The door to the bakery opened again, and Mel put on her "greet the customer" smile. It wobbled only for a moment when Joe DeLaura strode into the room.

Six.

Mel's heart did the same ridiculous flip-flop thing it always did when Joe DeLaura entered her orbit. He was tall with dark wavy hair, warm chocolate brown eyes, a square jaw, and a lean but solid build. Mel had been crushing on him since she was twelve and he was sixteen.

It took him twenty years to notice her that way, but to her delight he had finally asked her out and they'd spent most of the past year and a half dating. Then he had asked her to marry him and Mel had gotten a severe case of the wiggins.

Although she loved Joe, she wasn't sure she was ready for marriage. He tried to understand but it had caused a rift between them. Of course, her mother, who adored Joe, had taken his side.

"Dear Joe," Joyce cried. She crossed the room and hugged him hard. "How are you? You look thin. Have you been eating?"

Mel rolled her eyes. No wonder she'd been such a chunk as a kid. Her mother had never met a problem that she didn't try to cure with a snack. Not that she blamed her mother for her childhood largess, but still.

Joe returned Joyce's hug. He took in the crowded room over her shoulder and raised his eyebrows at Mel.

She shrugged. Joe gave her a small nod before he released Joyce.

"Hey, big brother," Angie said as she hugged him next. "What brings you here?"

Angie looked from him to Mel as if she expected it was Mel that had lured Joe here and she was hoping for confirmation.

"Rough day at the office," he said as he shook hands with Tate, Marty, and Oz and nodded at Lupe and Ginny. "I felt the need for a Death by Chocolate."

"Oh." Mel glanced at the display. Their spot in the case was empty. "I think I have some in back."

"I don't want to put you to any trouble," he said.

"It's no trouble," she said. Sheesh. Could it be any more awkward between them?

She noted that everyone was staring at them. It was almost as excruciating as the time she fell backwards in her chair in the fourth grade and her skirt had flipped up over her head, showing the entire class her Rugrats underwear. She had feigned a head injury and quickly run to the nurse, where she cried her eyes out. Sadly, that was not an option right now.

"If you'll excuse us," she said pointedly to the room, and everyone immediately glanced away, even Joyce, although Mel saw her trying to watch them out of the corner of her eye.

Mel looked back at Joe and said, "Follow me."

"Anywhere," he whispered so that only she could hear. His gaze met hers and the look in his eyes made Mel's entire body kick into the red zone.

"Oh, my," Ginny said as they walked past her through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

Mel could hear the room break into whispers of speculation as soon as the door shut behind them. Oh, if they only knew.

"I think I have some Death by Chocolate in the walk-in cooler," Mel said. She glanced at Joe over her shoulder and noted he had a decidedly predatory gleam in his eye. She swallowed hard.

She yanked open the door and stepped inside, aware that Joe was right behind her. She reached the shelf where a tray full of the popular chocolate cupcakes sat. She never got the chance to plate one for him.

In a deft move, Joe circled her waist with his large square hands, spun her around, and, before she could get her bearings, kissed her.

Mel didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Despite the chill of the cooler, the kiss was a scorcher, and Mel was pretty sure they were going to melt the frosting on her cupcakes.

Joe pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. He was breathing hard and Mel knew exactly how he felt.

"Marry me," he said.

"No," she said.

He leaned back and studied her in the dim light. A small smile lifted the corner of his lips. "You know, every time you say no I just get more determined."

"So I've noticed," she said, returning his smile. "You're stubborn like that."

Joe brushed the bangs off of her forehead. "I'm a DeLaura. Bullheaded tenacity is sort of the family trait."

Mel nodded. It was indeed. A few months ago she had thought that she and Joe were through. But then, Olivia Puckett of all people had cautioned Mel against making her business her whole life.

It had been a decisive moment for Mel. Though she knew she wasn't ready to marry Joe, she also knew she wasn't ready to let him go, either. They had hammered out an understanding and downshifted their relationship to just friends with limited benefits while they tried to figure out how to manage Joe's desire to get married and Mel's resistance to it.

"If you quit on me, I'll understand," Mel said.

It was a total lie. She wouldn't understand and it would hurt very badly, but she knew she was the lame duck in this relationship and it wasn't fair to put Joe on hold while she tried to sort out her head.

Joe hugged her close. "Nah, you're worth the wait. Besides, this covert friends with benefits thing we've got going is pretty hot."

He glanced at the open cooler door and, seeing no one, he kissed her again. This time Mel was sure the damage to her baked goods would be significant. When she came up for air, she was surprised to see that everything in the chiller was fine, but she and Joe both looked as if they'd been hit by lightning.

