Rhea watched his retreating back as he entered the throngs of people in the mall. Soon she could no longer see Martin. She didn’t know how long she sat at the table, thinking about their exchange, clutching his money. As she got up to leave, she noticed that Martin never ate his donuts or drank his coffee.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Rhea entered the crowded reception hall, silently cringing. It’d been one week since she’d spoken with Martin and he dominated her mind so much that she could barely function. She’d burned a tray of cookies, forgetting to set her oven timer. She’d then glazed the same tray of donuts – twice. She’d had to toss the treats because they were too sweet with the double glaze. Candy had practically banished her from the bakery kitchen, asking why Rhea’s head was in the clouds.
When she’d pulled her Bible from the shelf, about to do some reading, the culinary convention ticket had fallen out. Martin had given this to her awhile back, and she’d barely given the event much thought. She’d looked on the back of the ticket, spotting the hotel information written in Martin’s distinctive script. She’d figured that this was what she needed – a few days away, socializing with other food professionals.
This was the first day of the event, and breakfast was being served. Scents of bacon and toasted bread filled the air, making her mouth water. She scanned the crowd, spotting a small table in the corner with an empty seat. She’d overslept that morning and had rushed to make it here on time. She walked over to the table, smiled at the handsome, brown-skinned man and the attractive woman occupying the table. “Is anybody sitting here?”
The man returned her grin, stood up, pulled her seat out. “Yes, you are now.” His dark eyes twinkled as she sat. A waiter approached, placing a plate of food in front of her. Rhea eyed the fluffy scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. A plate of sweet breads rested in the middle of the table. She bowed her head, said a short prayer over her meal. She was about to lift her fork when the man occupying her table offered his hand. “I’m Sterling Richards.” She shook his hand.
“I’m Rhea Morrison.”
She glanced at the light-skinned, attractive young woman seated at the table. The woman offered her hand. “I’m Toni Brown. I own a bakery not far from here.”
“Nice to meet you.” Rhea shook Toni’s hand before digging into her food.
Sterling sipped from his coffee cup. “I help run a bakery in Florida. My dad thought it’d be a good idea for me to go to this convention.”
“Oh?” Rhea paused before taking a bite of her eggs. “Do you own the bakery with your dad?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Do any other family members help with the business?”
He frowned, sprinkling salt and pepper on his eggs. “No, it’s just me and my dad. My mom passed years ago, and my twin brothers aren’t interested in baking.”
Rhea put her fork down. “You have twin brothers?”
He nodded.
“Are they identical?”
“Yes. People have a hard time telling them apart.”
She opened her mouth, about to reveal she was an identical twin, but, she mentally sighed, not really wanting to speak about Raven right now.
What would it be like to own a business with a family member? If she’d tried to own a business with Raven, she knew it would fail in no time. No way could she work with her sister. She could imagine Raven not wanting to be around the pastries and donuts, not wanting to be tempted into eating them and ruining her slim figure. They’d probably argue, and Raven would complain. No, there was no way that was going to happen.
But, what would it be like to have a daughter, working beside her? What would happen if her and Martin got past their differences, got married and had a family? She blinked, sudden tears coming to her eyes.
She glanced at Sterling, caught him staring at her. He shrugged. “Sorry for staring. You looked like you were upset about something.”
Toni nodded, reaching for the plate of rolls in the middle of the table. “You looked like you were going to cry.”
Cry? She’d done enough crying since her conversation with Martin. She needed to get him off of her mind for a while. The guest speaker approached the podium, so, Rhea focused on him during the rest of the meal, tried to listen to what he had to say about working in the food industry.
The faint rustle of paper caught her attention. She glanced over at Toni, who was opening a huge bar of gourmet chocolate. Toni broke off a piece, shoved it into her mouth, before silently offering some to Rhea.
Rhea nodded, while Toni gave her a piece of the candy. Rhea placed it into her mouth, her tongue exploding with decadent chocolate flavor. Her eyes widened, and Toni smiled, giving her another piece.
After the guest speaker was finished with his speech, she attended the first continuing session. Surprisingly, Sterling and Toni had signed up for the same session and they’d ended up sitting next to one another. After the session was over, Toni and Rhea sat in one of the lounges to chat since it was break time. Sterling came along, but declined to sit with them. “I’ve got to return a phone call.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m also getting a Coke. Did either of you want anything?”
Toni shook her head. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
“No, I’m fine. But, thanks for offering.”
After he’d gone, Toni smiled at Rhea. “I think he likes you.”
“What? Why would you say that?” The idea of Sterling liking her was just plain ludicrous! They’d just met that morning and had not had much of a conversation. They didn’t even know each other!
“Well…maybe like isn’t the right word. I think he’s attracted to you.”
Rhea shook her head. “I doubt that. You’re probably just imagining things.”
“Nope. I’m not imagining anything. He kept staring at you during breakfast and the opening session. He also kept looking at you during the first workshop.” She pulled the huge bar of chocolate from her purse and unwrapped it.
Rhea pushed the ludicrous idea of Sterling’s attraction from her mind, focusing on Toni’s chocolate. “Where did you get that chocolate? I’ve never tasted such decadent cocoa flavor.”
