Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  She pulled into the school parking lot. The sound of her daughter’s humming was like music to her ears. Jennifer’s low, happy hum filled the car. The medicine was working! This visit would go well and then Jennifer would get accepted into this school. She was so sure of it.

  Misty got out of the car, and unstrapped Jennifer. Holding her daughter’s hand, she stood up straight, making her way into the school. The polished floors and white walls looked inviting and clean, almost too clean for a pre-school. She entered the office, spotted cartoon characters on the walls. The receptionist looked up from her desk, gave Misty a warm smile. “May I help you?”

  She swallowed. Hopefully her nerves would calm down soon. “I’m here for the open house.”

  “Oh, go down the hall to your left. The open house is in our cafeteria.”

  “Thank you.” Still holding Jennifer’s hand, they strolled down the hall into the cafeteria. Misty pushed the door handle and the door opened into a bright room. The sterile white walls popped with blocks of primary colors – red, yellow and green squares decorated the pale space. Little kids flocked around the room, many of them wearing Juliette’s gold and green uniforms. The kids who were not in uniform were dressed in formal-looking suits or pretty dresses. The clothing reminded her of the clothes she purchased for Jennifer for Easter. Her daughter wore a pair of blue jeans and a stripped top. Oh, why hadn’t she thought to dress Jennifer in a nice dress? She honestly didn’t think people would dress their kids up for a preschool open house!

  She scanned the room, spotted several parents socializing. She glanced at their clothes, immediately recognizing the designer labels. She glanced down at the outfit she’d purchased from Walmart the previous week. Feeling under dressed, she clutched Jennifer’s hand as they went further into the room.

  “Hi, there.” A beautiful cocoa-brown woman approached, a handsome man by her side. The woman eyed Misty’s outfit, disapproval evident in her stare.

  Misty forced herself to smile. “Hi.”

  “I’m Marilyn Brown and this is my husband Bernard.”

  The man gave her a quick nod.

  “Hello,” Misty mumbled.

  The woman studied Jennifer. “Did you already apply to the school?”

  Misty nodded. “I’m hoping we can get in.”

  Marilyn gestured across the room. “Our son is over there. He’s the one dressed in the dark blue suit.”

  Misty glanced at the child. “What a nice-looking little boy.” He raced small Matchbox cars with a group of boys who were dressed in the Juliette uniform. “He looks like he belongs here already.”

  The woman raised her perfectly-arched eyebrows. “He should. We’ve been scoping out parents for the last year, getting to know them. We want our son to get into this school. We’d heard that getting to know some of the current parents could help in gaining acceptance.”

  If that were true then she was far behind. She’d never thought to seek out current parents at the school and socialize with them. How would she manage to do that anyway? Where did one go to find these people? Did Marilyn come to the school during dismissal and approach parents about socializing with her child? She was about to ask Marilyn about that when an attractive pale, thin woman entered the noisy cafeteria. She approached the microphone in the front of the room. “Welcome to Juliette’s Preschool. I’m Ginger Tweed, the director. We have some refreshments for you to enjoy.” She gestured toward the laden table. A worker was removing the last layer cake from a bakery box and Misty spotted Sterling’s logo on the container. Why hadn’t he mentioned that he’d provided the desserts for the open house? She mentally sighed. He probably still thought her quest for getting a spot into the school for Jennifer was a waste of time. She had not mentioned the open house to him while they’d been out on their ice cream date.

  Again, she eyed Marilyn, inwardly cringing. The woman studied Misty, her eyes narrowed, while she whispered to her husband. When she met Misty’s frosty stare, she quickly turned away, her brown skin reddening. Did she think that she and Jennifer did not belong here with the rest of them? Misty pushed her nasty thoughts aside. She didn’t have time to focus on Marilyn.

  Ms. Tweed continued her speech. “After I meet everybody, then we’ll take a tour of the school, and you can ask any questions that you may have.”

  Ms. Tweed abandoned the microphone, and Misty’s heart skipped when the woman strolled directly toward her and Jennifer. She couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Marilyn. The uppity woman’s hard frown made Misty want to sing with glee. Ginger Tweed offered her hand. “Are you one of our applicants?”

