Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  Eddie nodded. “Whatever you say, boss.”

  Wanting to keep busy, he decided to make the Cuban sandwiches before the lunch hour. He’d discovered that selling the sandwiches provided another source of income and he’d gained some new customers once they discovered he had a lunch item to offer. Taking the freshly baked Cuban bread, he sliced it into even pieces. He then layered ham, roasted pork, salami, Swiss cheese, and pickles on the bread before wrapping each sandwich in plastic wrap. He then ladled his secret sauce into small round containers. His sauce came with the sandwiches and the customer could spread the concoction onto the bread if they wanted. Working quickly, he finished making the sandwiches in minutes and had placed them up front to sell to the customers, making sure they had plenty of bags of chips to sell with the sandwiches.

  Finally, when it was time to close, Sterling wondered what he should do. The thought of Nate visiting Misty was eating him alive. What if he tried to harm her like he did the last time he’d visited? Imagining Nate roughly grabbing Misty made Sterling ball his hands into fists. Trying to control his temper, he plopped into a chair. Lord, what am I going to do? What if Misty needed his help next week? What if Nate showed up at the house, drunk? Adrian wouldn’t be able to help Misty protect herself from Nate and Jennifer would be upset to see her father so intoxicated.

  Still thinking, he mopped the floor, the last thing that needed to be done before he went home. He’d let both his assistants go home an hour early, wanting to do the cleanup himself. He’d also boxed up the leftover pastries and donuts to drop off at the soup kitchen on his way home. After he’d wrung out the mop and dumped the dirty water, he pulled his keys from his pocket to lock the bakery, when he stopped, spotted Leon standing at the door. Leon opened the door, and the bell over the door jingled. The last thing he needed right now was a confrontation with his brother. After dropping off the stuff at the soup kitchen, he’d planned on rushing home, and taking a short nap. “Leon, I’m in a hurry.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Look, I’m not dealing with your attitude today. I have to get going.”

  Leon plopped into a chair and pulled a paper from his pocket. “You’re not going anywhere until we talk.” He pointed to the paper and Sterling joined Leon at the table. Taking the crumpled paper from Leon, he read the words, realizing it was an eviction notice. “I have to have the money to them before the end of the day tomorrow or they’re going to evict me from my apartment.”

  Sterling wished he could rip the paper to shreds and toss it into the trash. His stomach soured with dread while he pushed the paper back to Leon. Taking a deep breath, he said the first thing that popped into his mind. “Leon, I can’t help you if you won’t even help yourself. I’ve already told you that.”

  Leon narrowed his eyes. “Just give me enough money to pay my rent and I won’t bother you until you’ve finished thinking about what to do with dad’s insurance money.”

  He needed to try and talk some sense into Leon again. There had to be a way to make him understand that he hated the animosity between them, and just wanted to make everything better. “I want to help you, but, we need to talk first.”

  “We ain’t got nothing to talk about.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Leon folded his arms in front of his chest, his lips poked into a frown. He glared at Sterling, refusing to speak.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?” asked Sterling.

  Silence filled the bakery as late afternoon sunlight splashed upon the recently-washed table. Sterling glanced at the clock on the wall, wondering how much more time he would sit here with his brother before he took his exit. Finally Leon spoke. “No.”

  Anger, as thick and bubbling as a cauldron of soup, rumbled through Sterling. His knuckle-headed little brother had to be the most stubborn person walking on the face of the earth. Gripping the table, he closed his eyes, recalling a vivid memory of him and the twins playing Frisbee on the sunny, hot Miami beach when they were kids. He then thought about their tough, playful wrestling matches, watching sports on TV, drinking cans of cold sodas on hot summer days. He longed for those wonderful, simpler times when he’d been close to his siblings. How could he reach Leon? If he gave him the money for his rent, would he be enabling his irresponsible behavior?

  “If I give you the money for your rent, then you have to promise to get help for your problems…on my terms.”