"If you could figure out how to bake that into a cupcake, you'd make a fortune," Joe said, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Mel laughed and reluctantly pushed him away. "Good thing I have you for research purposes."

"It's a dirty job," Joe sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. When he looked at her, Mel could see how much he was trying to keep the mood between them light, and she felt a pang of guilt.

"We'd better . . . before they get suspicious," she said. She reached around him and grabbed two Death by Chocolates. Once they were out of the cooler, she put the cupcakes on a plate and set them down on the table.

Joe took a seat and Mel could feel him watching her as she poured a glass of ice-cold milk for him. When she set it down at the table, he caught her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. He didn't let go.

"Just for the record, I'm not," he said. Mel felt her breath catch as he explained. "Seeing anyone else."

"We agreed we wouldn't talk about that," she said. "It's none of my business since-"

"We broke up," he said. "I know."

There was an awkward pause and Mel knew he was trying very hard to be patient. She knew if the situation were reversed, she'd be miserable.

"I'm not, either," she said.

Joe flashed his patent-worthy grin at her and she realized he'd just been looking for confirmation of her status.

"So, marry me," he said.

"No," she said, softening her answer by squeezing his fingers before letting go. He was still smiling, but she saw his chin jut out and she knew the trademark DeLaura tenacity had just been fully engaged.

Seven.

"Big Brother sure looked happy when he left," Angie said as she and Tate joined Mel in the kitchen.

Mel was channeling all of her relationship angst into her baking and was creating a new version of her popular Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake. Angie and Tate sat in seats across from her at the steel table and watched her work.

"Death by Chocolate will do that for you," Mel said.

"Uh-huh," Angie said. "Anything you care to share?"

"Nope."

"We're not going to have another incident where you are engaged and not telling us, are we?" Tate asked. "Because that wouldn't go over well a second time."

He reached for some of Mel's chopped peanut butter cups and she smacked his hand away with the back of her wooden spoon.

"No!" Mel said. "I promise the next time I get engaged, I'll be comfortable enough with it to tell everyone, even my mother."

"You'd better," Angie agreed. "I didn't think Joyce had it in her to hold a grudge this long."

"I'm hoping that working the pageant will give me a chance to mend the rift," Mel said.

"Have you thought of having Joe talk to her?" Tate asked. "I mean, since he's okay with the change in status, maybe he could talk her into it, too."

"Or she'll just remember why she loves him so much and get even madder at me," Mel said.

"Um, I don't think she could get any madder at you," Angie said.

Mel sighed.

"So, what's the itinerary for the pageant?" Tate asked. "Angie says you've agreed to install a cupcake display every day of the pageant in addition to baking the cupcakes that the girls design themselves. Correct?"

"Cici seemed to think it would tie the whole thing together," Mel said. "They're paying us and the publicity should be, pardon the pun, sweet."

"What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"I'll need you and Marty to mind the store," Mel said. "And no making any deals to go local while I'm gone. We need to discuss that more before we make any changes."

"Fine," Tate said.

Mel paused as she was scooping her chocolate batter into her cupcake pan and stared at him.

"What?" he asked. He didn't meet her eyes.

"Tate, what have you done?" she asked.

Angie snapped her head between Tate and Mel.

"It's no big deal," he began. "I just set up some meetings."

"Tate," Mel's voice was a low growl.

"Just let me work up a proposal," he said. "I know you like the size of your operation, but Mel, the expansion possibilities are endless."

"But I don't want to expand," she protested. She knew she sounded petulant but she couldn't help it. "I like my operation exactly as it is."

"I do, too," Angie said.

Given that Angie and Tate were now a thing, sort of, she really appreciated the backup, and if she could have reached Angie to hug her, she would have.

"Look, we all know that it was my start-up capital that got the business off the ground," Tate said.

"Agreed," Mel said. "I can never thank you enough."

"I don't want thanks," Tate said. "It was the best investment of my life."

They smiled at each other and Mel knew he meant it.

"But-" Tate began, and both Mel and Angie groaned. "Hear me out. Without access to big bucks, you're going to have to expand, Mel, or you're going to have to trim back on staffing."

"What?"

Tate shrugged. "Sorry, but you're not going to be able to maintain a staff of five if you don't grow the biz a bit."

"So, I'm supposed to let go of Marty or Oz?" Mel asked. "Aren't we making enough to keep everyone on?"

"Barely," Tate said. "A big chunk of money went into the cupcake van and we haven't been utilizing it as much as we should."

"Well, maybe that's what you could be doing," Mel said. "We could load you up and you could drive down to central Phoenix and work the heart of the city. Who wouldn't want a cupcake for lunch?"

Tate frowned at her.

"That's a pretty good idea," Angie said. "I always felt like we should have the van out every day. The advertising alone would surely help boost our sales."