Company Ink Read Online Free PDF Page A

as she looked around.
    “Sorry,” she mumbled coyly, putting her coffee cup to her lips.
    Ben smiled at her, a genuine expression that made her heart race. She could’ve sworn it actually lit up the room. She watched him for longer than she meant to; her cheeks felt white-hot, and she straightened her back in response to the schoolgirl giggle deep inside her that threatened to emerge. He playfully winked at her and turned away. Violet was beyond happy that he was the first to look away, because her insides had already turned to magma. Her knees went weak, and she peered up at the ceiling, quietly thanking God for the existence of office chairs.
    She thought she might have felt Ben’s eyes on her after she turned back to face her computer screen, but she couldn’t tell whether the laser-beam heat on her back was real or if she was just losing her mind. She sipped her coffee slowly as she confirmed a couple of online orders. Only when she heard Jay’s voice and was certain Ben had been effectively distracted did she trust herself to stand. She’d almost made it out of the office when Jay spoke.
    “We’ll be up in a few minutes to do the opening huddle,” he said. “Do me a favor and pass the word to Jess?”
    “Sure thing.”
Damn it, did my voice just crack?
    “See ya up there, Vi.” There was a teasing edge in Ben’s voice.
    She turned and stared him in the eye, impulsively taking his tone of voice as a challenge. “It’s Violet. And I’ll see you later.”
    Ben looked a little taken aback. And as Violet made her way upstairs, she couldn’t help but feel like things were probably going to get a lot more uncomfortable before they got better. Still, tiny fireworks set off in her stomach again as she thought of the deep-set, crystal-blue eyes that threatened to see right through her; this guy was already more trouble than he was worth. It was with a feeling of both excitement and apprehension that she welcomed whatever was coming between her and Ben.
    • • •
    Violet was heavily focused on icing a red velvet cake, surrounded by tourists pressed against the glass that separated her from the crowd of people in the store as well as outside of it. She juggled creating perfect rosettes with answering questions from the curious customers who hoped to learn decorating secrets without the benefit of too much hard work.
I should be charging a consultation fee
. But the truth was, she loved chatting with the customers while she worked her magic. She was mid-conversation with a traveling photographer when her name was called.
    “Hey, Vi!”
    She looked over the crowd of customers and spotted Jay. She gave an exuberant wave and smiled while the photographer tried to snap a secret photo of her work.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” he called. “Ben will be up to you in about half an hour.”
    Violet nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
    Focusing her attention back on the photographer, she spun her cake turntable. The now fully gussied-up cake slowly showed itself off. “You have to contact corporate if you plan on using that photo anywhere.”
    “Caught me, huh?”
    Violet grinned. “It’s not a big deal; they’re pretty cool about photos. Just handle it properly, okay?”
    The photographer nodded. “You got it, doll. Thanks for the chat!”
    The pretty blond about Violet’s age moved on to the cupcake counter while a curious family of tourists stepped up to engage Violet. She’d already gotten so used to chatting while she decorated that, as the family questioned Violet about her favorite desserts, she managed to ice a six-inch carrot cake with sweet cream-cheese icing and inscribe it before the line moved forward and the family said their goodbyes. She had just eased the cake onto a stainless steel display stand and covered it with a clear plastic lid when she heard her name called.
    Violet placed the cake in the refrigerated display case and turned in the direction of the voice. Ben was headed directly