"Eww," Kate said, kneading a ball of dough. "No one wants to hear about what you and Marsha get up to in the bedroom."
Allison slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as Jamie silently mouthed each word Kate said. Kate, who was clueless to Jamie’s teasing, carried on. After thirty seconds of getting no response from her talkative co-owner, she looked up to find a very innocent looking Jamie.
“What was she doing?” Kate asked Allison, narrowing her eyes.
“I don’t think you want to know.”
Kate clucked her tongue. “I don’t know why I thought working with my goofy best friend would be a good idea. I swear, sometimes I feel like I have to mother you.”
Jamie pecked Kate's cheek. "That's what good friends do. Come on Allie; we've got work to do."
Allison trailed after Jamie, keeping her head low to avoid Kate's death stare. Allison loved Jamie's energy and how much free rein she gave. Most people wouldn't have a new employee handle entire orders by themselves on the first day, but Jamie had been patient and persistent in helping Allison learn under pressure, talking her through each step.
“Whoa, look who’s here to see you!” Jamie tilted her head in the direction of a redheaded man who stepped out of his truck parked on the curb and got ready to cross the street.
Allison tutted. "How many times do I have to tell you he's not here for me. Today's my third day."
"And he's been here each of those three days. Marty Sanders comes in here every Monday like clockwork, and you want me to believe that all of a sudden he's come in three days in a row for no reason? Please! I know desperation when I see it."
As soon as Jamie finished her sentence, Marty walked in and made his way to the counter. “Morning, ladies.”
"Morning," Allison mumbled. Even though Jamie was the one taking his order, Marty's eyes were firmly fixed on Allison as he spoke. She smiled politely and placed two donuts in a box for him.
“Here you go.”
“How long are you in town for?” he asked.
“I actually moved here not too long ago.”
“Oh! Well, Rose Lake is a lovely place. Have you gotten a chance to see some of our treasures?”
Marty’s eyes indiscreetly ran up and down Allison’s body, making her skin crawl. Once that happened, the gloves were off. Any man insensitive enough to leer at her so unabashedly could deal with some embarrassment.
"Unfortunately, I haven't," she said. Marty smirked and opened his mouth to speak, but Allison interrupted him. "My girlfriend promised to show me around soon, though. Any place you'd recommend?"
Marty’s brown eyes widened. “N-nothing she wouldn’t know. Um, welcome to Rose Lake. Excuse me.”
As soon as he was out of the café, Jamie burst out laughing. “Wow, I didn’t think you had it in you. That was harsh!”
"I had to be. Not only was Marty barking up the wrong tree, but he was straight up ogling me."
Jamie shook her head. "Yeah, I saw that. Marty's a bit of a player, and he's got lots of single friends. With any luck, he'll pass the news on that the new blonde in town is off limits."
“I can only hope.”
After a couple of hours of selling ninety percent of their morning stock, Jamie yanked her apron off and made a whooping sound. “That’s it for me. I hate to leave you all by yourself with no one to talk to, but my lady’s waiting for me.”
“I’ll be fine. I always carry a book with me. I could do some discreet reading while manning the till.”
“I still don’t feel right about leaving you alone during our worst hours.” Jamie drummed her fingers on the counter. “I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you help Kate?”
Allison bit her lower lip. “Does she even want the help?”
“Of course. Despite how effortless and sexy I make everything I do look,” Jamie said winking, “it does take two of us to make this place run smoothly. I’m thinking you can do some of the decorating on the doughnuts. Kate can be picky, but if you do it out here she won’t have anything to complain about. Give me a second.”
Five minutes later, Jamie walked out with two trays of cooled doughnuts and placed them on the counter space adjacent to the till. She then brought out two bags of icing and showed Allison precisely what to do. Allison gave it a try, and after a couple of tips, Jamie left her to it.
"Hey," Kate said, walking out of the kitchen. "I've got to head out and grab some more lemons. I've been adding it to our icing, and we're out. Will you be okay on your own?"
