The ostentatious, long, black limo was completely out of place in the quaint town where his brother was hiding. Trevor had to assume that Trey looked just as misplaced as his gaudy car. What his shark of a businessman brother was doing in this one-stoplight town was beyond him.

It felt a little like tucking tail and admitting defeat to come here to seek his brother’s counsel, but he would rather do that than risk losing it all. He had learned long ago that it was better to admit a little bit of weakness early in the game than to hide it and let it snowball into something uncontrollable. His brother would never forgive him if he lost the mall deal, and he would never forgive himself if he lost Millie.

The limo slid smoothly to a stop in front of a tiny bakery that seemed to be booming with business. Trevor chuckled at the sign, which proclaimed the name of the establishment in curvy, pastel letters which almost looked like a child’s writing––Snickerdoodles. It was cute, almost too cute. He couldn’t believe his brother had even set foot in the place, let alone completely set up shop here.

Trevor got in line and secretly watched the two women behind the counter. It didn’t take more than a few seconds to discern which one of them was Trey’s love interest. They were both attractive, but the one with red hair was too bold, loud, and flirtatious for his brother’s taste. The neon green shirt she wore under her apron was so bright it almost hurt his eyes.

The understated elegance of the beautiful, blonde one was much more Trey’s style. She gave each of her customers a friendly smile, asked a personalized question that displayed her attention to details about them while she filled their order, then efficiently checked them out and moved to the next patron. She had a natural way about her that made each of her customers feel important and like they were the only person that mattered to her, even as she shuffled them along and out the door. It was truly a rare gift.

He enjoyed watching her so much that he was almost disappointed when he made his way to the front of the line. His disappointment increased when the red-haired woman with the coral lipstick that had been applied with a heavy-hand beamed at him. “Hi!” the woman practically shouted, leaning in to give him a long view of her ample cleavage. “What can I get you?” she breathed out flirtatiously.

He had been planning to order something, just see how the blonde would engage with him; but since Red was waiting on him, he jumped straight to the reason for his visit. “I need to see Trey,” he told her simply.

The blonde darted her gaze in his direction. The concerned look in her eyes let him know that she was a protective mama bear when it came to his brother’s privacy.

The redhead looked to the other woman for guidance. She was clearly uncertain if she should give out any details about Trey. The blonde handed her customer a white paper bag filled with soft-baked goodies, gave him a warm smile, and wished him luck with his car repair.

The man responded, “Yeah, I hope Rusty doesn’t try to take me to the cleaners… again.”

She laughed, waved goodbye, and then turned to Trevor––suddenly all business. “Is there something I can help you with?” The cool shift in her demeanor was unmistakable. There was suddenly no doubt in Trevor’s mind that the woman, whose name tag proclaimed her name to be Ellie, was in Trey’s corner, watching his back. He liked knowing that Trey had found someone that he could trust completely. It was a rare gift for someone with so much money and power.

Extending his hand over the counter to shake hers, he introduced himself. “Trevor Donovan.”

The transformation of Ellie’s face from leery suspicion to open friendliness was almost immediate. She ignored his offered hand, opting instead to run around the counter for a warm embrace. “Trevor, it’s wonderful to put a face to the brother that Trey speaks so highly of.”

Trevor felt an unsettling bubble of anxiety at the realization that Trey would not be at all pleased when he found out that Trevor was on the verge of losing the mall deal––to Selena Chase of all people. And that was the good news. He was certain that his feelings for Millie would not be a welcome announcement, but he needed to fess up to Trey before things went too far.

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Ellie pulled back and grasped his hand to lead him behind the counter. “Trey is going to be so excited to see you!” she enthused.

Doubting that, but seeing no alternative but to go with her, Trevor followed Ellie as she practically skipped back to the bakery’s kitchen.

The sight of his brother practically floored Trevor. He was used to seeing Trey in perfectly tailored suits, so the vision of him in jeans, a gray tee-shirt, and the flour-dusted red apron that proclaimed “Real men bake,” was shocking. Trevor bugged his eyes out drinking in the sight before him, not quite able to believe what he was seeing.

Trey’s eyes lit up when he spotted his brother. “Trevor!” He opened his arms, hugging his brother for the first time since they had been forced to make up after fighting as children.

Trevor discreetly swiped the flour from his suit after his brother’s embrace as Trey gushed, “It’s so great to see you.” Without pausing for a breath, he added, “You have to taste my latest cupcake recipe.”

“Cupcake recipe?” Trevor asked numbly, unable to equate the man before him with the business mogul brother he had been expecting to see. While he was still trying to process, Trey shoved an admittedly delicious looking cupcake under his nose.