  Misty returned Ginger’s warm smile, her heart pounding. She shook the woman’s hand. “Yes, I’m Misty Stewart and this is my daughter Jennifer.”

  Ginger focused on Jennifer. “I see you have a book with you.”

  Misty raised her eyebrows, stunned. She didn’t realize Jennifer had carried a book inside with her. She’d been so preoccupied that she’d not noticed it.

  Jennifer nodded, offering the book to Ginger. “Yes. Green Eggs and Ham,” Jennifer told Ginger the title. Ginger accepted the Dr. Seuss book, grinning.

  “The reason why I came over here right away is to say I’m impressed. Rarely do I see a child so young wanting to carry a book to an event. Usually a child wants a stuffed animal or some other toy.”

  Misty needed Ms. Tweed to know how much her daughter enjoyed books. “Oh, yes. She looks at books more than she plays with toys. She loves stories.”

  Ginger paid close attention to Jennifer. “Do you know how to read?”

  What did this woman expect? Jennifer was only two and a half. Sure, she’d be three in a few months but, that was much too young to know how to read, wasn’t it?

  Surprisingly, her daughter nodded, grinning. She took the book back from Ginger, pointed to a few simple words, reading them aloud. Misty didn’t know what to say. Ginger’s beaming smile was enough to make her heart burst with pride. Did Jennifer really know how to read a few simple words, or, had she simply memorized them when Adrian read the books to her?

  Ginger bent over the book that Jennifer still clutched, noticing the Braille bumps. “What’s that clear stuff over the pages, is it Braille?”

  Misty quickly glanced around the room, spotted several of the prospective parents looking annoyed that Ginger was spending so much time with them. Well, they could wait. She needed Ginger to know all about her and Jennifer’s unique way of life. As quickly as she could, she told about living with Adrian and her blindness, stating that the bumps allowed Adrian to read to Jennifer. Ginger was obviously interested and Misty sensed the director was about to ask another question when Jennifer tugged her hand, dropped her book on the floor.

  “Mommy, I don’t—”

  She then keeled over and vomited on Ms. Tweed’s expensive leather shoes.

  Horrified and speechless, all Misty could do was stare at the mess her daughter had made.

  Chapter 20

  Nate entered the small church. His baggy jeans and over-sized shirt looked out of place among the women sporting light-colored dresses. All of the men wore suits. He’d never worn a tie in his entire life. Maybe he should buy one so that he looked like he belonged here in the sanctuary.

  The lemon-oiled walls gleamed as the mid-morning sun shined through the stained-glass windows. He again looked down at his outfit. Lately, he’d wanted to buy some clothes to wear to church, but, his money had been tight lately, so, he’d been showing up wearing his street clothes. He’d been grateful that, so far, nobody had commented about his despicable church attire. Clutching his Bible, he sat in the last pew. He focused on the podium, intent upon hearing the service. Several church members strolled into the cranberry-carpeted sanctuary, having hushed conversations. A few people greeted him and he gave them a quick nod. He didn’t want to encourage conversation right now. He had too much on his mind.

  So far, he had not grown close to any of the church members. Several had invited him
to Bible study and gatherings but, he’d been determined not to be swayed by the congregation. He’d been thinking, trying to figure out this whole subject of salvation on his own. His messed-up life had been spinning out of control and Misty and Jennifer moving to Miami was like a nail driven into the coffin of his life. He’d been wretched and weary since Misty and Jennifer relocated.

  His dark thoughts were interrupted by the choir’s voices lifted in song, praising Jesus. Their green and white robes swayed while they clapped their hands to the music filtering through the sanctuary. The soulful notes of the music bounced off the gleaming walls of the church while the piano player pounded on the keys, continuing the joyful noise unto the Lord.