  Leon poked his lips out.

  When he remained silent, Sterling spoke again. “Well, don’t you have anything to say?”

  Leon still remained silent.

  “Well, if you don’t have anything to say, then I don’t either.”

  Leon finally spoke. “Okay. What did you want me to say?”

  Sterling sat back down, choosing his words carefully. “You need help, Leon. Your getting evicted and your getting written up at your job—-”

  Leon banged his fist on the table. “What are you, a therapist?” he spat.

  “Cut it out!” Sterling stood up again, his anger accelerating. He needed to get away from Leon before he did something he regretted. Turning away from his brother, he grabbed the bag of pastries for the soup kitchen and pulled the bakery keys from his pocket. He hurried to the door and opened it. “Get out. I’m leaving now and if you can’t drop your attitude, then I don’t have time to help you.”

  Leon’s mouth dropped open and his eyes narrowed into angry slits. Sterling wondered if he was about to start another fight. “You’ll be sorry you did this,” he muttered under his breath before he rushed down the street.

  Sterling slammed the door shut and locked it. He leaned against the door, both anger and love for his brother rippling through him. For the first time in his entire life, his brother had threatened him. Lord, help me with my pain and anger. I can’t reach Leon, and he’s destroying his life and I can’t help him.

  Chapter 23

  Misty turned the steering wheel as palm trees whizzed by on the stretch of road. She glanced at her dashboard, checking the time. Ten o’clock. She needed to get the grocery shopping done and do some other errands before one o’clock. Such a blessing that Jennifer continued to bond with Adrian. Her daughter helped Adrian, realizing Adrian was blind. Surprisingly, Jennifer seemed content to stay with Adrian instead of coming with Misty to the store. Well, that was great. She’d probably get the grocery shopping done quicker since Jennifer wouldn’t be with her. Jennifer tended to beg for extra sweets while they shopped. She’d then get upset when Misty didn’t purchase everything she wanted.

  As she continued to drive, she thought about Nate’s impending visit. She honestly didn’t know what to expect. He’d behaved himself when he’d given her the ice cream and the flowers, but, that didn’t mean anything. He always acted contrite after they’d had a huge argument. Should she accept Sterling’s offer to help? She honestly didn’t know if that was a good idea. She wanted Jennifer to bond with Nate – as long as he behaved himself. Misty had always felt a bit off-kilter, not knowing the identity of her dad. She didn’t want Jennifer to grow up feeling like that. Although Nate could be a jerk, he did have a few redeeming qualities. He could be sweet and funny at times, and that’s why she had fallen in love with him. She wanted her daughter to know about Nate’s positive attributes. If he was serious about straightening out his life, then maybe her daughter could really get to know her father.

  Wouldn’t that be the best thing for Jennifer?

  She contemplated her situation with Nate as she pulled into the crowded grocery store parking lot. She drove slowly, searching for a space. Great, she found an empty spot. She pulled into the spot, got out of the car, mentally planning her day. Later, she’d take Jennifer to the birthday party hosted by the woman she’d met at church the previous Sunday. Hopefully, she’d bond with this woman and find out more about Juliette’s. She’d been eager to meet some of the other parents since she’d only had the chance to meet one parent during the open house.

  As sh
e rushed toward the store, she spotted Latisha standing in front of her car. Her arms were folded in front of her chest and she glared at her vehicle, almost as if she were mad at her car! Misty was about to rush by without saying anything, but Latisha looked up and spotted her. Misty tried not to cringe. A large bruise marred Latisha’s cheek. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and for once, she was dressed conservatively. She wore a denim skirt and a white blouse.

  What had happened to her? She stopped before slowly approaching the girl. She gave her a small smile, but, Latisha didn’t return her grin. She swallowed, refusing to be intimidated. She’d just make sure Latisha was okay before she went inside to do her grocery shopping. She didn’t have a lot of time to waste since she needed to be at the birthday party by one o’clock. “Latisha, are you okay?”

