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  Table of Contents

  Love Unwrapped

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  Love Unwrapped

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Coming Soon

  Author Note

  About Authors

  Love Unwrapped

  Kate Asher & Maizie Kaye

  Copyright © 2019 by Kate Asher and Maizie Kaye.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey Graphic Design

  Edited by: Jamie Rose

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Love Unwrapped

  The best of life happens in unexpected moments…

  After retiring from active duty, Navy SEAL Blake Mangold finds his new passion as a baker, using his grandmother’s secret recipes to delight the customers in his hometown. When he jumps at the chance to donate cookies for a charity event, it means coordinating a few volunteers. Should be easy. Until the one person he thought he’d never see again walks through his bakery doors in her sexy high heels and black skinny jeans.

  Andi Wilson holds her own in a boardroom as head legal counsel for an airline. And she applies those same stringent rules of decorum to her relationships—which is probably why she’s not in one. Agreeing to help with a charity event is her civic duty. The assignment is simple enough… until she walks into her worst nightmare. They boy who single-handedly destroyed her family isn’t just in the bakery…he owns it.

  Blake and Andi have undeniably explosive chemistry, but the past traps them in sarcastic banter and witty comebacks. When long-hidden truths are revealed, will this pair heat up more than the bakery…or will the past always rule their future?

  Chapter 1

  Blake Mangold looked up as an older woman walked around the corner to stand just inside the bakery’s kitchen doorway. He smiled in greeting. “Hey there, Barbara, what can I do for you today?”

  “Oh, now you know better than that. Call me Babs. Everyone does. I only stopped by to say thank you for agreeing to help out this year. Your donation’s going to put us over the top.” Barbara gushed as Blake rolled and filled more crescent pastries for the afternoon rush.

  He didn’t need her appreciation. He wanted to be a part of helping youth in their community find their way in the world—something that hadn’t been available when he was a kid growing up in the area.

  “It’s not a problem. Just a little flour, eggs, butter, and manpower.” Blake winked at the woman spearheading the donations for the teen program. The yearly Christmas Bazaar allowed local artisans to sell their wares to anyone willing to brave the crowds. For a percentage of their proceeds, Barbara organized the event and facilities for the artists and crafters. Any monies left over went to the committee’s chosen program, but Babs didn’t stop there. She attempted to get the artisans to donate more, if even one extra percent of profit, and it all went into the activities and staff needed to assist with youth programs and events.

  With her outgoing personality, Babs generally got what she wanted. He could see why. She’d asked Blake to join in last year and her points had been compelling: sell holiday baked goods at the event, earn income on those while donating a small portion to a worthy cause, and spread his name out there for his new bakery. But he’d already stretched himself thin, so he’d begged off, but Manly Cakes had grown exponentially over the last year.

  “You’re entirely too gorgeous to be so modest.” She waved her hand at him, and it took all his effort to hold back the blush threatening to erupt in his cheeks.

  He wasn’t sure he entirely succeeded, so he kept his head down, focused on the filling the pastries.

  “I also wanted to get a head count of the number of volunteers you’ll need. I know you can’t staff the whole event and donate all the ingredients and your time. That’s asking too much. We can get you volunteers to help bake…” At his scowl, she laughed. “Okay, no outsiders baking in your kitchen, got it. What would help? I can get you volunteers easily enough.” She grinned at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I have a way with people, you know.”

  Blake pressed his lips together to hold in his laugh. She did at that, like the way a bulldozer had a way with a dirt pile. He placed the tray of freshly filled pastries into the oven and set the timer before wiping his hands on a towel, tossing it on his workstation, and coming over to Babs. He thought over what could help.

  “Let’s go talk in the office.” He ushered her out of his kitchen, through the prep room, and to his personal office space in the back.

  Once they’d settled on his couch, he said, “My assistant pastry chef has donated his time as well, so we can get everything baked and ready to go, but a few people willing to package cookies and label them for the event could be helpful. Maybe frost them, if they’re any good at it.” Wyatt agreed to work with him in whatever fashion to cover the bakery needs or get the cookies ready for the weekend event. All the cookies purchased at the event would be fresh and tasty, reflecting the mission of the bakery.

  “And I’ll find volunteers to work the booth for the two days of the event. You can come and go as you need to for oversight and to greet customers and bring in more product, but I don’t want you to be tied down to the table for the duration.” Babs tilted her head, a slightly distant look in her eye, before refocusing on him. “Unless…will your girlfriend be manning the table with you?”

  “Uh…no girlfriend, so volunteers would be great.” Blake nearly cringed at the twinkle in her eyes.