Toni gave Rhea another square before breaking off a piece for herself. “I order it online. I can’t seem to find it at the stores around here.” She shrugged. “I’m a chocoholic.”
Chuckling, Rhea bit into the chocolate. “That sounds funny.”
“But, I’m not trying to be funny. It’s true. I eat chocolate every day.”
Rhea finished her square of chocolate, resisting the urge to lick the cocoa residue on her fingers. “Are you serious? You eat chocolate every day?”
“Yes. In my bakery, I specialize in chocolate desserts. I make other flavors, but, chocolate’s my most popular flavor, and I believe I’ve tasted just about every kind of chocolate in the world.”
“Really?” Rhea had never heard of anyone being so addicted to chocolate.
Toni then started naming types and kinds of chocolate that were her favorites. As she recited brand names, types, and flavors, Rhea’s mouth watered.
As they made their way to the next session, Toni continued telling about her fascination with chocolate. “I’ve created some great chocolate cake recipes. Maybe you can try some one day.”
Curious about Toni’s baking, Rhea knew she wanted to sample Toni’s chocolate treats some time.
Over the next three days, Rhea struggled to get all of the education that she could out of the culinary conference. She really paid close attention to the workshops about customer service. She’d worked so hard to get a good, solid customer base that she wanted to be sure that her clients continued coming to her bakery.
She spent a fair amount of time with Sterling and Toni during the entire conference, sitting beside them, finding out more about how they ran their businesses. They always found one another during the dinner sessions and afterwards, they’d sit in the lounge, sipping sodas and talking about their businesses.
&n
bsp; Toni always had a bar of decadent chocolate in her purse, and she willingly shared her candy with them. She’d even shared a chocolate cake recipe with Rhea, and she was anxious to try it in her bakery, as soon as she got her hands on the special, international chocolate that Toni recommended for the recipe.
During the convention, Rhea often caught Sterling blatantly staring at her, especially after she’d prayed over her food. His kind smile and twinkling brown eyes put her at ease, and she even noticed Toni glancing at him throughout the conference. Again, she recalled what Toni had said about Sterling liking her. She pushed the thought out of her mind, not wanting to dwell on that.
On the last day of the conference, Toni seemed to have a lot on her mind. She kept checking her messages on her phone, sometimes abruptly leaving to take a call. She’d returned to one of the sessions frowning, clutching her phone. Rhea leaned toward her. “Are you okay?” Toni nodded, but, Rhea sensed that Toni didn’t want to confide in her since she didn’t know her very well.
After the last workshop, the three of them enjoyed a drink at a nearby coffee shop. Sterling made a suggestion. “I’d wondered how the two of you would feel if I prayed over your businesses.”
Toni pursed her lips, rolling her eyes. “Prayer? I don’t believe in that.”
Sterling widened his eyes. “You don’t?”
She shook her head. “Prayer never did me one bit of good and I’m not interested. We can keep in touch, though.”
They exchanged business cards before Rhea focused on Sterling. “I’d like for you to pray about my business and I’ll pray over yours.” She paused, bit her lip. “But, if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to pray about my life, too.”
Toni touched her shoulder. “You looked so sad sometimes. I’d wondered if something was wrong.”
Unable to resist, Rhea told them all about meeting Martin, falling in love with him, and now not having the courage to commit to him. “I just don’t know what to do. I need all the prayer I can get.”
Toni patted her hand. “I can’t pray for you, but, I hope things work out. You’re welcome to email or text me whenever you want.” She eyed Rhea and Sterling. “I want to keep in touch with both of you. I think it’s good for us to network and share ideas about running our businesses.” She paused, glanced at Rhea. “Sounds like you need some courage to commit to this man.” She glanced at her watch. “I have to go. It was nice meeting both of you.”
Toni quickly hugged both of them before rushing away, her head down. She looked as if she were swiping away tears, but, Rhea wasn’t too sure. She glanced at Sterling, saw him watching Toni rush away.
Rhea sipped her coffee. “She looks like she’s upset about something.”
Sterling nodded. “Yes, she seemed busy and distracted the whole day. I’ll email her and make sure she’s okay. She’d mentioned that she’d inherited a bakery from her aunt and that she’d been having problems with her cousin.”
“Problems with her cousin?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. She mentioned something about her cousin being upset because Toni had inherited the bakery.” He paused, glanced at her before continuing. “It kinda makes me sad when she says that prayer doesn’t help her.”
“She might just be in the midst of a rough spot in her life. Maybe her faith is weak right now.” Rhea could certainly understand how going through a rough spot could affect your faith in God, causing one to question Him.
“Yeah, maybe.” He glanced at her again. “Can I be honest with you?” He toyed with the salt and pepper shakers on the table, as if he were nervous or distracted.
“Sure.” What in the world would he need to be honest with her about? They barely knew one another.
“Before you told me about Martin, I’d wanted to ask you out.”
“Are you kidding?” She struggled to hide her surprise. Looks like Toni had been right. Yes, she’d caught Sterling staring at her a few times, but, didn’t think he’d been interested in going out on a date. “But, you live in Florida, so, it’s not like we’d be able to…well, you know, see each other after the conference.”
