No Place Like Home - Love in Seattle

by Christina Butrum

  An older gentleman named Frank, who lived down the street from the coffee shop, asked, “Whatcha got there, miss?”

  Continuing to smile, she said, “Just a few baked goods for Harper’s Café.”

  “Say, aren’t you JoAnne’s daughter?”

  “Yes, sir, I am,” Janelle said. “If you’d like, come to the coffee shop and try one of these cookies. They were baked fresh last night.”

  Rubbing a hand over his plump stomach, he said, “I might have to take you up on that offer.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you there,” she called out, as she continued on with her morning commute.

  Arriving at the coffee shop, she was greeted by Kelsie, who was once again carrying in all of the newspapers. “Hold on a minute and let me help you,” Janelle offered, pulling the wagon close to the building and dropping the handle. The cookies would be fine for the time it would take her to carry in a few bundles of newspapers.

  She watched Kelsie’s eyes widen when she realized that Janelle had brought something with her this morning. “What is that?” she asked, pointing to the saran wrapped wagon stocked full of baked goods.

  Smiling once again, she clutched a bundle of papers to her chest and nodded toward the wagon. “Those?” she asked, trying to draw out the suspense of what she had brought with her.

  “Yes, what’s in the wagon?”

  “Just some of my favorite cookies,” Janelle said, laughing at the expression on Kelsie’s face.

  “Are you serious?” Kelsie asked.

  “Would I have loaded a wagon full of empty containers?”

  “I can’t believe that you went along with Colin’s idea!” she exclaimed, skipping her way out to grab more papers from the heaping stack under the awning. “This is going to be fantastic!”

  Janelle loved the excitement that radiated off Kelsie. Had she known that all she needed to do to brighten up the day was to bring baked goods to the coffee shop, she would have done so starting the first day of her arrival.

  “I’m not sure how it’ll turn out, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

  “Trust me, once everyone reads Colin’s article about you spicing up the coffee shop with a special something, people will be flocking through the doors,” Kelsie said, her eyes full of promise.

  “Wait, you know about the article?”

  Kelsie stopped in her tracks and sighed, “You didn’t? Crap I probably ruined his surprise and...”

  “No worries, he called last night and told me about it,” Janelle assured her.

  “I can’t believe he told you! He was so adamant about keeping it a surprise,” Kelsie said, placing the remaining stack of papers on the floor. “And here he thought I would spill it.”

  Laughing, Janelle bent over to stack the papers on the newsstand by the door. Had she known Kelsie knew more than she was playing off, Janelle would have been bugging her for information. After neatly stacking the remaining set of papers on the stand, Janelle reached for a copy and was shocked to find a picture of herself, once again, on the front page of Seattle Times. This time, she wasn’t upset about it, she was thrilled.

  “We’ve been telling people all week about our plan to bring baked goods into the café,” Kelsie admitted. “Everyone seemed to want more information about it, so Colin decided to put it in the paper.”

  Reading a section of her article from the Enquirer, which Colin had inserted into his, Janelle smiled. He had a knack for journalism—writing was definitely his thing. The only thing that had kept Janelle’s career in journalism afloat was her knowledge of baking, and Carolyn accepting her articles in the Enquirer.

  “Speaking of the devil himself,” Kelsie muttered, turning away from Janelle and walking toward the counter.

  Before Janelle could comprehend what the heck Kelsie was even talking about, two hands landed softly on her shoulders. Peering over her shoulder, Colin whispered, “Do you like what you see this time?”

  Leaning back against him, she rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you,” she whispered, melting against him as his lips found their way to her neck.

  “Happy to assist you,” he said, breathing heat against the back of her neck.

  Had they not been in a public place, let alone the coffee shop, she would have allowed him to continue with what he had started. Stepping away from him, she whispered, “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”

  Grabbing hold of her hand, he pulled her close and grunted, “Oh, I’ll finish it.”

  “Not here you can’t,” she said, playfully pushing him back away from her. “Now, give me a minute, I’d like to read about myself before the crowd swarms through the doors.”

  “And you say I’m conceited?” Colin asked, jabbing a bent finger into his chest.

  Lightly bouncing her head between her shoulders, she said, “I may have said that once or twice.”

  Laughing, while shaking his head, Colin turned to make his way to the counter. “I’m going to grab me a drink. Do you want anything?” he asked, a smile spread against his lips. “Because I know you didn’t sleep well last night.”

  Feeling her face blush at his words, she looked down at the newspaper she had sprawled open on the table in front of her. “No, I’m fine for a while. I drank enough coffee to keep me buzzing around.”

  “Okay, but the offer still stands,” he said, laughing at his own humorous joke, knowing full well that she could have whatever she wanted in the café—free of charge—anytime.

  Chuckling to herself as he walked away, she continued to read through the article he had written about their infamous plan of bringing baked goods into the coffee shop. He had used words like the best Seattle has to offer and one taste and you’ll be hooked. The best thing she had read was him saying take my word for it—like that wouldn’t get people talking around here.