  Nate closed his eyes as the preacher took the podium. He finally opened his eyes and listened to the deep booming voice of the pastor, intent upon hearing his words. “I want to preach today about the Apostle Paul.” While the pastor’s deep voice boomed throughout the room, Nate paid attention as he spoke about the Apostle Paul who used to be called Saul. He talked about Saul’s persecution of Christians, his miraculous journey on the road to Damascus, his blindness and his salvation. He also spoke of his role in the establishment of the early Christian church. “Yes, if the Lord can change the heart of the Apostle Paul, then he can change the heart of anybody. The Lord can do anything!”

  “Amen!” A heavy-set woman in a yellow dress, sitting in the pew in front of Nate, shouted.

  “Amen!” Murmurs and shouts soon filled the church as parishioners stood, raising their heads toward the ceiling, raising their hands toward Jesus.

  Nate wiped his wet eyes, thinking about his troubled life. He needed to make a change, a drastic change. He again thought about Jennifer. He loved that little girl and he needed to be there for her as a father. He sniffed and one of the white-clothed ushers handed him a tissue, patted his shoulder, offering comfort.

  While he wiped his tears away, he thought about Misty. He didn’t blame her for her anger against him. He’d done nothing to support her, and now she didn’t want to have anything to do with him. He needed to change and make Misty and Jennifer his priorities.

  The preacher shouted from the pulpit, his dark eyes sweeping through the audience before he focused on Nate. The preacher spoke, and Nate felt as if the man was talking directly to him. “If you want to make a change in your life, then you need to accept Jesus! Jesus will never leave you or forsake you! Accept Jesus into your life and you will be guaranteed the gift of eternal life in heaven!”

  “Oh, Jesus!” Nate’s moan joined with the other voices.

  “If you haven’t accepted Jesus into your life then come forward. Make a proclamation and accept Him!”

  Nate swallowed, still sobbing. On faltering steps, he walked forward. Whoops and hollers from the parishioners followed him as he shuffled down the aisle. He finally made it to the front and stared straight into the eyes of the pastor. Tears streamed down his face and with his nose running, he told him what was on his mind. “I’m a sinner. I want to accept Christ into my life.”

  Chapter 21

  After Misty had finished working for the day, she rushed to pick up Adrian and Jennifer. She didn’t want to be late for her dinner shift at the soup kitchen. Since Jennifer’s sickening episode last Friday, Misty had been worried. She’d frantically apologized to Ms. Tweed, hoping and praying that Jennifer’s illness did not affect the director’s decision about offering acceptance into the school. Before she’d left the open house, she’d offered to buy Ms. Tweed new shoes. After spotting the Christian Louboutin logo, she figured she’d be paying for those new shoes for a year! From Ms. Tweed’s tight-lipped, forced smile, Misty felt all of her hopes and dreams had been flushed down the drain.

  Over part of the weekend, Jennifer had suffered a stomach virus, but she’d been fine by Sunday. Misty had spent part of the weekend in bursts of tears. Adrian had tried to calm her down, but Misty could not be calmed. She’d ruined everything by being over aggressive. She knew Jennifer had not been feeling well. She should’ve called the school and tried to arrange for a private meeting or something, let them know that Jennifer was ill.

  She knew Adrian was sick of hearing her complaining about the open house.

  She’d longed to talk to Sterling about it. She’d fantasized about going over to his house to confide in him, let him know how awful she felt.

  She’d seen him return home from work last Saturday, looking fine in his work pants and shirt. Looking out Adrian’s kitchen window, she’d stared at him while he went into his house. She’d craved his kindness, warmth and friendship all weekend.

  When she’d attended church on Sunday, she’d started a conversation with a parent, discovering that her child was a student a Juliette’s. Misty had been ecstatic to meet another parent and after church, she’d told about her quest to get Jennifer into the prestigious preschool. The woman had been warm, friendly and kind. She’d invited Jennifer to her son’s birthday party the following Saturday. She encouraged Misty to come because there would be other Juliette parents there. She could find out more about the school and Jennifer could get to know some of the students.