  Latisha shook her head, glared at her car again. “My car won’t start.”

  Misty didn’t know a thing about cars. “Do you think you need a jump?” She didn’t have jumper cables, but, she’d be willing to help Latisha ask some of the grocery store customers if they’d be willing to help.

  “How am I supposed to know?” She kicked her tire. “I don’t know why it won’t start. Plus, I’ve got groceries in my trunk. I don’t want my food to spoil.”

  “I doubt your food will spoil, Latisha.” Misty figured Latisha had not been standing out here for a long time. “Do you have triple A?”

  She shook her head. “I figure a tow truck would cost at least a couple hundred dollars.”

  It sounded like Latisha didn’t want to call a tow truck. Misty opened her purse, removed her phone. She called the roadside assistance number for her Triple A membership. After she’d placed the call, she focused on Latisha again. “They’ll be here in less than a half hour. I’ll stay here with you until they come.” Latisha seemed so upset – so different than what Misty was used to seeing. “I get free towing service. Adrian insisted on it when she bought the car.”

  “But, this is my car, not yours.”

  Misty shrugged. “We’ll let them know about that when they get here. If they charge us, I’m sure it’ll be less than what a regular towing service would charge.”

  “But, I don’t have much money with me.”

  “We can worry about that, later. We just need to get your car to the shop and get you home so that your groceries won’t spoil.”

  “Why’d you do that?” Latisha gave Misty a sideways look.

  Misty shrugged. “Do what?”

  “Help me out.”

  Misty figured Latisha was referring to their somewhat combative interaction at the soup kitchen. Plus, Latisha made no secret about the fact that she was interested in Sterling. Misty’s spending so much time with Latisha’s love-interest didn’t help matters. “You just looked like you needed help and I helped you. I’d hope you’d do the same if you saw somebody you knew that needed help.” She thought about it for a minute. “You helped me fix that cornbread, even though I burned it. I appreciated your helping me.” It was good to know that Latisha was willing to help others sometimes. She checked her watch.

  “You got someplace you need to be? I don’t want to hold you up.”

  Misty shook her head, but, had to think how this would affect her schedule. She didn’t want to be late to the birthday party that afternoon. One of the errands she’d been planning to do that morning was purchasing a gift for the birthday boy. She wanted to make sure she chose something nice, but she didn’t want to over-do it and choose something that was too expensive. She’d planned on making a quick visit to the toy store after she’d gone grocery shopping.

  “Are you sure? You look mighty anxious about something.”

  No way was she going to confide to Latisha that she’d planned on attending a birthday party to find out more about Juliette’s. She couldn’t imagine that Latisha would even understand, could she? Latisha didn’t have any children, did she? She glanced at the young woman who now stared around the parking lot, tapping her sandaled foot, obviously impatient. She knew so little about Latisha and she again recalled how Sterling had been put off by Latisha’s obvious affection towards him.

  She continued studying the young woman. Latisha looked much younger, and a lot more vulnerable, without her makeup.

  Misty took a deep breath, again thinking about her plans. She needed to stop stressing about the birthday party. She needed to focus on something else. She glanced at Latisha again. Misty couldn’t help but think about the way she used to be before she found Christ. Heck, she couldn’t help but think about the way she used to be before she hooked up with Nate. Nate was the first guy she’d ever loved, and his presence in her life had calmed her wild nature. She realized her relationship with Nate was not pleasing to God. However, being in a monogamous relationship with him had been her first step to changing her life.

  “How’d you get that bruise on your cheek?”

  Latisha winced, briefly covered her cheek before focusing on Misty again. “None of your business.”