“I know. But, I was still curious about you, wanted to know you better.”
She eyed Sterling. How old was he? He appeared about her age, perhaps a bit older. Why was he even telling her this? If she’d been in his position, she wouldn’t have mentioned her intentions after hearing about Martin.
He gave her a sideways look. “The reason why I’m telling you is because I didn’t want you to think I was weird or anything. I’ve been making eye contact with you during the entire conference and I just wanted you to know why I was acting like that.” He shrugged his broad shoulders, smiling. He looked cute when he grinned and she figured he’d gotten his fair share of female attention. “I hope things work out for you and Martin. It sounds like you’re really in love with him.”
She sighed. “I am. I didn’t think I’d be able to love somebody so deeply after Stan died.”
“Well, keep me posted about everything, your bakery, Martin, and anything else. I’ll be sure to visit your website.”
She nodded and they shared a brief hug.
Chapter Twenty-eight
As Martin finished up his studies, Rhea dominated his mind as he waited to see what would happen between them.
Joyful thoughts hovered about his upcoming graduation. His church had been buzzing about Michael Tucker’s sermons. Since Pastor Frank had given Michael his endorsement, and the local media had covered Pastor Frank’s visit as a news item, they’d had more people come to the church to hear Michael preach.
His father took him aside one day. “Son, I can tell that you’re worried. Just remember all of these new people that have been attending our church since Pastor Frank’s visit can’t vote.”
“I know that, Dad.” His father didn’t need to remind him that their bylaws stated you had to be a member for at least one year before you were allowed to vote. “It’s just that, Michael is such a good pastor…I’m wondering if some of the members who’ve been behind me have started to change their minds.”
His father clapped him on the shoulder. “Martin, don’t worry about it. You’re an excellent pastor, too. If you don’t get voted in as lead pastor, I’m sure you’ll be able to find the right position for yourself elsewhere. Have faith that the Lord will lead you to wherever He wants you to be.”
Martin continued thinking about his father’s advice after Michael Tucker had preached his last sermon. After Michael took a seat in one of the pews, Martin took a deep breath, approached the podium. Lord, help me to find the courage to give the congregation my true testimony. “Before you cast your vote, there’s something that I needed to share with you.” He glanced at Linda Tucker and she frowned, her thin eyebrows raised. It looked like he’d surprised her. Good. She’d continued with her comments about his past, and initially, he didn’t want the rest of the congregation to know about his deceased son.
Now it was time to let them know.
“Awhile back, I sensed the Lord wanted me to tell my congregation about how I became a Christian.” He gripped the podium. “I resisted telling you because I was scared. Jesus has finally given me the courage to tell you what you need to know about my past.” Linda’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes widened.
After pausing for several seconds, he finally told them about his tumultuous college years, the birth and death of his son, and his road to salvation. Several church members looked shocked and some gasped, but, when he was finished, at least half of his congregation had tears pouring from their eyes. He glanced at Linda, and she blinked, her mouth turned down in anger. “I wanted you to know that about me before you cast your vote.”
His father approached, clapping Martin on the shoulder, wiping his wet eyes. He pulled Martin away from the microphone. “Son, why didn’t you ever tell me this?” He spoke softly, so that the church members could not hear him.
Martin swallowed, sniffing. “I was too ashamed, Dad.”
/> His father nodded. “I’d like to talk to you more about this later.”
Martin nodded. He needed to tell his father about Linda’s knowledge about his past, and about how he’d still harbored guilt for his actions. He wanted to let his father know that it’d taken him a long time to finally accept God’s grace for his sins. But there wasn’t enough time to tell him all of that right now. It was time for the congregation to cast their votes.
Martin’s father stepped to the podium. He stared at the members populating the pews. “So, you’ve heard my son’s testimony, now, you need to vote. Be sure to ask for the Lord’s guidance as you decide on your new pastor.” He paused, took a few deep breaths. “When you arrived, you were given a ballot with your name on it.” They’d printed a ballot for each church member. The members’ names had been imprinted on the ballot to ensure that each member only voted one time, as stated in the bylaws. “I want you to cast your vote on the ballot. The ushers will come around to collect them.”
Breathing deeply, Martin stood in front of the church near his father. He eyed the congregation while they cast their votes. Linda Tucker was no longer frowning, she smiled, her eyes glowing with delight. She gazed at Martin, looking smug. He had no idea how the church would vote now that they knew his true testimony. Linda seemed to think that Michael Tucker would be voted in. Martin winced. Why had the Lord allowed Linda Tucker to infiltrate their church and try to shatter his dream? Lord, I love preaching, and I love telling others about You. Please let me have the honor of becoming the lead pastor of this church. Amen.
After fifteen minutes, the entire congregation had voted on their choice for pastor. The ushers collected the ballots and the pastoral selection committee and the church board members counted the ballots. After the count had been performed four times, they signaled that they were ready for the announcement. Martin’s father stood at the podium, reading from a slip of paper. “Our new head pastor is…Martin Lane!”
Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1) Page 27