Seeing no alternative except to taste the blasted thing, Trevor took a bite, even though he only wanted to share the reasons for his visit with his brother. Distracted by the warm, delicious flavor assaulting his taste buds, he said, “That’s wonderful!”

“You sound surprised.” His brother gave him a playful shove to the shoulder before biting into a cupcake of his own.

Enjoying this new, playful side of Trey, Trevor ventured, “You’re eating a lot of baked goods, aren’t you? Someone might start to go soft around the middle.”

As soon as he said it, he wondered if he had gone too far. Trey eased his worries by grabbing Ellie, assuring Trevor that he had plenty of ways to work off the extra calories, then dipping her back for a passionate kiss.

Trevor felt uneasy at the open display of affection. Trey had never been one to go crazy over a woman––until now, apparently. When they didn’t come up for air, Trevor finally cleared his throat to let them know it was becoming awkward to stand there watching them make out.

Trey finally––and rather reluctantly––pulled back and settled Ellie back on her feet. She at least had the decency to blush over their loss of control. His brother just beamed at him, looking giddily happy and having no shame.

“We need to talk business,” Trevor informed him, shooting a dismissive glance at Ellie.

Trey caught the look and said sternly, “Ellie can hear anything you have to say.”

Ellie smoothed things over by saying, “I need to get back up front anyway.”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Trey promised her, before pulling the back of her hand up to press his lips against it. “I’ll miss you,” he added sappily as she sauntered dreamily back to the storefront.

Trevor caught himself just before rolling his eyes. It was so odd to see his brother madly in love. Wanting to get down to business, he asked, “You want the bad news or the worse news first?”

Sitting down at the card table that served as a break room and ushering Trevor to the other chair, Trey answered, “Start with the bad, I guess.”

“I am falling for Millie,” Trevor told him without further preamble.

If Trey was surprised by the announcement, he hid it quickly. “And that’s a bad thing because…?”

“Because she’s your assistant, well, my assistant,” he amended. “She works for us, and she does a damn good job, but relationships between someone with a position of power and an employee are strictly forbidden. It’s in the company handbook. I looked it up,” he gushed.

“You looked it up in the handbook?” Trey raised one thick, dark eyebrow in his brother’s direction. Seeing Trevor’s affirmative nod and the pathetic look on his face, made Trey turn serious. “Is Millie open to a relationship?” he asked.

“She would be, but she doesn’t want to lose her job.” Trevor tried to keep the whiny tone out of his voice. It was an impossible situation, so he wasn’t sure what he expected his older brother to do about it.

“If the two of you have a fling and things don’t work out, will you fire her?” Trey’s piercing, hawk-like gaze rested on his brother. He looked more like the imposing man Trevor was used to dealing with than the happy baker he had first encountered in the kitchen.

“Of course not!” Trevor was insulted by the insinuation.

“Would you demote her?” Trey continued along those lines, even though his brother was obviously becoming agitated.

“No,” Trevor answered firmly. Deciding to stop this conversation in its tracks, he added, “Millie and I are both professionals. We would continue to work together, despite any awkward feelings over our personal relationship.”

“Then I’m not seeing what the problem is,” Trey stated matter-of-factly over his folded hands.

“Human resources… the handbook… rules,” Trevor spluttered.

“YOU are in charge now. YOU make the rules.” Trey sat forward in his chair and pointed a finger at his brother as he spoke. “So, change them if you want to,” he added as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“I’m sure the rules are there for a reason,” Trevor responded logically. “What if we get sued?”

“What if we do?” Trey raised his shoulders. “We’ll deal with it. Next issue?” He almost sounded bored by these problems that had been eating away at Trevor.

Trevor blinked several times, in an attempt to comprehend that Trey had just given him permission to date Millie. Scratch that… he didn’t actually need permission from anyone to see her because he could make the rules now. The fact that he was the one in charge finally began to sink in, and his chest puffed up involuntarily.

The realization was both liberating and enlightening. He had assumed that his brother would keep tight reins on everything important, even during this sabbatical. The proof that he was truly trusting Trevor and stepping back was exhilarating, if a little frightening.

This next revelation would be a true test. He doubted his brother would be able to keep his fingers out of this one, and to be honest, he wouldn’t mind having Trey rescue him just this once. Taking a deep breath, he admitted, “We are losing the mall deal to Selena Chase.”

His brother narrowed a dark-eyed stare at him, taking a few deep breaths of his own. When he finally spoke, his words were not at all what Trevor had expected to hear. “Let’s go for a walk,” Trey suggested.