  Misty inwardly cringed. She had half a mind to just leave Latisha in the parking lot. The girl had a lot of nerve, giving Misty attitude when Misty was only trying to help her, show her some concern. She glared at the young woman and Latisha’s eyes widened. She uncovered her cheek, glanced down at the ground. “Sorry,” she muttered. At least she realized she didn’t need to be so nasty. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”

  Maybe Latisha had a boyfriend who abused her. Misty inwardly shuddered. She couldn’t help Latisha unless the woman was willing to admit she had a problem. She figured she was ashamed, and Misty could understand feeling that way. Her life had been a wreck and she’d dated some losers herself. She could recall having a few bruises, too. “You’re right, it’s not my business.”

  The tow truck arrived. After speaking to the driver, it was decided that Latisha’s car would be towed to a garage that was a few miles away. Latisha rode with Misty in stony-faced silence as they followed the tow truck to the garage. Once the tow truck had delivered the vehicle, Latisha spoke to the garage about her car. She’d have to leave it to be tested and since the garage was closing early that day, she wouldn’t be able to get her car until Monday.

  After they’d retrieved Latisha’s groceries, Misty gave the young woman a lift home. When Misty pulled into the parking lot of the dilapidated apartment building, she again fought the urge to cringe. Trash spilled from the over-filled dumpster, onto the dirty street. “You live here?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

  “You got a problem with where I live?”

  Okay, she just needed to help Latisha with her groceries and get on with her errands. At this point, she wouldn’t have time to go grocery shopping. She’d just have enough time to get the gift and fetch Jennifer to go to the birthday party. She recalled that Adrian wanted her to get a roast so that she could marinade it for dinner that night. Oh well, they’d have to have something else since she couldn’t do the shopping.

  Latisha still looked miserable and upset. Misty could relate to not having enough money to fix something. Heck, she figured Latisha was probably upset since she didn’t know if she could afford to get her car fixed. She might as well tell her the truth. “Look Latisha. You need to drop your tough girl attitude. I’ve given up part of my morning trying to help you and all you’ve done was be nasty to me. What is your problem? Are you upset because you don’t have enough money to fix your car?”

  The young girl’s mouth dropped open, and she glanced at Misty, seemingly speechless. Misty patiently waited, giving Latisha ample time to speak. “I guess so,” she muttered. She stared down at the floor, and when she raised her head, Misty tried not to react to the tears shimmering in Latisha’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you helped me.” The urge to hug Latisha consumed her, but, she figured she needed to take this one step at a time. Latisha needed a friend and from what Sterling had revealed, the church folks had reached out to Latisha with no success. She also recalled Sterling telli
ng her that Latisha was not a member of their church, she just attended. He’d also said he didn’t think that Latisha had ever accepted Christ.

  That was a big deal.

  Misty gestured toward the trunk. “Come on. Let’s carry your groceries inside.”

  After they’d unloaded the car, and had carried her groceries inside, Misty took in her surroundings. Latisha’s place was not in the best of areas. Inside, her home sparkled with warmth. Sunshine spilled into the clean kitchen and her walls gleamed in the late afternoon sun. A fish tank rested in the middle of the living room and small goldfish swooshed through their habitat. “Your place looks nice.” At least it looked nice inside.

  “Thanks,” Latisha muttered, putting a carton of ice cream into the freezer. Some of it dripped from the container onto the floor. Apparently, the ice cream had melted completely. Misty supposed the ice cream would be fine once it’d been refrozen. “Did you want a drink or something to eat or something?” The girl gave her a sideways look. It sounded as if she wasn’t used to offering refreshment to guests. Misty supposed Latisha still had issues with her.

  “No, I really need to get going.” Should she offer Latisha her phone number or something? The girl looked like she needed a friend. She hesitated, unsure about what she should do.

  “I know this is not the best of places, but, it’s all that I can afford right now.”

  She tilted her head, studied the girl. Misty realized she didn’t know how old Latisha was. “How old are you, Latisha?”

  The girl seemed surprised by the question, but, didn’t reply.

  Misty figured she simply was not going to answer. She didn’t have time to wait any longer. She needed to get going.