  He slid into the chair across from her and handed her a cup. “I got you this just in case you changed your mind.”

  Reaching across the table, she grabbed the hot cup and held it up, “Thanks.”

  Taking a small sip, she could taste a mixture she had never tried before. “What is it?”

  A sheepish grin pulled against his lips. “Hot chocolate and cappuccino.”

  Setting the cup down, she shook her head. “How’d I know you’d do that.”

  “Come on!” he exclaimed. Pointing at her cup, he said, “You didn’t even try it.”

  “I swear I did!”

  “You barely took a sip!”

  Laughing, she said, “I got a taste of it.”

  He realized she had played his words against him. “Did you like it?”

  “Mmm, yeah, I liked it,” she whispered in a breathy voice as she leaned across the table in his direction, causing him to squirm in his chair. Laughing hysterically at his reaction, she said, “Payback’s a bitch.”

  “You’ll think that later,” he said, pressing a hand underneath the table.

  “I can’t wait,” she teased with a wiggle of her eyebrows. She knew she would get it, no doubt about that, but he also had something coming his way. “Now, can I finish this article?”

  “Do you like it so far?” he asked, anticipating her approval.

  “Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t be reading it,” she said sarcastically, which earned her a scornful look in return. “What? I’m just saying.”

  Realizing it was getting close to the morning rush, and realizing that she had forgotten about her cookies under the awning, she jolted out of her seat. “Shoot!”

  Colin stood abruptly as he tried to figure out what was happening. Confusion mixed his expression with excitement. “What’s going on?”

  “I forgot about my cookies!” she hollered over her shoulder on the way outside. When Colin exited the café to help her, she said, “I’ve been so caught up in the idea of selling baked goods and causing a commotion, I forgot completely about them!”

  Kelsie brought a pair of scissors out with her and helped
by cutting the saran wrap off of the wagon, disposing of it in a nearby trash can. “They smell delicious.”

  Tugging the wagon through the door behind her, Janelle said, “I hope they’re as good as they smell. I’ve had to smell them all night.”

  Lining the way in front of the counter, she made room in the display case for her dozens and dozens of cookies. Depending on how well they sold, she would bake some more goodies tonight to bring tomorrow.

  Kelsie grabbed a stack of serving trays and lined the case for Janelle to lay the cookies on. She placed several cookies on each tray until the containers from the wagon were empty. She handed a cookie to Kelsie and one to Colin. “Because I know you two are dying to try one,” she said. She pointed to Colin’s mouth and joked, “I’m surprised you’re not drooling.”

  “Ha, you’re funny,” he said, wiping a hand around his mouth—paranoid that he might have been. Taking a bite from the frosted flower-shaped cookie, he said, “These are really good. They’ll sell great with the drinks.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  Janelle stacked the empty containers together and placed them on a shelf in the back room. They had less than ten minutes before the morning crowd would barge through the doors. She hoped Colin’s article reached enough people and that her baking would stand up to the judgment of their customers.

  No sooner than her thoughts surfaced, than a crowd lined up at the door. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. They still had five minutes before the doors opened. Impressed, but still uncertain that the result had been because of her baking, she remained calm and unfazed as only a few more people showed up. Only when the crowded line grew, did she take into account that they were actually there for her baked goods. There were twice as many people waiting at the door than there had ever been on the busiest day of the year.

  She looked at Colin, who nodded with a smile. “This is all for you,” he said, with thumbs up.

  “How are we going to serve them all?” she asked, frantically making her way behind the counter. Knots twisted in her stomach as the nerves crept in. Colin came to the counter and leaned against it. “Relax. You’ve got this.”

  Kelsie smiled as she unlocked and opened the door, allowing the crowd to file in one by one through the screen door—which never once shut before the next person grabbed it and walked in.

  Kelsie worked busily right alongside her, fixing drinks and telling them about the cookies. Janelle scurried around behind the counter, trying to calm her nerves as several people at one time told her what they wanted. Instead of overthinking it, she went with the flow. She grabbed the cookies, along with empty trays, packaging the selected cookies for their customers. Colin was right, people were crazy about this.

  There was not a break in the line for more than twenty minutes. The rush had proved to be far more customers than she had ever witnessed come into the café. She had no idea that many people would have showed up this morning. Only when a break formed in the line, was she able to stack the empty trays on the shelf in the backroom.

  She realized Colin was watching her from a nearby table. He smiled when she looked his way. She wanted to run and jump into his arms and tell him how much this meant to her, but the bell above the door interrupted her. Another line of around twenty people walked into the café—some she had never seen before.

  She overheard one gentleman telling Kelsie that he had read the paper and had heard there was a baker in town; he wanted to stop by and check it out. Janelle couldn’t resist the smile that had permanently formed across her face. This day was the best day ever, and she owed more than a little thanks to Colin and Kelsie.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hauling an empty wagon home after closing the coffee shop that night was a great feeling. A feeling that she could not explain. It had felt incredible to see how many of their customers wanted baked goods, and to hear about how long they had been wondering when she would be back to bake for the place. Although there had been quite a few customers who had told her of their hopes of another bakery opening in the neighborhood, she didn’t have the heart to tell them this was only temporary.

