Frosted Sweets (A Taste of Love Series Book 1)

by A. M. Willard

  “Don’t worry, Zara, we’ll hook you up. Come on, are you all in with me on this, or not?” I put my hand in front of me to get them to join in on this new adventure. A smile overtakes me as I watch my three best friends agree to join in. Now to dig out those pearls and embrace my inner Morgan, the diva of all cupcakes.

  ALMOST TWO WEEKS have passed, and we’ve all embraced our inner diva. Okay, maybe I’ve adopted a little more than the others, but still, they are putting in the effort. Mine and Simon’s wedding date has passed, and I was lucky enough to only have heard one last plea from him in the efforts to continue the madness. With any luck, he has gotten the message and lost my phone number, if I could only be so lucky. Jayden, on the other hand, hasn’t been in the shop since the day I rushed around in my wedding dress. The girl I’d seen him with a few times has come in to pick up a few orders for the A-Team and for herself. I never ask about him, as I think he was put here to make me realize that I didn’t need the life Simon vowed to give me. Deep down I’m still crushed that it ended the way it did, but when I stop to think about it, I know it’s the right thing to do. The hardest part has been accepting that Jayden was never free and available. Why does this bother me as it does? I don’t know; I can’t find the answer to this question, even though I ask myself this same thing daily. He’s always in my thoughts and every ding of the bell over the door causes me to peer in that direction.

  The other day I actually went to the park and sat on a bench for my lunch break. I’d watch from every direction, just to catch a glimpse of him. One tiny ogle of Jayden was going to be better than the cold turkey I’ve been dealing with. When I think back to the night at the bakery, the way his intense eyes watched every movement of my hands, my heart rate picks up. The way I would catch him staring, as if I’d created a masterpiece, takes my breath away. Maybe the girls can shed some light on the issue because I’m at a loss for words. The mere fact that you could feel our chemistry in the air should say something about what could’ve been. I’ve been cut off like I was cut off from chocolate. You go through life every day, able to have something when you wanted to, then all of a sudden out of nowhere you can’t have a taste, a lick, a nibble—nothing. That’s how I describe Jayden and me. He’s my chocolate, my addiction, and what I can’t have.

  “Morgan, do you hear me?” Zara yells at me from the door that separates the kitchen from the counter.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I respond as I try to focus on what she’s saying.

  “That guy is out here and asking for you, are you busy?”

  Every bone in my body tingles with the thought that it’s Jayden here to extinguish his sweet tooth.

  “I’ll be right out.” I wipe my hands on the towel next to me and glance at myself in the reflection of the stainless steel oven behind me. He’s not seen my transformation, and a part of me is curious to see what he says, or thinks for that matter. Did he like the old Morgan Lewis, or will this newer one be more appealing? Satisfied that I look okay, I glance down at my new dress. It’s a simple black fold-over skirt and a chic pink top with an overlay of lace. It hangs on the shoulders just a bit to showcase the strand of pearls. I topped it off with a pair of black Mary Jane ballerina flats. My apron is a little dusted with flour, but I don’t bother to brush it off. I mean, I do bake all day, and I’m lucky I’ve been able to pull this look off and do what I need to do around the shop.

  As I move through the door, I can’t help but display a bright smile as I look out front for Jayden. I don’t spot him anywhere and think that he’s gone to the restroom or chickened out as he waited. My head turns to Zara. “Where’s Jayden?”

  “Jayden isn’t here, Morgan. That guy over by the window asked to see you.”

  “Oh… Okay… Well, do you know what he wants?” I ask as I try to hide the disappointment in my voice. Apparently I didn’t do very well with this because Zara is scrutinizing me with a questioning look.

  “No, he just asked if you were here.”

  “Well, let me see what he needs. Can you listen for the timer? I have a few cakes in the oven that should be finished soon.” I round the counter and hear her agree to listen. As I move closer, I recognize the guy as a regular customer. He’s been coming in for at least the last six months or so.

