Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  “Did you want to meet another time?”

  “No. Could you do me a favor? Could you get me some water?”

  “Okay.” He approached the counter, ordered a bottle of water for Raven and he got himself a cup of coffee. He returned to the table, eyeing her prescription bottle. “Is this your pain medicine?”

  “Yes, it’s pretty strong.”

  Perhaps the medicine was so strong that it made her forgetful? Was that possible? Curious, he lifted the bottle, glad when she didn’t object. The medicine was supposed to be taken with food. She grabbed the water bottle from his hand. “Thank you,” she gushed. He gave her the container of pills and she opened it, removed a tablet and popped it into her mouth before guzzling the water.

  “Did you want something to eat?”

  She groaned. “No. I need to watch what I eat since I’m not working out like I used to.”

  “But, you’re supposed to take your medicine with food.”

  She waved his comment away. “You sound like Rhea. When she returned from the retreat, she made me spaghetti and meatballs.” She made a face, scrunching her nose.

  Why was she upset because Rhea had made her a meal? “What’s wrong with that? Your sister is worried about you and she wants you to take care of yourself.”

  “Yeah, but Rhea knows me. She knows I’m watching what I eat. I’m only eating salad and meat while I’m waiting for my leg to heal. No carbs.”

  Martin shook his head. Didn’t Raven realize she needed to take better care of herself? Would she share what the doctor had told her during her appointment? He doubted it. Besides, if he’d asked how her doctor’s visit had went, she’d probably misunderstand his concern, mistakenly thinking he had romantic feelings toward her. But, he needed to know if she was okay. Maybe it would be best for her to go home and rest, and they could meet another time. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Rotten. That medicine makes me loopy. Plus, it makes me irritated, but it takes the pain away.”

  “Did you eat the spaghetti that Rhea made for you?”

  She paused, nodding.

  “Did you feel better when you ate it?”

  She sighed. “Yes, but I’m afraid of getting big. The last thing I want is to blow up like Rhea.” Her voice filled with disdain.

  There was nothing wrong with Rhea’s size. He loved the flare of her hips, which contrasted nicely with her small waist. But, he wasn’t here to advocate Rhea’s attributes. He needed to get to the bottom of Raven’s phone calls.

  Raven needed to be in a better mood so that they could talk. If she ate something, she’d probably feel better. Resisting the urge to grumble, he went to the counter and ordered her a sandwich.

  He returned to the table with her food, setting the plate in front of her.

  “I didn’t ask you to get me a sandwich.”

  Was she always this irritable when she was hungry? “You’re probably starving. Just eat. I’d wanted to talk to you, but I don’t want to talk to you if you’re not in a good mood.”

  She eyed the food before gobbling it down within minutes. She then guzzled her water. When she was done with her meal, she leaned back against the chair, closing her eyes. He cleared his throat, and her eyes popped open. “Feeling better now?”

  She nodded. When she remained silent, he continued. “Look, I know we spent some time together.”

  “We went out four times, and it was great. Didn’t you have a good time when we dated?” Her voice had turned whiny and Martin inwardly cringed. “I made you laugh, and laughter is good.”

  She made a good point about laughter. Raven could be funny at times, but, that didn’t mean he was interested in her as a future mate. “Yes, laughter is good, but…” How could he say this diplomatically? “I know we spent time together, but we never dated.”

  She scowled, narrowing her eyes. “We did date. You were attracted to me. You spent time with me every week.” She eyed him from head to toe, pausing. “When a man spends time with a woman regularly, that means he’s interested.”

  Why was she being so difficult? Did she really not understand why he’d spent so much time with her? “I never meant to give you that impression and I apologize if you misunderstood what I was doing.”

  She pressed her lips into a tight line, glaring at him. “What do you mean?”

  He blew air through his lips, choosing his words carefully. “We weren’t dating, and I think you know that.” He paused, glanced at her a few times. “You had a lot of questions about God and salvation. You were struggling about accepting Christ. Part of a pastor’s job is ministering to others, helping them find Jesus.” He looked directly into her caramel-colored eyes. “That’s all I was doing.”

  “You can’t deny you were attracted to me.” Whew, what a change in her voice! No longer whiny, her words practically dripped with icicles. He paused, taking in her cold, calculating tone. What was she up to, now?

  There was no way he’d tell her that he thought she was beautiful. He was sure most men would agree that Raven’s flawless cocoa-brown skin and slim, gorgeous figure were appealing. “To me, attraction is more than just physical appearance. I can’t date a woman unless she’s a Christian. It goes against my beliefs to be with a woman who doesn’t share my faith in Jesus.”

  “Humph.” She waved his comment away. “I don’t believe you. Most men want a good-looking woman on their arm, a woman who looks like me.”

  Raven was probably one of the most vainest people he’d ever met. Her constant reminders about her good looks spoiled his mood. Did she act this way whenever she went out on dates? Did she honestly think that her good looks were her only appealing attribute? How sad if that were true. Rhea had mentioned that Raven was smart, good with numbers, an adept accountant. If she thrived so much at her job, then, why did she never mention her work?