  “Volunteers to be your girlfriend? You probably get those all the time without my help. Though, I’m pretty good at finding the right volunteer for any job. I’m up for the challenge.” Babs sat up straighter as if preparing for some particularly juicy gossip. “How much work are you overall? A fixer-upper or move-in ready?” She tapped her finger to her lips as if contemplating his needs.

  Blake laughed out loud at her antics. “Volunteers for the booth, thank you very much. And I’ve heard about you. Bakeries are good places to hear local gossip. Just because I don’t spread it doesn’t mean I don’t listen. I know your reputation, little matchmaker.” He shook his finger at her. “Let’s stick to the event and help out those at-risk teens, why don’t we?”

  She sobered at that. “Fine, fine. I’ll set you up with volunteers for packaging and selling, and you can be in charge of your own love life.” She harrumphed as she stood and leaned over, giving him a peck on the cheek before whispering, “For now anyway. Ta ta.” She actually twiddled her fingers at him before practically flouncing from his office.

  He laughed, but couldn’t deny his concern that she’d make good on her threats to set him up. He wasn’t in the market for a date, much less a mate. He’d been focused o
n making Manly Cakes a success for the last two years. And he’d done it. But all his time belonged to the bakery right now.

  ~~~

  There was nothing demure or professional for that matter about the grunted groan Andrea Wilson let fly when she looked at her inbox one last time of the day. Why had she looked? What in the world would make her do such a thing?

  And what were her options at this point? She could just ignore the email from her direct supervisor until morning. That seemed reasonable enough. The airlines she worked for had been in a state of utter chaos over the last few weeks with the arrival of the holiday travel rush, but she worked more hours than required. No one would think twice about her not answering this after-hours email.

  Andi lifted a hand, shutting the lid to her laptop. No one seemed to be getting much done here in the airline’s corporate office anyway. Andi shook her head, letting her long blonde hair float around her shoulders as she stopped that train of thought, worried about all the bad karma points she’d just earned with the mere insinuation of using the company’s annual chaos as a reason not to open an email with the subject line of “second notice.”

  Andi lifted the lid and typed in her security code while grumbling to herself. She was the one who always did the right thing, no matter the situation. The peacemaker of the family, undeniably reliable. Andi gave herself an exaggerated eye roll, like she could have ever let herself get ten feet from this desk without opening an email from her boss. Inner moral codes sucked!

  Within seconds, the email opened. Andi skipped the two-sentence instructions from her boss to take care of this matter pronto—like a pronto without accompanying deadline was any sort of professional directive. She sighed. Time was running out to complete her mandatory community service volunteer hours.

  This new initiative had started almost a year ago. She absolutely believed in volunteering, giving back to a community that had given so much to her. However, the “mandated” part made her skin crawl and her blood pressure soar. Having to have community service hours signed off on as part of her job requirement seemed less from the heart and more a...well, job requirement.

  And this was why she was an attorney. Her ability to argue against something while completely supporting it boggled her own mind from time to time.

  Andi did a quick reply to her boss, letting him know she’d get her community service reports in. At the same time she pushed send, her assistant, Bree, stuck her head inside her office door. “Your grandmother’s on line one. She says you aren’t answering your cell and she can’t remember your landline. Do I put her through?”

  “Yes…No, tell her to give me a minute. I have to find my phone, and I’ll call her on my way out,” Andi said and immediately started patting the tops of several file folders littering her desk.

  “It’s on the credenza,” her assistant said, giving one of her patient smiles. She looked back over her shoulder as the door clicked shut. Of course, it was there. Andi quickly shut down her computer, grabbed her purse and cell phone, and left her office. Almost to the elevator, she saw the three missed calls. She must have forgotten to take her phone off silent after her last meeting. Grams had no patience at all.

  Tapping the call button, she stepped on to the elevator, luckily alone, and lifted her phone to her ear. It took a full four rings before her grandmother answered. “Honey, you know you worry me when you don’t answer the phone.”

  Her grandmother had always been her hero, always there for her whether she needed it or not, which she appreciated, but not so much on a workday. Grams was the reason she had to mute her cell phone at the office in the first place. “Grams, we’ve talked about this. I’m very busy while at work. What’s going on?”

  “Honey, you haven’t signed up for the Christmas Bazaar and I need you. We have so many donations this year…”

  Her ears perked up as she pushed the button for the third-floor parking garage. She interrupted her grandmother before she could get rolling on a twenty-minute one-sided dialogue, regaling Andi with the entire list of donations they had received. Not that she wouldn't love to hear about them, but it had been a long day at work.

  “Grams, I need community service hours. This is perfect.” She always helped her with this project, ever since her grandmother moved into the large retirement community. Of course she would be there anyway, but she couldn’t deny the timing turned out perfectly. “What would I do?” she asked, stepping out of the elevator when the doors opened.