  “Hi, I’m Morgan. You asked to see me? I hope everything’s okay with your order.” I take a look down at the table and notice he’s picking apart a cranberry muffin and has his black coffee next to him.

  He stands and extends his hand out to me. “Nice to finally meet you, Morgan. I’m Nick. Care to have a seat?” He motions for me to take the chair across from him.

  “Sure, thanks. So what can I do for you today?”

  “Have dinner with me,” he blurts out, causing me to choke on the air I just inhaled.

  “Excuse me, what?”

  “Sorry, I’ve been coming in here for months now and something about you excites me. Have dinner with me this week,” he says and finishes it off with a wink.

  “Well, Nick, thank you, but I’m not really looking to date anyone right now.”

  “Come on, we can get to know each other, and I respect your business sense and drive.”

  “Thank you again, but for now I’m going to pass,” I say as I stand, and then stop for a moment to look him over. He’s handsome, business attire and probably fits the bill of being another Simon. But how will I know what else is out there for me if I don’t try? I glance back toward Zara and then again at Nick, who’s waiting for an answer. I fumble with my lips as I contemplate my response. “Fine, I agree to have dinner with you but nothing more. I’ll meet you at the restaurant of my choice, and I’ll leave on my own. If we are clear with that, then yes, I’ll have dinner with you.”

  “I’ll take that. Would you like to pick the time, date, and place now?”

  “Yes, we can have sushi tonight around seven. You know Sushi Zen about three blocks west of here?”

  “I know the place. I’ll see you at seven,” he says as he stands and then steps closer to me. “I look forward to having dinner with you, Morgan. I’ll see you tonight.” He turns and leaves just as quickly as I imagine he showed up.

  “What was that about?” Zara asks as I head back to the kitchen.

  “I have a date tonight at seven, over at the sushi place I love. Keep your phone close. I might need to use the code word.”

  “I’m floored that you are going out with him; he’s just another Simon.”

  “Might be, but I’ll never know now will I? I have to try, right?”

  “I guess, just be safe. And you never know, Frankie and I might show up and stalk you two.”

  “Fine by me, but don’t forget we train Jaime tomorrow. You need to be awake and ready since you took it upon yourself to run Hatcher out the place. Speaking of him, how’re things going?”

  “I know, she starts tomorrow, and just in time, as Christmas is in a few days. For the record, we are doing just fine and he is enjoying being back in the office.”

  “Good, because my counters couldn’t take the two of you being stuck like glue anymore. I swear you’re like rabbits, and my eyes couldn’t take it,” I say with a laugh as I remember sitting them both down a week ago. My plate was full with orders, stress from the lack of a wedding, and the returns I’d been helping my mother finish up, not to mention Christmas approaching. So when I walked in on them in my kitchen for like the fifth time, I lost it. “Oh, do we have everything we need for the Christmas celebration?”

  “I suppose we’re ready. I have everything that was on our list, and all we need to do is finish a few orders and make sure we have enough to last through the day. I put our cake to the side so no one tries to buy it.”

  “Perfect. What a day for Jaime to start on. Maybe we should have had her start after the New Year?”

  “Hell, no … Tomorrow she will get a taste of the great Morgan Lewis as she prances around in her element. “

  “We will see, just hope it all
works out. Anyway, I need to go finish before I have to freshen up and get ready for my date.”

  “You’re crazy,” I hear her say from behind me as I exit.

  She’s probably right—I’m stupid to agree to meet with a complete stranger for dinner. This is definitely something I would never have done before, but the new Morgan is testing the waters. Just because things didn’t work out with Simon, and nothing will ever come from Jayden, doesn’t mean I can’t get back out into the dating scene. I’m cute, successful, and available, which means I’m back on the dating market. If I want to be single for the rest of my life, then I should just close the doors now and never look back. If I want the dream, I need to at least get my feet wet and see what’s out there for me. Maybe the answer isn’t Nick, but in life you have to have a ton of wrongs to get something right. Without practice, you’ll never get better. Since I haven’t been on a date in years, this is my practice game. Three strikes and he’s out; that’s going to be the only rule. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of other rules, but the three strikes will contain how many they break or how far they push me. I’m not looking for the next person I date to slide a ring on my finger. If that happens one day, it will, and if not, then I’ll be okay in the end.

