Page 27 of Whisk Me Away

"Why Peach?" I finally asked the question that had been eating at me for weeks.

Brant took his time looking up from the book in his hands. His eyes seemed to trail across my body as he worked them up to my face. His gaze left a scattering of goosebumps in its wake.

When his eyes finally met mine, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, almost like he was fighting it.

"That right there is why I call you Peach,” Brant lifted a finger, pointing at my cheeks.

Immediately, my hands flew to cover my now flaming cheeks. A small chuckle escaped Brant's mouth as he leaned forward and pulled my hands from my face.

"Don't hide from me, Karis. I love watching that sweet peach color travel up your neck and take over your cheeks,” he sent me a wink before settling back into the pink velvet seat.

My mind was reeling. Brant had moved from friendly passing comments to outright flirting, and my heart wasn't sure what to do with the shift. There was still a part of me that was terrified to let him in completely. He’d shown me nothing except genuine interest, yet something still held me back.

On one hand, he was pursuing me like my dad always told me a guy should. He stopped in every day just to say hi or ask how I was, and texted me constantly about everything and nothing. He was doing everything right, so why couldn't I let go and give in to him?

I wasn't good at this. As the pastor's daughter, I hadn’t had many guys interested in dating me growing up. Once they realized who my dad was, the interest immediately disappeared. I'm sure it had to do with people being afraid of what my dad would think of them or if I would even be allowed to do anything fun. There were so many stereotypes surrounding a pastor's family that sometimes made it hard to live a normal life.

I'd realized that was one of the biggest reasons I stayed in KC for as long as I did. I could live my life without the pretense that my dad was a pastor. It's not like I went crazy and partied. I still held to all my personal convictions regarding dating, but it was somehow easier.

Being back home has reminded me that nothing was as important as being with your family and being rooted in a community that loves you and serves the Lord together.

I also didn't have great dating experiences in KC. After a few awful first-date experiences, I decided to focus on school, working at the bakery, and dreaming of what my bakery would one day look like.

Now, here I was, home with my family, and sitting in a bakery that I’d built. I have no idea how to handle the incredibly attractive, funny, hard-working man currently occupying all my thoughts.

But I knew what I needed. I needed a day with Mia! She would talk some sense into me or at least help me figure out the issues that were holding me back. My phone buzzed in my back pocket as soon as I completed that thought. Pulling it out, I glanced down to see a text from my bestie herself. She wanted me to close down for my lunch break and come to Hansons. I shot off a quick reply, letting her know I'd be there, when a deep voice brought me away from my inner monologue.

"You're thinking pretty hard over there. I can almost hear the gears turning,” Brant chuckled.

"Oh, sorry!" I rushed out as I felt the color begin to creep up my neck. My hands itched to cover my cheeks, but Brant's request from earlier stopped me.

His eyes dipped to my cheeks before popping back up to my eyes, and a slow smile crept across his face.

"I was just… uh. Thinking,” I stammered, trying to come up with a reason I was sitting here lost in my own little world that didn't make me sound like a complete weirdo.

Real smooth, Karis. You were thinking? He clearly knows that!

"Anything I can help you with?" Brant asked sweetly with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Oh no! No. I'm fine. Really. Just your normal everyday thinking happening up here,” I tapped the side of my head.

Stop it! Stop it right now! Just get up and walk away before it's too late!I internally yelled at myself.

I stood too quickly which caused me to lose my balance. Brant shoved to his feet, and his arms shot out, grabbing my shoulders to steady me.

"Whoa there, Peach. Where's the fire?" The amusement danced in his eyes and dripped from his tone.

He was clearly enjoying the fact he had me so flustered I couldn't even do basic things like talk and stand.

I steeled my spine, lifting my head and pasting on the biggest smile I could muster.

"No fire. Just realized I need to get back to work,” finally, a sentence that didn't sound rushed or clumsy.

"Right. Back to work. I'll just be over here if you need anything,” Brant leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

His sweetness had me wanting to melt into a giant puddle right there on the bakery floor. Instead, I pulled myself together enough to turn around and make my way to the kitchen. I needed a minute to catch my breath and get the emotions flitting through me under control.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, tracing patterns on the gingham tablecloth with my finger. Mia noticed my unease and leaned forward, concern evident in her eyes.