A/N: Thank you all for your continued love and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: Just Desserts

Unpacking all the boxes thankfully didn't take too long with all four of them working together, and by noon they were pretty much done. Even though Ana had initially wanted to open up the bakery for a couple hours today, she was actually glad they decided to remain closed; however, she did feel a bit guilty whenever she saw customers walk up to the front door and then immediately leave, looking dejected as they realized the bakery was closed for the day. She hoped they weren't so put off that they wouldn't still come back tomorrow.

The Grey siblings all decided to head out in the early afternoon after the boxes were all unpacked, and Ana and Kate thanked them profusely for their help. Ana even gave them the remaining coffee cake, which they all seemed very happy about – particularly Elliot.

Christian had also thanked Ana for the cake, but his demeanor had been a bit off since Mia had mentioned his wedding, even though the subject hadn't come up again. Ana decided not to address it since Mia had made sure to give Ana Claire's contact information, which Ana was grateful for. She was going to try to give Claire a call tomorrow so she could officially get the ball rolling on finding another baker.

Once the Greys left, Ana got working on some of the online orders that were going to be picked up within the next couple days. She was eager to start using some of the newly-replenished ingredients they had just gotten, and Kate decided to hang around to assemble the new bakery carts and set up the chalkboard for tomorrow.

The two of them chatted happily for the rest of the afternoon as they worked, and, despite keeping the bakery closed today, Ana felt like this day had been a very productive one.

~The next day~

The bakery opened at its usual time the following morning, and, as had become the norm, they immediately had customers lined out the door. However, Ana and Kate felt a bit more equipped today to handle the hordes of people coming in – Ana had made sure to bake extra batches of everything before opening, and Kate had made sure to add several pieces of tape to the floor so people would have a place to queue up. While it was still crazy busy, this day felt marginally more manageable, and Ana felt glad once the last customers left and they closed their doors at around 2:30PM.

Ana and Kate took only about two hours to clean up, and once they were done, Kate headed home while Ana went up to her apartment. Just as she entered her living room, she felt her cell phone buzz in her pocket with an incoming call.

Ana pulled out her phone and saw it was an unknown number. "Hello?" she answered it.

"Hi, may I speak with Ana Steele?" a female voice asked politely.

"This is her," Ana said, walking further into her apartment and toeing off her shoes. "Who am I speaking to?"

"This is Claire Mathieson. Mia Grey gave me your number."

Ana perked up. "Oh, yes! I was planning on calling you today. How are you?"

"I'm great, thank you," Claire said brightly. "I just wanted to reach out and ask about the new baker position you were looking to fill at your bakery."

"Yes, I was talking to Mia about it yesterday," Ana said, her heart pounding in her throat. "That's when she mentioned your name. Would you be interested in interviewing for the job?"

"Yes, absolutely," Claire insisted, and Ana let out a silent sigh of relief. "I've just been doing my own thing for the past few months now, baking cakes for weddings and special events and stuff, but lately I've been looking for something that's a bit more stable. I'd heard about The Royal Treatment and I'd love to learn more about you guys."

"That's great to hear," Ana grinned brightly. If this Claire girl was a good fit, they might just have a new baker on staff by the end of the week. "When can you come by for an interview?"

They chatted for a minute or so about when they were both free, and they agreed on Wednesday at 3PM, after the bakery had closed for the day. They said their goodbyes before hanging up.

"Yes!" Ana squealed, hopping in the air a couple times while clapping her hands excitedly. She couldn't help herself – all of her dreams for her little bakery seemed to finally be coming true. She was getting more business than she ever thought possible, she had made a positive connection with an esteemed food critic here in Seattle, and now she was taking steps to hiring a new baker. All of these things would undoubtedly help her on the road to success.

This calls for a celebration.

It wasn't even five o'clock yet, but Ana hadn't eaten anything all day. While she was usually content to just make something here at home, she decided she wanted to treat herself for dinner. There was a lovely ramen shop a few blocks away from The Royal Treatment which Ana liked to go to sometimes, and she decided she wanted some authentic Japanese take-out to celebrate all the wins she'd had lately.

After changing into some comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, she slipped on her tennis shoes and grabbed her purse before heading out the door.

It was a lovely evening out, and pedestrians filled the busy sidewalks as Ana walked along. It was rush hour, so cars filled the streets, and she couldn't help but gaze at the bustling city around her. She smiled to herself, thinking about how fortunate she was to own a small business in such an amazing city.

The ramen shop was just outside Pike Place Market, so when Ana turned the corner, she saw a familiar skyscraper that she had seen countless times before.

Grey Enterprise Holdings

Ana had never really appreciated before how beautiful that building truly was up close: it was all bluish-gray steele and glass, with large metallic channel letters spelling out Grey House above the front doors. There were wide shiny stone steps leading up to the building, and since it was the end of the work day, tons of men and women were streaming out the front doors, clearly eager to head home for the day.

Ana was just about to continue walking to her destination when she heard someone saying her name:

"Ana?"

Ana turned toward the street to see a black Audi pull up on the curb near the building. She almost thought the voice had come from somewhere else when she noticed the back window of the Audi had rolled down and Christian's face appeared, smiling at her.

Ana stared, her heart suddenly pounding a thudding rhythm against her ribcage. Oh God, did Christian really just catch her standing and staring up at his building?

"Ana. I thought that was you," Christian smiled, opening the car door and stepping out, looking tall and gorgeous in his dark gray business attire. He was wearing aviator sunglasses, and he took them off so he could fix Ana with his gray-eyed stare. She couldn't help but notice a couple of female pedestrians stopping and staring at this Adonis of a man.

And here I am, looking frumpy as hell in a t-shirt and jeans.