  I RAN HOME TO CHANGE into another one of my cute fifties-inspired dresses before my date with Nick. Nothing special, just a nice simple black dress and flats. I even touched up my makeup to make sure I didn’t look like the little baker that I typically represent. Right at seven I enter the restaurant and notice Nick has already arrived and is holding down a table in the back. With my shoulders back and my head held high, I move across the old tile floor with confidence.

  “Have you been waiting long?” I ask as Nick stands to pull my chair out. One point for Nick so far, I mentally start the tally sheet.

  “Not too long. How are you?”

  “I’m good thanks. It was a busy day. How about you?” I unfold my napkin, place it on my lap, and situate myself in my chair. It’s always a pleasant surprise when a gentleman helps you sit, but what’s the point? You have to work together to get up to the table, rearrange yourself, and then try to not look like a fool as you secretly do this. Next time I might just gesture that I can do this myself. I’m listening to him explain his day as I wiggle my butt around to get comfortable in the seat. Half of a cheek feels as if it’s hanging off, and the table cloth is gathering under me. Ignoring it all, I scoot back, stand and flatten my dress, then sit back down. “Whew, that’s better,” I say, not realizing that I just said that out loud and Nick is eyeing me a little funny. Great, he’s stiff like Simon. “Sorry my dress got caught, thank you for helping me, though.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I never understood why we men have to do that. I’m grateful that you aren’t comfortable with that.”

  “The gesture was admirable, but I agree, I like to sit myself.”

  “Dully noted,” he says with a smile, and that’s when I first notice his dimples. The score, Nick three and Morgan zero. The waiter comes, immediately recognizes me, and knows that I would like the house wine and water. This earns me a chuckle from Nick’s direction, as he must have figured out that I come here often.

  “So you picked this place as a safety net?”

  “Yes, I did. A girl can never be too careful about whom she agrees to have dinner with. I’ve been coming here for years, at least once a week. You’ll be very impressed that I won’t even have to order.” I smile, as I’m proud of this simple fact. Do you know how many places you have to go to and search the menu until you find what you want? Let me tell you, a million, and I love my food, so I’d rather not fumble with the words. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they know me and know that I like individual sushi rolls. They swap them out for me, so I get double of the ones I like and then only a few of the other sides that are growing on me.

  “I have the feeling that you will impress me with more than just that,” he says with a wink, and in return I sit back and relax. Tonight might turn out okay.

  “So tell me about yourself, Nick. What’s your last name and what do you do for a living?”

  “Nick Matthews, and I’m a senior producer over at Time Warner.”

  “Oh…” is all I can say as my mind drifts to the thought that he might know my Jayden.

  “What about you, Morgan? Tell me about yourself.”

  “Morgan Lewis, and I own a bakery. Not much else to say other than that. I’m pretty boring.”

  “I doubt that you are boring. How long have you owned the place?”

  “Yes, you would be amazed at how boring I truly am, and just around three years now. How long have you been in your job?”

  “Around ten years, started from the ground up and finally landed my dream job. It’s been more about business these last few months and I miss the way things used to be. They decided to hire a bunch of interns and expand the production department. This has kept me busy, or I would’ve asked you to dinner sooner.”

  “Are you just using me to get a discount at the bakery?”

  “No, but I’m sure our staff would love that. Seems that you are well known at the place and all the ladies rave about your treats.”

  “Really, I would picture by now I should be on the payroll. I can’t remember a day that’s gone by that we haven’t had orders or staff in to pick up something.”

