Sweet Gone South by Alicia Hunter Pace Page B

him with your chicken box! Chase him back to that macho truck. Do it now. Don’t laugh! He’s not funny!
    “If a real guy asks you, I won’t hold you to it. But you’d be sorry after you see me in a tux.”
    They laughed some more and then walked back into Luke’s sight. Without touching Lanie, Scott got in his truck and backed out — though he didn’t drive off until she entered the building.
    Luke sat with an open mouth and empty beer bottle. Whatever was going on between them, it wasn’t romantic. They were pretending to date! Clearly, for whatever reason, neither wanted a real relationship. Maybe Nathan Scott was gay. Yeah. He liked that idea. Lanie’s reasons were not as clear.
    But pretending to date — it was a brilliant idea. He should have thought of it.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Making filled complicated shaped candies required a steady hand and complete concentration. Nothing would do except the thinnest chocolate shell, and the filling had to be the perfect temperature. Lanie required solitude for this chore, which was why she’d been in the candy kitchen since 4 A.M. making tiny chocolate bunnies. Getting the caramel, peanut butter, or truffle filling in the ears was tedious enough but unmolding them without ending up with earless rabbits was the real challenge. Knowing that Phillip and Kathryn would be in at 6:30, she wanted to be finished by 6:15 and it looked like she might just make it. There was just this last tray of orange white truffle flavored ones to unmold. Then she’d have some coffee and rest for a few minutes before moving on to the less tedious filled eggs. A gentle tap, tap on the counter and —
    Slam
went the stairwell door and chocolate rabbits went flying. Damn, damn, damn. Luke Avery flew into the kitchen wearing running clothes. Was that man put on earth to cause her to drop candy on the floor?
    “Hi!”
    She grimaced at him. He looked good. He smelled good, even from across the room, even over the smell of chocolate. She grimaced harder.
    He was more energized than she’d ever seen him. Come to think of it, right now he had a lot in common with that battery-operated bunny. Maybe she should dip him in chocolate.
    Or not. He looked around. “You spilled your chocolate rabbits.”
    “No kidding?”
    “It happens.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve hired a nanny. She’ll be here any second. I just wanted to tell you so if you see her, you’ll know who she is. I’m going to let her in and then go for a run.”
    Maybe this nanny was one of those young French girls with a string shopping bag and a sexy accent. That’s all they needed around here.
    “Fabulous. I guess you left Emma up there alone?”
    He pulled a baby monitor from his pocket. “She’s sound asleep. I need to give Mrs. Bumpus a key and the security code but I didn’t want to do it without telling you. I assure you, it’s fine. Not only does the agency do a complete background check, but it turns out she was nanny to a guy I went to law school with.”
    Not young then. She might still have a string shopping bag but that would be okay.
    “Does Emma like her?” Lanie asked.
    “They haven’t met, but I’m sure she will. Mrs. Bumpus took care of my classmate, his siblings, several cousins, and a niece. But they’re out of kids.”
    Lanie almost suggested that it might not be the best plan to let Emma wake up to find herself in the care of a woman she’d never seen before, but the back bell rang.
    “There she is!” Luke said excitedly and he was gone.
    Lanie sighed and set about sweeping up some very expensive trash, all the while hoping that the nanny had apple cheeks, a sweet smile, and bag full of magic and kindness.
    • • •
    Easter orders were pouring in and Lanie made candy nonstop through lunch and after. She’d been vaguely aware of some comings and goings out the back door but had no time to investigate this Mrs. Bumpus — no matter how curious she was.
    She’d just finished the last of the