When my best friend and I decide to open our dream bakery, Sugar & Spice, I expect endless nights of kneading dough and dusting sugar cookies with holiday magic.What I don't expect?My business-savvy bestie reaching out to Asher Mercer—Chicago's most eligible bachelor and the same guy who starred in all my high school daydreams.He's everything I remember—devastatingly handsome, wickedly charming—with a gaze that makes my knees weak and my pulse race faster than an industrial mixer... moreWhen my best friend and I decide to open our dream bakery, Sugar & Spice, I expect endless nights of kneading dough and dusting sugar cookies with holiday magic.What I don't expect?My business-savvy bestie reaching out to Asher Mercer—Chicago's most eligible bachelor and the same guy who starred in all my high school daydreams.He's everything I remember—devastatingly handsome, wickedly charming—with a gaze that makes my knees weak and my pulse race faster than an industrial mixer. I'm not that quiet girl hiding behind textbooks anymore, but sitting across from him in a high-stakes business meeting, watching him study my proposal like he's savoring the last bite of dessert, has my composure threatening to crack.Between building our business and perfecting every recipe these last few years, I've convinced myself that love is just another ingredient I don't have time to measure. But when Asher starts showing up more often with questions about dreams that have nothing to do with profit margins, I feel my carefully constructed walls beginning to crumble like an overbaked cookie.One kiss beneath the mistletoe at his company's holiday party changes everything. Now, with success finally within reach, I'm faced with an impossible choice: stick to my tried-and-true recipe for success, or risk it all on a taste of something sweeter.After all, some of the best desserts require turning up the heat. less