  “Yes, I’m over the A-Team and I like to make sure they are all happy. If I jack them up on sugar and caffeine, we get a lot more production out of them,” Nick says, just as a sip of my wine goes down the wrong pipe causing me to choke for a brief moment. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, sorry, wrong pipe. Well, I thank you for the orders and loyalty as a customer. Did you enjoy the Christmas cake I designed for you?”

  “I did. So how is it that a girl like you is still single and on the market?”

  “Just returned to the market, and it’s a big sea out there.”

  “How recently? I’m not going to be the rebound guy, am I?”

  “No, but my fiancé and I called things off at the first of the month. We were to wed on the twelfth of this month,” I say, and actually speaking of this causes my heart to restrict. It’s the first time since we called it all off that I’ve had to explain. Well, other than to my family and friends. This makes it feel final, like I failed at something that I should have been able to make happen. What’s that say about me? Is this too soon to be sitting across the table from Nick having dinner when I just broke off a long-term relationship with Simon? Screw that, he’s been putting his penis in other people, and I should be allowed to move along with the plan.

  “Well, I say we change that subject, but it’s his loss, Morgan, as I don’t know the background.”

  My hand reaches for my glass and just before I place it on my lips, I say, “He was screwing a whore from work. I busted them when he was supposed to be out of town on business.” When I finish my sentence, I take a swallow.

  “Well let’s make a toast. May new relations find their way as you begin a new path.”

  “I’ll toast to that,” I say and clink my glass against his scotch glass. “How old are you? Have you ever been married, currently or recently in a relationship, kids?”

  “Just turned thirty-three, never married unless you count my job, no kids that I know of, and no recent break-ups. This is me, I work all the time and have a few friends here. My family is all back in Maine.”

  I nod my head to show that I accept his answers and watch as our waiter comes to the table for our orders.

  “Morgan, the same for you? And what can we get you, sir?”

  “I’ll have the Morgan Special,” he says, and I laugh at what he’s calling my order. I find it cute that he has no clue what I normally get but is willing to try it.

  “I’ll get it right out and bring you another drink.”

  “Thanks,” I say and look back over at Nick. “The Morgan Special?”

  “Well it’s your special dinner and I’l
l take my chances. You seem to have good taste.”

  “Do you at least want to know what you just ordered?”

  “Nope, I like surprises.”

  “Suit yourself, but remember, I told you I was boring.”

  “Did I say I’m not the biggest fan of sushi? With that, I hope it’s boring and nothing like an eel or any of the strange stuff.”

  “You might be all right, Nick.”

  Our conversation runs smoothly while we wait for our dinner. It’s odd how I’ve never held a conversation with Simon like this. Most of our dinners ended up with him on his phone working, while I would lose myself in a new recipe idea. This would keep my mind off the lack of relationship that we held and focused on the job aspect. I never brought them up to Simon, as he was sure that after we married I’d give it all up. That was never going to happen. I figured, what, was he going to divorce me for keeping it open?

  Just as I go to ask him about his family, our food arrives. The look on Nick’s face is priceless as he examines his plate, and I laugh at how boring it is. It’s covered with California rolls, cucumber rolls, crab, and shrimp. “Told you.”

  “Yes, you did, but I think I can handle this. Nothing looks like it’s going to jump off the plate.”

  “Nope, all dead, and you should be just fine.”

  “So what are you doing the day after tomorrow?”

  “Working, we have our Company and Customer Appreciation Day tomorrow, and then I need to complete orders before we close for Christmas. Why?”

  “Would you accompany me to our Christmas party? It’s Thursday at eight. I would love for you to accept.”

  “Sure, that will work, but you know the rules. Time and place, as I’ll meet you. Oh, and what’s the attire?”

  “This Thursday, eight o’clock sharp at the Marriot Ball Room. Dress is semi-formal. Are you sure I can’t pick you up?”

  “No, I’ll arrive a little early and meet you in the lobby so we can go in together.”