  Afterwards, she’d longed to talk to Sterling and she’d been disappointed when he didn’t show up to church on Sunday. When she didn’t see him before services, she’d just assumed he’d come late. But, it appeared he hadn’t come to church at all that day. She’d noticed Latisha in the church foyer, wearing her short dress, studying the crowd. Misty had a feeling that Latisha was probably looking for Sterling, too.

  When she’d picked up Jennifer at the nursery, her daughter had asked about Sterling’s whereabouts. Adrian didn’t know where he was either. She’d longed to go over to his house to see if he was okay, but, when they’d returned from church, she’d seen his car was gone.

  She still had mixed feelings about accepting Sterling’s offer to drive her to the soup kitchen that evening. Yeah, she wanted to see him, but, she didn’t want to be too dependent on him. After all, she was perfectly capable of driving over there herself. However, as she thought about it, he had a point. She’d hate to get mugged like Rachel and have Jennifer to see her suffering like that.

  Sterling showed up on time to take her to the soup kitchen. His dark, chocolate brown eyes were like pools of warmth. He touched her cheek before they left Adrian’s house. His light, gentle touch was enough to make her swoon. While he drove, he didn’t speak. He frowned, and she figured something was going on. No need to keep wondering about it. She might as well ask him. “I didn’t see you at church last Sunday.”

  He gripped the steering wheel, his mouth mashed down. Uh, oh. Last time she’d seen him so angry was when she’d asked him about his brother. “My brother got into some trouble. I had to go over to his place on Sunday morning.”

  This sounded serious. “What kind of trouble?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” His curt reply gave her pause.

  “Why is it that you want me to be your friend, tell you when I have problems, but, you don’t want me to do the same for you?”

  He frowned, stopped at a light. “What?”

  “You heard me. You won’t tell me why you have problems with your twin brothers. Why?”

  “I told you, my brother hates me, literally.”

  “If he hates you so much, then why did you go over there to help him on Sunday?” Misty knew if her sisters hated her, she doubted she could keep helping them. She knew it was Christian to help others, but, she honestly didn’t know if the Lord would want her to put herself out there to assist her sisters continuously if they didn’t appreciate what she was doing for them. Wouldn’t it be better to help those who truly wanted to be helped? Wouldn’t it be best to help those who understood and appreciated what you did for them? As a new Christian, she still struggled with some of these things. Heck, she would help the world if she could, but, one person could only do so much to help somebody else.

  Sterling didn’t say anything for the res
t of their journey. His sexy mouth remained mashed down in a tight line. Oh, no, he was mad. Well, that couldn’t be helped. He was growing on her, and she honestly wanted to find out what was bugging him. He parked, glanced at his watch. “We have a few minutes.” He closed his eyes for a few seconds. “My brother’s an alcoholic. He recently lost his job. He needs to find another job soon before he’s evicted from his apartment.”

  Whoa, she had not been expecting that. “Are you going to loan him money?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve loaned him money in the past but he’s never paid me back.” He then went on to tell her about his father’s death, his brother’s out of control behavior after the burial. He then told her about his father’s life insurance policy, about his dad not including the twins in his policy. He then told her his reasons for not splitting the funds yet. “I’m not spending the money on myself, but…Misty, I just feel I need to wait and figure everything out. Leon isn’t making things any easier by the way he acts.”

  Impulsively, she took his hand. “I’m sorry, Sterling. I’ll be praying for you.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “Thanks.”

  They needed to get into the soup kitchen. They’d spent enough time in the car talking. They exited the car and Sterling took her hand. Misty immediately took note of the rough area. Broken bottles littered the sidewalk and a homeless man sat on the sidewalk, his back resting against the building. He mumbled to himself, staring at his dirty hands.

  Sterling quickly ushered her inside. She followed him into the vast cooking area. Pots and pans littered the counters and a tall metal refrigerator occupied a corner. She spotted Latisha near the stove and saw a few other volunteers setting up the long, cafeteria-style tables. She followed Sterling into the kitchen. He placed a hunk of ground beef onto the counter, along with a large iron skillet. Glancing at Misty, he told her what to do. “Start browning the ground beef. There’s some onions back here that I’m going to chop. We’ll use that for our chili.”