  He needed to be careful about how he handled this conversation. “I know you’ve been calling me a lot lately, and I’ve been too busy to call you back.” He paused, trying to find the right words. “But, I just wanted to tell you that it’s probably best if you stop.”

  She folded her thin arms in front of her chest. “You just said you were interested in helping me find Jesus. Now you’re saying not to call you anymore. Were you lying about saving my soul?”

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds. Lord, help me with this woman. “No, I wasn’t lying. I was going to suggest you contact my father or one of the deacons with your questions.” Had she been listening to a word he’d said? He checked the clock on the wall, trying to avoid her cold, calculating stare. “You know the address for the church’s website. You’ll find their phone numbers there.” Still, she said nothing. “They’ll be happy to help you. I’ll tell them to expect your call.”

  “Are you seeing somebody else?”

  Oh, no, she had to go there and ask that question. He thought he’d been off the hook, not having to tell Raven about his feelings for Rhea. Now, how should he answer her question? He was falling in love with Rhea, but they weren’t officially seeing one another, were they?

  “You’re hesitating, so, you are seeing somebody else.”

  “No, I’m not.” He had to be truthful. “You know I’m a pastor, and I want to lead my father’s church. I’m looking for someone who would be beside me in my profession. Do you honestly see yourself as a pastor’s wife?” He still didn’t know if he had a chance to have a relationship with Rhea, but hopefully, things could work out between them. He could imagine seeing her every day, spending time with her. How he loved her warm, caring spirit and gentle nature. What would happen if she finally moved on, and decided to give their relationship a chance? Would things work out for them? Was Rhea the woman that the Lord intended for him to marry?

  He stood, not sure what else he could say. He had let her know how he felt, now she just needed to accept it. She looked directly into his eyes. “I wonder how your church would react if they found out how you treated women?”

  His heart
skipped. “What?”

  “I wonder how they’d react if they found out that you lead a woman on and then dump her. What would they say about a pastor who does that?”

  He plopped back into his chair, got directly into her face, refusing to back down. He needed to stand up for himself and he couldn’t let Raven blatantly lie about his intentions. “Why would you do that?” He softened his voice, lost. He could not figure Raven out. He’d prayed about this, wondered about this, and now she was making threats. Was she serious, or, was she just doing this in desperation? “What good would it do if you told the congregation about this? Even if I don’t get the pastorship, how would that make things better for you?”

  “Because it would hurt you. I’d be hurting you the same way you hurt me. Doesn’t the Bible say an eye for an eye?”

  “You can’t twist scripture just to serve your dishonest motives.”

  “I’m not being dishonest. You are.”

  “I can’t help it if you misinterpreted my intentions, imagining a romance that didn’t happen.” He stood up again. He needed to get out of there. He gritted his teeth. Lord, help me to deal with my anger. He couldn’t deal with this. Taking hurried steps, he left the coffee house.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Using a huge slotted spoon, Rhea pulled the sourdough donuts from the vat of hot grease. Their delicious scent filled the bakery. The new recipe, using Martin’s sourdough starter, had been a hit with the customers. She’d arrived at the bakery, earlier than usual, at 4:00 AM, just so she could make some extra batches of donuts. For the last two days, Candy said they’d run out of donuts by noon.

  Once the treats were out of the grease, she drizzled them with vanilla glaze, her mouth watering. Her stomach rumbled, and she glanced at the clock. It was six thirty. She had a little bit of time to relax, and drink a cup of coffee, eat something before she had to be at the law office.

  The bell above the door jingled and she glanced up, her heart skipping. It was Martin! Dark circles nested beneath his eyes. Had he had a sleepless night? Was he worried about something?

  She removed her apron, hanging it on a peg, before making her way toward the door. “Martin, I wasn’t expecting you.” She had to work to keep the excited tremor from her voice. She’d already said she was not dating a pastor, so, there was no need for her to get so excited about his unexpected visit.

  “I—”

  Candy rushed in, interrupting them. “Hey, Rhea.”

  “Hi, Candy.”

  Customers trickled into the bakery, and while Candy waited on the customers, Rhea took Martin to a table.

  “I’m sorry for showing up without calling first.”

  She reached toward him, wanting to touch his hand, offer her comfort. Mentally sighing, she held back, pulling her hand away. She didn’t want to encourage an emotional connection between them. “That’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  He sighed. “I went to see your sister yesterday.”

  “Oh?” Rhea plopped into a chair, her appetite disappearing. “What happened?”

  He told her all about the visit, his deep voice stilted and sad. He balled his hands into fists while he spoke, as if he wanted to punch something. Rhea placed her head into her hand, stunned. How could Raven do this? Her sister had not done anything so awful in years. What could be going on in her life that would make her want to hurt Martin? “I’m shocked Raven would do that.” She bit her lower lip, pausing. Her mind spun, so many thoughts filtered through her brain that she didn’t know which to focus on first.

  “With Linda Tucker stirring up trouble, insinuating that I’m a womanizer…if Raven were to come forward about my ‘dumping’ her after leading her on…Rhea, I just don’t need that right now.”