  The fact of the matter was her parents would be coming back to Seattle by the end of summer, and she would be prepared by then to head back to Cincinnati where the life she had made for herself awaited her.

  Coming up on the last block before the house, she could see Colin’s Chrysler parked in front, by the curb. He had told her he needed to get back to work, but had never said anything about coming over.

  Picking up her pace, she hurried to the front steps where Colin stood waiting to greet her with his arms behind his back. Smiling, she skipped a few steps and threw her arms around him. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s nice to see you, too,” he said, laughing as he pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal his reason for stopping by. “I brought you these.”

  Flowers—many of them of all colors and smells—were bundled together in his gripped hand. After thanking him, she dove nose deep into them as she made her way to the door to unlock it. “These smell so good!”

  He followed closely behind her as they made their way into the house. Interrupting her mission to find a vase, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. The smell of his cologne filtered through her senses—a smell she had fallen in love with and become addicted to. With the flowers sandwiched between them, she looked up into his eyes and said, “Thank you.”

  Resting his lips against hers, slowly teasing her with a smile on his face, he said, “I wanted to find something that I knew you would love, and I remembered how much you love flowers. Plus, I want to tell you congratulations on your first successful day at the coffee shop.”

  Beaming with a smile, she said, “I can’t believe we sold out.”

  Thinking about the profit she had made on selling the cookies today opened the door to more thoughts. At the rate she was going, she would need to figure out a schedule for baking, alone.

  “I can,” Colin said, smiling as he held her for another minute before allowing her to find a home for the well-liked flowers he had brought her. “Your cookies were excellent. I have never had a sugar cookie quite like yours. Not too sweet, not too bland, but just right. And that frosting was to die for. I’m sure everyone will be ready to buy more tomorrow.”

  She was grateful for the opportunity to do what she loved. Baking had been her whole life. Writing about baking was her life. There was no reason why she couldn’t blend the two like a sweet mixture of both worlds—a little bit of writing with a little bit of baking. Two worlds coming together to form one happy medium didn’t seem to be a bad idea at all. The only problem she would possibly face was her mother.

  She had given it plenty of the thought the night before, while baking for hours on end. She would need to bake at least twelve dozen baked goods a night prior to bringing them to the coffee shop. It had been an overwhelming thought—it still was—but she promised herself that she would figure it out in no time. The only thing she needed was a lot of time and a plan.

  “That’s just it,” Janelle said, sliding the flower stems into the vase half full of water. Colin leaned against the railing at the base of the stairs, waiting for her to tell him what she had on her mind. He raised an eyebrow and encouraged her to say what she needed to say. Guiding him into the living room, she motioned for him to take a seat across the way as she sat down in the oversized chair she had grown to love more in these last few days than she ever had. “I’ll be honest, I’ve had a lot of thoughts lately. Some were good and some not so good, but I’ll share them with you, if you really want to know.”

  When he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, she knew he was interested in everything she had to say. She knew he wouldn’t like some of the things she was about to say, but from what she had already told him in the last few weeks, he was still there by her side, waiting to help her as he had promised.

  “I have high doubts
that my mother will allow me to stay in Seattle and supply baked goods for the coffee shop,” she said, beginning her explanation with something he already knew. “But, there’s a chance, like you have said, that she’ll see the good that it brings to the business and will want me to somehow continue with what we started.”

  Nodding, he leaned back, still fully engaged in the conversation as he crossed his leg over his knee. It was hard for her to stay focused on what she wanted to talk about, because as he sat there, on the couch, across from her, all she could think about was how great it would be to have a life here in Seattle with him. Always dressed to the specs of the job, Colin Davis sat patiently waiting for her to say something more. The slight grin that tugged at his lips when he caught her looking at him challenged her to stay focused.

  Smiling at the thoughts that had played out, meeting the desire filled look he was now giving her, she ignored all and continued on, “There’s no doubt in my mind that I will tire from doing what I love, though, so I will need to come up with a plan to continue doing what we’ve set out for me to do. I need to figure out a way to get ahead on counts so I won’t have to bake every minute of every hour.”

  Laughing at how ridiculous that sounded, she knew it was only the truth of the situation. She would need to get ahead somehow, because no matter how much love she had for baking, she didn’t want to spend every spare minute she had doing so.

  “First, I need to figure out how many goodies I need to bake, but how?”

  Colin shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, causing her to chuckle. He wasn’t going to be good in that area of helping out, she took it, so she would need to calculate the numbers herself. The best way to figure out the numbers she needed, was to take a look at the sales from today. She had sold out of every single sugar cookie that she had pulled behind her in that over-filled wagon of hers. She knew how many she had baked, but now she needed to figure out how many customers wanted one and had gone without because they had no choice.