"I will. Besides, I'm not really on my own," Allison said, cocking her head toward Mrs. Millstone. The older woman came in for coffee and a muffin every morning, then sat there till lunchtime when the next wave of customers arrived. Jamie explained that she had no relatives in town and would check on her every couple of hours. Allison didn't know what it was they talked about, but she was pretty sure she could provide stimulating conversation, especially considering that she would have nothing to do once she finished the doughnuts.
Kate drew her eyebrows together. “Are you sure?”
"You'll only be gone for what? Twenty minutes tops?"
“More like thirty. The shop at the corner of the street doesn’t have fresh produce.”
"That's fine. I'll see you soon. By then, I'll have two dozen perfectly glazed and decorated doughnuts waiting for you."
Kate smiled. “Want anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
Once Kate left, Allison threw herself into decorating. She knew full well that Jamie probably had to convince Kate to let Allison take on the task. The way Kate's eyes had surreptitiously glanced at the doughnuts as she spoke to Allison told her she was on the right track, and Kate was slightly worried about whether she could complete the job.
Patsy’s Bakery functioned on a sustainable model, which was why Jamie and Kate only made enough to sell. No matter what happened, the doughnuts Allison was working on would go out in a couple of hours. She didn’t want to disappoint.
As she drew patterns over each doughnut, contentment settled over Allison’s entire being. So much had happened over the last few weeks, but now, seated on a stool in Patsy's Bakery, decorating doughnuts, she found herself happier than she’d been in a long while.
Moving to Rose Lake had been the best decision she had made. Not only were the geographical reminders of the incident absent, but she had made new friends in Jamie and Kate. Seeing the two women work hard to fulfill their dreams had inspired Allison to re-think what she wanted to do with her life.
While Allison loved architecture, she now realized she had been more obsessed with getting to the top of the ladder rather than doing work that genuinely fulfilled her. Quitting her job was a blessing in disguise. Now she could take the time to think about what she wanted to do and dive full force into it.
The feeling of a large meaty hand squeezing her shoulder jerked Allison out of her concentration. She spun around and looked into the dark eyes of a man with tattoos all over his face. Allison's knees wobbled, and she dropped the piping bag. Ice shot through her veins as he took a step forward.
“Hey lady,” he said in a gruff voice. Those words catapulted Allison back into a mental place she thought she had escaped. She swung her arm out, but he quickly dodged it, cursing to himself. Allison dropped to the floor, curled her body into a ball and whimpered, “Please don’t hurt me,” over and over again.
Fear clenched like a tight fist around her chest and blood roared in her ears as she fought to draw air into her lungs. Her stomach churned, and she pushed down bile. All she kept thinking was how stupid she'd been to think she could be safe in Rose Lake.
Someone placed her hand on Allison's knee, and she kicked out in retaliation before curling more tightly. Her first mugging had been without physical attack, but it seemed this man was intent on making his mark. Allison whimpered as she anticipated his revenge.
“Allison! Allison!”
The female voice cut through the fog in Allison's
mind, and she slowly peeled her eyes open to see Kate crouched on the ground in front of her, her blue eyes wide with concern. Allison launched herself into Kate’s arms, buried her head in her neck, and sobbed. Her ribs ached from the way her chest heaved, but she was helpless to stop herself crying.
Kate rubbed smooth circles on her back and cooed to her. Allison didn’t know what she was saying, but after a good five minutes of comfort she felt strong enough to disengage and wipe her face to keep from wetting Kate’s shirt even more.
“Is he gone?” Allison asked, her voice hoarse.
"He is." Kate cupped Allison's cheek and raised her face. "But you have nothing to be afraid of. Honey, that was Max, Jamie's cousin. He's got a bad habit of sneaking in here every once in a while to get doughnuts for his buddies at his construction job. Max didn't mean to scare you. He said he tried to talk to you, but you were in a daze. That's when he touched you."
