Chapter 1235:
After baking the soft, golden bases, she swirled a generous topping of cream on each one, finishing them with plump blueberries and glossy cherries. The finished treats went onto a tray, which she balanced as she climbed the stairs.
Upstairs, Collin sat hunched over his desk in the study, each keystroke landing with a ferocity that threatened to destroy the keyboard beneath his fingers.
A sharp knock interrupted the tense silence. Without glancing up, Collin, assuming Roland was at the door, shouted, “Go away. If you don’t, I’ll come out there with a gun.”
Instead of retreating, the visitor turned the handle and stepped inside.
Linsey crossed the threshold, her voice low and calm. “It’s just me.”
Surprise flickered across Collin’s face before his features settled into an impassive mask. “Why are you here? Planning to take me out with those cupcakes?”
The urge to fling those cupcakes right at Collin’s head nearly overwhelmed Linsey.
All that time and care spent baking something sweet just for him, and what did she get? Suspicion instead of gratitude. He acted like she might be trying to poison him. Her frustration bubbled over.
Annoyance simmered as she mentally ran through a long list of unspoken complaints.
“If you’re not interested, I’ll just eat them myself.” Huffing, she started to leave, tray in hand.
Before she could step away, Collin’s commanding tone cut through the room. “Did I say you were allowed to go?”
Rolling her eyes, Linsey spun back around. “What, mocking me so I’ll leave? All I did was bake you something as thanks for helping me get back at Felix and Joanna. Do you honestly believe everyone’s as heartless as you are?”
A shadow crossed Collin’s face.
Defiance burned in Linsey’s eyes as she glared at him one last time and started toward the door.
“Don’t move,” Collin called after her again.
At the end of her rope, Linsey snapped, “Collin, must you always make things so difficult?”
He refused her cupcakes, wouldn’t listen to a word she said, and wouldn’t even let her leave. The whole situation was maddening.
In a voice cold as winter, Collin fired back, “I make things so difficult? Every time I say something, you argue. You’re always running away, never willing to stay put.”
She threw her hands up. “When have I ever argued with you endlessly?”
“You always do.” His words left no room for debate. Collin extended his hand expectantly. “Hand over the cupcakes.”
Rather than comply, Linsey clutched the tray protectively behind her back, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What’s the plan, toss them straight into the trash?”
With a dramatic eye roll, Collin replied, “Since you’re the one trying to make amends, I’ll let it slide this time. Just don’t make a habit out of it.”
Collin handed a cupcake to her.
For a heartbeat, Linsey hesitated, but she eventually accepted the cupcake, seeing it as his way of making amends.
Curiosity still lingered, so she asked, “What was all that fuss in the kitchen about?”
Collin didn’t miss a moment. “Because I was jealous,” he admitted, letting a little wounded pride slip into his words. “You’re my wife, and I want you close, but it always feels like I’m invisible to you.”