"Oh. Hi Christian," Ana said after a moment, composing herself as she blushed. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too," Christian smiled at her. "I was just heading home for the evening, and I was thinking of stopping by The Royal Treatment for more of that coffee cake you made. Although I had just remembered you guys close at two o'clock."

Ana couldn't help but giggle, feeling rather flattered that he had wanted to come by her bakery again. "That's true, but Kate and I would've made an exception for you."

Christian grinned at her again, and Ana couldn't help but think how handsome his smile made him look. "That's good to know. So where is it you're heading now?"

"I was just going to grab dinner at that ramen shop outside the Market," Ana nodded down the street where she had been walking. "I was going to pick it up before heading back home."

"Oh. Well, would you like a ride?" Christian asked politely, gesturing toward the Audi behind him. "Taylor and I were just heading that way anyway."

Ana blinked, surprised. "Oh… no. That's okay, I don't want to inconvenience you."

"It's no inconvenience," Christian assured her. "In fact, I was thinking of grabbing dinner somewhere tonight too. Maybe I'll get some ramen as well… if that's alright with you, of course."

Ana stared at him in surprise. He actually wanted to get some ramen with her? The thought was oddly thrilling.

"Oh – of course it's alright," Ana assured him, and she gave him a smile. "But what I meant to say was that a car ride is unnecessary. The ramen shop is literally half a block away from here, and walking there would make more logistical sense than getting into a car and driving there."

Christian regarded her, and after a moment he offered her a small smile. "Fair point well made, Miss Steele," he finally said, a tinge of amusement in his voice. "I guess we'll walk there."

He turned back to his car to say something through the front window, and the guy named Taylor said something back before driving several yards ahead and parking next to a meter.

"Lead the way," Christian said, turning back to Ana, his hands tucked in his pockets. She smiled at him.

"Let's go."

So I guess this is how my evening's going.

The two of them began walking together past the GEH building and toward the ramen shop, which really was a very short distance away. "Did you really not know about the ramen shop here?" Ana couldn't help but ask him. "It's practically right next door to your building."

"I suppose I have seen it before, but I've never gone," Christian explained. "There are only a handful of food establishments in this area I frequent. I suppose your bakery can now be counted as one of those places."

Ana blushed slightly before smiling. "I'm honored. You, your family, and Miss Bailey are welcome to come by anytime."

Christian laughed. "Oh, Ros would definitely love that. She's been raving about your red velvet cake ever since she tried it last week."

"Red velvet is actually one of my best sellers," Ana admitted as they approached the ramen shop. "It tends to be one of the first things I run out of during the day."

"Then I'll have to let Ros know to get it first thing in the morning, then," Christian said, and Ana laughed.

They walked inside the ramen shop, which was a small restaurant with authentic Japanese artwork and wooden tabletops. Ana already knew she wanted to get her usual order, but she decided to wait for Christian to decide what he wanted.

Christian perused the menu board for a few moments before looking at Ana. "I'm not sure what to get. Do you have a recommendation?"

"Oh. Well, I usually get the basic tonkotsu ramen with a side of vegetable gyoza," Ana said, pointing to where that was on the menu. She felt a little self-conscious about her order for some reason. "It's kind of a boring dish, I know. You can customize your ramen if you want, and I know that any of the food can be made spicier if you ask."

Christian gave her an amused smile, his gray eyes twinkling. "I don't think I'm brave enough to take any chances with spice, but tonkotsu ramen does actually sound good."

Before Ana could say anything, Christian approached the front counter and asked for two orders of the tonkotsu ramen with veggie gyoza. He took out his credit card and paid for both of their meals – Ana wanted to protest, but decided not to, feeling it would have been rude to argue inside the restaurant.

Christian was a billionaire, after all, so buying her ramen probably wouldn't break him.

A few minutes later, the guy behind the counter handed them their takeout bags, and they thanked him before leaving the shop.

"Thank you for buying my food. You really didn't have to do that," Ana said to Christian once they stepped outside.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Steele. Think of it as a thank you for the coffee cake the other day," Christian said, smiling at her. Ana smiled back and they continued to walk along.

This is nice, Ana couldn't help but think to herself, and she felt Christian's arm gently brush against hers as they walked along. Her heart seemed to catch in her throat.

He's engaged to be married.

And just like that, Ana's pounding heart suddenly sank to her stomach. His apparent relationship with Gia Matteo was very much public knowledge, and Claire, the woman making his and Gia's wedding cake, Ana was considering hiring for her bakery. Any sort of relationship between Ana and Christian could not go any further than this.

The thought was depressing, but Ana didn't see any way around it.

"This ramen smells amazing," Christian noted, glancing down at the takeout bag in his hand. "I can't wait to try it. Maybe we could do this again sometime?"

Ana's heart rate seemed to skyrocket upon him saying that, and she cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable. "Um… are you sure your fiance would be okay with that?"

Christian didn't say anything right away, and Ana glanced over to see a stoic, unreadable expression fall across his handsome face. He looked over at her. "Ana…" he began, but faltered before falling silent, his expression pained.

Ana shook her head. "It's fine," she assured him. "I understand, Christian. You both are in the public eye, and I just don't want to cause any problems for you two if people see you and I out in public together."

They arrived at Christian's Audi, and they stopped. Christian turned to face Ana. "Ana, look," he began. "About Gia…"

He hesitated again, frowning, clearly unsure about how to proceed, and Ana suddenly realized that she didn't want to hear whatever explanation he had to give. "It's alright, Christian. Really," she insisted, although she felt her heart pound against her ribcage as she forced a smile. "I should really get going, though. Thanks again for dinner."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and began walking away back to the bakery.

A/N: So what do you guys think about Christian's relationship with Gia? Next chapter, we'll learn a little bit more about the two of them.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review. And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Amazon – I go by the name Rae Trescott.