Allison drew raspy breaths as her mind put Kate’s words together. All she had felt was the meaty hand on her shoulder. That was the way her attacker had approached her. Already on alert, her mind had pieced together the tattoos on Max’s face and his gruff voice and determined he was the enemy.
"Oh God! I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be. Max shouldn't have snuck up on you. After all you've been through, your reaction was only natural."
“But I offended him and freaked you out. I can see it in your eyes.”
Allison sniffled as her heartbeat slowed and a chill swept over her spine. She had caused a scene. She had a long way to go in her recovery.
Allison gasped. “Oh my God. What about Mrs. Millstone?” She shot to her feet to find the older woman missing. Kate rose beside her and placed a gentle hand on the small of her back.
"You must have been deep in concentration. Mrs. Millstone was gone by the time I got here."
Allison placed her hands on the counter to steady herself. “I can’t believe I reacted like that.”
"It's understandable. An admittedly scary-looking guy shocked the bejeezus out of you weeks after your mugging. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Nothing bad happened. And look”—Kate pointed to the side counter—“you even managed to save those exceptionally decorated doughnuts.”
Allison burst out laughing, and Kate joined her. "You were worried I'd mess them up, weren't you?"
"It's all Jamie's fault. She's a bit of a free spirit when it comes to decorating. One time she went for a design that had clear phallic qualities to it. It caused quite the stir. I was worried she'd rubbed off on you. It's good to see you're able to rein in your wild side."
Allison’s face dropped. “Not as well as I thought. What if that had happened somewhere else, and I caused a scene? What if Mrs. Millstone was here, and I scared her into a heart attack?”
“None of those things happened, so you shouldn’t worry about them.”
"But something's not right. I'm going to consider going to therapy again."
Kate rubbed Allison's arm. "If you think you need it, then I fully support you, but I don't want you to think you're broken in some way. You're strong, attractive, funny, and warm. I'm lucky to have you in my life."
Allison's chest heaved for an entirely different reason as Kate hugged her tightly. The younger woman was so considerate and kind, and Allison couldn't help but wonder if she would feel as safe and comfortable in Tracy's arms.
That’s not fair. You’ve got to stop comparing Tracy to her sister. She’s got her own merits.
“Did you get the lemons?” Allison asked, ending the embrace.
“I did. And despite what you said, I got you a packet of skittles. I’ve seen a few wrappers around the house and thought you’d appreciate them.”
Allison's heart warmed. "That was sweet of you. I need a bit of sugar."
“Glad I could be of help. Do you want to stay here or come to the kitchen with me?”
“I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“With me around you never have to be.” Kate picked up the trays of doughnuts. “Let’s put these perfectly decorated creations into the display then go into my lair. I’m ready to test your steady hand on some muffin decoration.”
6
That Friday afternoon Kate rolled out blue fondant for a custom baby shower cake. The bright color would act as an accent on the otherwise white cake and also serve to reveal the gender of the baby. Three edible building blocks would be placed in a topsy-turvy structure with smaller boxes strewn about the bottom.
While Kate's brief had asked for something simple and elegant, she had chosen to take things to the next level. She knew as well as any baker that the baby and wedding business was very lucrative. There would be tons of family and friends at the event, and she wanted each of them to marvel at what Patsy's Bakery had created and hopefully consider using the bakery for their special occasion.
“Dammit,” Allison muttered under her breath.
Kate smiled as she watched Allison reach for another sheet of fondant to cut out the letter B. After the event a couple of days ago, Kate had decided to keep Allison as close to her as possible. That meant she needed to give her tasks to do throughout the day to keep her mind far from the worries that plagued her.
Thankfully for Kate, Allison was a bit of a perfectionist, so she didn’t have to worry about the quality of the work.
"Hey," Kate said. "Even though these are called building blocks, they aren't going to build anything. Your letters don't have to be perfect."
