it’s a surprise that he wasn’t happy the guy he just met was telling him what to do in his own house. But considering what we were talking about, he gets me, and he didn’t push back.”

She had nothing to say to that.

“You think you’ll catch it next time,” he surmised.

“I don’t know. Like I said earlier, I’ve never had anyone stand up to him for me before, except Mom, which just started a fight.”

“I’m not gonna start fighting with your dad, beautiful,” he assured her.

“Yeah, it’s a different thing, and I just…well, honey, I just have a lot to think about.”

They both did.

Because he did what he had to do.

But there was something more there.

Axl just didn’t know what to do with it.

One thing he did know was that, right then, he wasn’t going to be able to do anything about it.

Though, there was something he could do something about.

“Ever had Coca-Cola cake?” he asked.

Her reflective air shifted to excited air.

“Are we going to a bakery?”

He grinned at her. “Yeah, the bakery that’s my kitchen.”

Both words were pure shock when she asked back, “You bake?”

“Sure,” he said, then repeated, “Have you ever had Coca-Cola cake?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s too bad and we’ll make that next time. This time, we’re making it with Dr Pepper.”

There was a smile in her voice when she said, “Sunday night baking at Axl’s.”

“Yep.”

“Perfect,” she said softly.

Yep.

And they were back on track.

Chapter Sixteen

That Path Is Always Open to You

Axl

Mid-morning the next day, Axl was in the office, Hawk was in the office, and Elvira had just walked out.

With the coast clear from Elvira sticking her nose in it (he loved the woman, and she was wise, but this was another deal and it was the kind of deal she’d sniff out in a flash and stick her nose in), Axl left his workstation and took the steps up to Hawk’s space.

He knocked on the doorframe even if Hawk was already looking at him.

The man was standing because he rarely ever sat. Axl didn’t know what he was doing, but whatever it was, it was on his phone because he had his cell in his hand and that hand was up.

“Yo, Axe,” Hawk greeted.

“You got a minute?”

In answer, Hawk tipped his head to the chair opposite his desk and tossed his phone on the top of it.