  “There’re two projects we need help with. Do you remember Molly? She’s making her ribbon bookmarks, but the hot glue’s burning her fingers, so she’s asked for help. I don’t know why she insists on doing those every year. They never sell well and then she’s useless for teaching the intro to knitting class for an entire month while she heals. We’d tried talking to her…”

  “Focus for me, Grams.” Andi nodded at a co-worker as she pushed through the door. “Who else do you need help with and how fast can this happen?”

  “It’s next week, honey. We also have thousands of cookies to package. You‘d need to be there Wednesday through Saturday. The sweetest man has donated…” When her grandmother talked about men being sweet, she knew somehow that would end up with her asking Andi who she was dating. She reached inside her purse, pulling out her key fob to unlock her door as she waited for the inevitable. “He’s very handsome, honey. Are you still seeing that attorney who can’t eat nuts? He can’t eat your pecan pie, can he, dear?”

  She laughed right into the phone as she started the car and let the Bluetooth connect. She’d give it to her grandmother, pecan pie was a first in her argument that Steven wasn’t right for her. She had ultimately agreed. He’d been perfect on paper, checked all the boxes she had for appropriate dating material, but they didn’t fit. After seeing the women in her family—her Grams not included—make horrible choices in men and after having made a few similar mistakes along the way, she refused to be involved with a man who didn’t fit her. She’d broken up with Steven almost six months ago, but she’d kept that bit of news from her matchmaking grandmother. She’d learned that lesson years ago after a particularly bad blind date set up by her grandmother.

  “Grams, you’re too much. You always make me smile. I can be there next week. I can also bring someone. I think my assistant might need the hours, too. Will that work?” When her grandmother didn’t answer right away, she offered up the stats on Bree, hoping to deflect Grams to new blood for matchmaking. “She’s twenty-six, working on her MBA, and single. I think she could use your help.”

  “Oh, she sounds lovely. I can’t wait to meet her.” Her grandmother’s excitement caused another burst of laughter as she backed out of her parking spot.

  “I’m sure she’ll be delighted to be your latest victi…um…project.”

  Grams harrumphed but didn’t contradict her. Maybe if she threw Bree under the bus, she could avoid being setup this year.

  “Send me an email with the exact details. We’ll be there.” Of course, she needed to call Bree to get her buy-in and also warn her of about her grandmother’s intentions.

  Chapter 2

  Blake had Babs schedule the volunteers to arrive mid-morning Wednesday, so he could get them settled on their assignments before the lunch and afternoon pick-me-up rushes flooded the store. He’d supply snacks and coffee when they needed it, and they could work in the prep room in the back for the afternoon. No reason anyone should be hungry on his watch. Blake left one employee, Chelsea, behind the main shop counter and escorted three of the four volunteers—all women—to a table off to the side, where he could chat with them while keeping a look out for the last volunteer’s arrival. After getting everyone situated with a coffee and doughnut, he explained the process. They’d have to decorate any cookies that needed it, such as the gingerbread men and some ornament- and reindeer-shaped cookies. Those not interested in decorating could package and label the finished products, such as the snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, brownies, a
nd carrot cake squares.

  He asked about their experience with baking and thought through who would be best suited for what assignment. The front bell chimed as the door opened, but the lack of a corresponding closing chime drew his attention. A woman stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the mid-morning sun streaming in the front windows. As he adjusted to the glare, her features came into focus. Blake recognized her instantly, his spine stiffening as he sucked in a breath, and if her lowered brows and frozen stance in his doorway were any indication, she’d had no idea whose shop she had intentionally walked into. Well, she did now. The words emblazoned across her chest drew his attention even more than the way the fitted cotton fabric molded her ample breasts—Volunteer.

  No.

  He glanced down at the clipboard in front of him then flipped through his papers to see the list of volunteers Babs had sent him. He had not seen her name on there. He groaned when he spotted Andrea under the volunteers from Rora Airlines. Just great. He’d seen the name but hadn’t put it together with the Andi Wilson he’d known a lifetime ago. What the hell had Babs been thinking? She knew him, knew their history. What was that old woman up to?

  The group turned in unison to see what had drawn his attention. Bree smiled and waved the woman over. He hadn’t seen Andi in nearly a decade…maybe longer, but he’d never forget that scowl—that derogatory stance and energy coming off her. It didn’t fail to piss him off, even all these years later. Or maybe the fact that the vision of her in his doorway turned him on revealed the real reason she pissed him off.

  “Come on in, Princess.” He really did try to keep the sneer out of his voice. “Don’t stand with the door open. You’re the last to arrive. Grab a coffee and doughnut from Chelsea at the counter and come join us.” He waved a hand in that direction. He’d rather join his old SEAL team on maneuvers in the dead of winter than allow this woman to know how she still had the ability to affect him.