Allison pouted. “I want them to be. This is for a baby shower. This cake is going to be in photos the family will look over for decades to come. I want everything to be the best it can be. Even the letters on the blocks.”
“Who am I to argue with that? I’m going a little over-the-top myself with this cake.”
"How did you get this client? According to Jamie, you guys haven't done anything like this before."
“We went to high school with Diane. I guess she wanted to support her old friends.”
"That's neat, and the kind of thing that happens in a small town."
"That it is. Hey, when you're done with that, I need you to get started on some smaller letters. I've committed to doing mini boxes at the bottom of the cake to give the impression of a playroom. I might even create a few small toys to join them."
Allison’s brow furrowed. “But you don’t have a smaller stencil for that.”
“That’s right. You’re going to have to take a walk on the wild side and do it free hand.”
“Hey,” Jamie said, walking into the kitchen. “How’s everything going here?”
Kate smiled. "Allison's doing a terrific job, and I'm pushing her boundaries by asking her to work without a stencil. She seems terrified at the idea."
“A couple of days not working with me and you’re already slipping into Kate’s perfectionist ways.” Jamie shook her head. “I’m going to have to step in and remind you how good it feels to be relaxed about everything. It’s a good thing I need your help.”
"With what?" Kate asked at the same time Allison said, "Sure." The two women looked at each other, and Kate fought to hide her worry.
Allison hadn't been to the front of the bakery in a couple of days, and the last thing Kate wanted was for her anxiety to be triggered.
"I'll be fine," Allison said, squeezing Kate's arm gently. "Besides, I'm not looking forward to working on smaller letters."
Kate forced a laugh. “Fine. I’ll do them myself. Thanks for all your help, though.”
“You’re welcome. Jamie, take me away from this madness.”
"I'm not sure I can do that. It's Friday afternoon. Everyone's going to be rushing in to get some treats for the weekend. It's going to be a fast-paced, hectic couple of hours. Are you down?"
“Definitely.”
A couple of hours later, Allison and Jamie walked into the kitchen with less than half the energy they had earlier. They dropped onto a couple of stools and exhaled.
“Is it always
like that?” Allison asked.
“It is,” Jamie said. “Not opening on the weekends was a tough decision for us to make, but it was the right one. Crazy Fridays are something we have to put up with. You were superb, though.” Jamie turned to Kate. “She handled two large orders by herself and didn’t slow the line down one bit!”
Kate’s heart melted when she saw a faint blush cover Allison’s cheeks. “It was only for five minutes.”
"It's still impressive," Kate insisted. "I tried running the till once and almost ran back to my thankless job. I can't deal with such a hectic pace."
Allison's hazel eyes widened. "But you're so calm and collected. I'd imagine you'd thrive under stress."
"Thank you for saying that, but we all have our weaknesses. I do well under pressure, but the till is a beast for me."
“So is pastry,” Jamie said. “Lucky for you, I’m a master. Ugh, why did Patricia Lawson have to order two dozen cinnamon rolls? What kind of party is she throwing?”
“Wait, we can custom order pastries?” Allison asked.
Jamie wagged her finger. “Don’t you go getting any ideas. I want to get home to Marsha at a good time.”
"You’d better get started on those cinnamon rolls if you want that to happen." Kate picked up the unfinished baby shower cake and stored it in the walk-in freezer.
“Are you ready for a break?” she asked Allison.
“What did you have in mind?”
“There’s a spot I think—”
"Wait a minute," Jamie said. "Are you two going to leave me here by myself?"
Kate gasped and placed a hand over her chest. “You mean like you did to us two days ago?”
Jamie narrowed her eyes. "You know what? I don't need that kind of energy around me anyway. Shoo,” she said, gently shoving Kate. “Get out of my kitchen.”
“You mean our kitchen,” Kate retorted as she and Allison walked out of the back door.
Allison giggled. “How is it that an upset Jamie is even more fun than a teasing one?”
Love Me True (Small Town Romances Book 5) Page 4