  Martin could lose his pastorship because of Raven’s immaturity. This was not right. She had to do something to ensure that did not happen.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. Why would you apologize about your sister? You can’t control her actions.”

  “I know, but, I’ve always felt responsible for Raven.”

  “Responsible?”

  “Ever since we were children, I’ve been more responsible than Raven. I’d have to reason with her, talk her out of doing something that could get her into trouble.” She folded her hands in front of her. “I told you about the cancer she’d had as a child.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, after she went into remission, my parents were so pleased that she’d survived that Raven wasn’t disciplined very much. She turned wild and I think my parents regretted their actions after she was a teenager.”

  How could she say this without sounding weird? Would Martin understand why she felt she needed to be there for Raven, protect her? “I’ve always felt responsible for Raven because, well, she was so sick when we were kids. That six-month scare was so awful. It happened to her instead of me.”

  Would he understand her crazy reasoning to protect Raven? Could he comprehend why she felt she needed to be there to support her sister?

  “I’m feeling kinda lost. Are you saying that you protect your sister for her unsavory actions because you feel guilty because she was sick and you didn’t have to go through that illness?”

  She cringed, Martin’s words sounded so twisted and wrong.

  What made it worse was, he was right.

  He’d said how she felt, and now she didn’t know what she could do to help him.

  He touched her hand, just for a second, and sparks of warmth shot across her skin. She placed her hands beneath the table. Martin probably thought it was shameful, the way she felt somewhat guilty because Raven had suffered from cancer.

  “You’re not responsible for Raven. She’s a grown woman who makes her own choices. You shouldn’t feel guilty about what happened when you were children. You have no control over that.” His deep voice softened, making her feel a bit better. How she wished she could curl into his arms, offering him comfort. No, she couldn’t allow herself to hug him, but, she could offer to do something about Raven.

  “I’ll talk to Raven about this.”

  He raised his thick eyebrows. “You don’t have to do that. I just stopped by because I was feeling upset and I needed to talk to a friend.”

  So, they were friends? Could she find the courage to allow them to be more than just friends? “But, I want to.”

  He rested he elbows on the table, cradling his chin in his hands. “I don’t want to cause trouble between the two of you.”

  Her relationship with Raven proved complicated and problematic. She doubted that her speaking to Raven about this would change their relationship very much. “My talking to her won’t cause any trouble. I’ll go over there tonight after I get off from the law office. Besides, I got paid for my first week’s work from my temp job. I’m glad I’m able to begin paying Raven back for her loan.”

  “Okay, if you really want to do this. I just feel funny about your talking to Raven on my behalf.”

  “I want to do it.”

  “Okay.”

  A few more customers breezed into the bakery. He glanced around the shop. “How’re things going? Have the new recipes been working out for you?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it. Sales have started picking up. I had to come in early this morning to bake more donuts because we ran out yesterday.”

  “That’s wonderful. How about the raspberry cupcakes I tasted awhile back. Are you still perfecting that recipe?”

  Her face warmed and she glanced away for a few seconds. Whenever she made that recipe, Martin popped into her mind. The warm raspberry scent seemed to create an inexplicable connection to thoughts about Martin Lane. She swallowed. “Yes, I’m still working on that. It’s still not perfect, but, I’m getting there.”

  He grinned, his sexy eyes suddenly glowing. “I really liked those cupcakes. I still think people would buy them for Valentine’s day.”

  Valentine’s day. Rhea could imagine that when Valentine’s
day rolled around, thoughts of Martin would clog her brain.

  He folded his muscular arms in front of his chest. “Well, I can’t wait to try your cupcakes again.” He paused for a few seconds. “Since I’m here, there were a few other things I wanted to mention.”

  “Okay.”

  “Well, we need to decide on a logo and a new sign for out front.”

  “I don’t know if I can afford—”

  “Don’t worry about it. Remember, what I told you at the retreat, we’ll worry about payment later.”

  That’s right, he’d mentioned that. He knew that she was financially strapped and this was his way of making things a bit easier for her. Was he doing this because they were friends, or, because he was hoping they could be more than friends? If he’d helped out one of his other friends or congregation members, would he be so lenient about payment?

  “Rhea, we just need to get your bakery up and running and from what you’re telling me, we’re going in the right direction.”

  She dipped her head, nodded, before looking into his eyes. “What else did you need to tell me?”

  “I’ve had so much on my mind that I forgot to mention getting a mailing list together.”

  “Do you mean an e-mail list?”

  “Yes, both e-mail and snail mail. You might have some older customers who don’t have an e-mail address. If you start gathering a database of customers, you can occasionally contact them, letting them know about sales and special occasions. About those raspberry cupcakes…”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, you could e-mail your customers, tell them about a new flavor of cupcake you’ll be adding. You can also send them coupons, maybe occasionally let them have a baker’s dozen instead of a regular dozen donuts.”

  Rhea nodded, understanding his marketing expertise, wishing she’d thought of some of this on her own. If she offered coupons for a baker’s dozen, her regular customers could get thirteen donuts for the price of twelve.