“I see,” I said, just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the thunder followed almost instantly. I screamed and jumped into the back of the van, huddled there until the last of the thunder rumbled overhead.
“Hey, Amber, it’s okay,” he said softly.
I glanced up to see him kneeling on the floor of the van with one knee, his hands out to me to keep me calm. “Just a spring storm. It’s not going to hurt you, but if we don’t get these boxes inside, the rain is going to ruin them.”
I was shaking, and my heart was pounding when I lowered my arms from over my head. I had to swallow around the lump in my throat before I could speak. “Sor—sorry. I overreacted. It took me by surprise.” I stiffened my shoulders and climbed out of the van, slamming the doors closed again and grabbing the handle of the cart. He was carrying the sheet cake while I pushed the cart, and we hurried toward the entrance of the school to get inside before the rain started in earnest. We dodged inside just as the skies opened and the rain poured down again.
“Wow, just made it,” he said, lowering the giant cake box to the counter before he grabbed his bag.
“Thanks for helping,” I said, closing the door against the rain. I would have to wait out the storm before I headed back to the bakery.
“Anytime,” he said, offering a wave before he disappeared through the door of the cafeteria.
That left me standing there staring after him, wishing I knew a whole hell of a lot more about Bishop Halla, but knowing that was never going to happen.
Girls like me don’t end up with guys like him.
Two
The bell rang over the door of the bakery, and I stood up from where I was packaging bread to see a woman walk through the door.
“Momma!” I exclaimed, limping around the counter to hug her.
She chuckled while she hugged me tightly. “Hi, baby girl. I wanted to stop in and say goodbye.”
My parents were heading down to Florida to see my sister and her family. They would drive their RV down and camp out in my sister’s backyard. You were never going to find me in an RV in Florida, but my parents loved going down to visit the grandkids.
“Did you get everything packed?” I asked, handing her a pastry from the case to snack on while we visited.
She took a bite, and her eyes rolled back in her head. “Damn, Haylee sure knows how to make a cream cheese Danish.”
“Mrs. Larson!” said baker said from the doorway as she came bustling into the room. “I’m so happy I got to see you before you left.” Haylee hugged my mom just as hard as I did. My parents had practically raised her, and even in her formalness, Haylee considers my mom her mom.
“Girl, you’ve known me for twenty-five years. Call me Phyllis, or better yet, Mom,” she scolded, hugging my best friend. “What are you going to do, introduce me to your children as Mrs. Larson?”
“Wait, I’m having children now?” Haylee asked with laughter in her voice.
“Yes, lots of them. Little mini-bakers to keep this town in cupcakes for generations. I miss seeing you. How’s that man of yours?” she whispered in Haylee’s ear. “Is he treating you right?”
“You don’t have to worry, Mrs. Larson,” Brady said from the doorway of the bakery with a huge grin on his face. “No one is going to hurt her ever again.”
“Especially not him,” I added, my eyes rolling. “Haylee can’t sneeze without him taking her to the doctor.”
“Ha-ha,” he said from the doorway, but his smile was sheepish because I wasn’t that far off. “I love her. What can I say?”
“You can keep saying that,” my mom said as she patted Haylee’s face. She then held up the pastry. “I’ll keep saying these are amazing. I need some to take with us for the trip. It’s going to be a long summer without any cupcakes from The Fluffy Cupcake.”
“You’ll be too busy to care,” I promised, boxing up some of their favorite treats to take along on the trip.
“Well, I just wanted to stop in and let you know we were leaving, so keep an eye on the house,” Mom said when she took the box from me and offered a second hug. “Your dad is in the RV by the lake, or he would have come in, too.”
“I saw him last night, but hug him for me and tell him I love him. Keep me posted on your whereabouts as you go.”
“Always do,” she promised, kissing Haylee’s cheek again on her way to the door. “I put the rest of our milk and juice in your fridge to finish up. There’s plenty of meat in the freezer for you.”
What? I live with my parents, okay? It’s not like I live-live with my parents. I have my own apartment and rarely see them since they are always running around the country.
“Thanks, Mom, but I know where the grocery store is. I’m not going to eat your food.”
“You most certainly will!” she scolded. “If you don’t, it will be freezer burnt, and I’ll have to toss it when I get back. Have Haylee and Brady over for a cookout and go wild.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Okay, momma,” I promised.
Brady walked around the store and stopped next to her, holding out his arms while wearing a smile. “You might need some of Able Baker Brady’s bread for the trip, too,” he said, handing her two artisan loaves wrapped and ready for her.
She hugged it to her chest and purred. “Thank you, Brady. There has to be some perk to having two girls who own a bakery, right?” she asked with a wink. “Bye, my girls. Love you, see you in August!”
She waved after another hug, and I closed the door behind her, a smile on my face. When I turned around, Haylee and Brady were stripping off their aprons.
“We’re going home. You got the cleanup?” Hay-Hay asked, throwing the apron in the dirty laundry as I followed them to the back.
“Sure, I’m going to start closing up. I’ll deliver the day-old goods to the soup kitchen and head home. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said on a wave as I grabbed a basket to put all the day-old goods into as I went through the shelves. If we have product left at the end of the day, we mark them down for the second day, and at the end of the second day, whatever is left goes to the soup kitchen or food pantry. During the winter, we always have a lot left, but not in the summer. Brady always made sure to provide them with whatever they needed for their meals at the soup kitchen during the summer, so their patrons could take the day-old items home with them.
I was checking dates on the bread when the bell over the door dinged again. “I’ll be right with you,” I said without turning, wanting to finish the shelf I was on so I didn’t have to start over.
“You betcha,” a voice said from behind me. “I’ll stand here and admire the goods.”
I spun around when I realized the voice was vaguely familiar. My gasp was audible when I saw Bishop standing in front of me. Or was he behind me? I shook my head at myself but resisted the eye roll waiting in the wings. I didn’t want him to think I was rolling them at him.
“Hey,” I said lamely, wishing I was way less socially awkward around men. “Welcome to The Fluffy Cupcake. I guess you finally found time to stop in.”
He smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets, bouncing up on his toes. “Today was only a half-day of school, so I thought maybe I’d celebrate the end of the year with a cupcake. The ones we had last week at the graduation ceremony were addicting.”
“You’ve come to the right place,” I said, plastering a smile on my face as I walked by him. “We still have a few in the case, which is unusual for this time of day. If you’re a serious connoisseur, you’re here before prime cupcake hour.”
“Prime cupcake hour?” he asked, perplexed, while he stared into the case.
“It’s a thing,” I promised, leaning on the counter with my hip. “If you don’t believe me, stop by between the hours of ten-thirty and noon.”
He pointed at me and smiled. “I just might do that. I’m always into new adventures, and since school is out for the summer, I’ll have lots of time on my hands.”
The way he said new a
dventures sent a shiver down my spine. The look on his face when I glanced up made me swallow hard around the lump in my throat. He was making conversation, but he was eyeing me like a lion eyes its prey.
I cleared my throat and plastered on the smile I use for little, sweet old ladies and incorrigible elderly gentlemen. “Maybe I can interest you in a new flavor of cupcake.” I motioned to the case. “I have some Berry Sinful, and some Raspberry Delights left.”
“What are those?” he asked, pointing at a pan below the cupcakes.
“Miniature raspberry lemonade tarts,” I answered.
“Tarts,” he said with a question in his tone.
“You know, a pastry crust filled with, in this case, lemon cream cheese, and topped with fresh raspberries and powdered sugar. It’s very tempting, a little sassy, a little sweet, and a lot yummy.”
When his eyes met mine in the next moment, I wanted to whimper at the look they held. If eyes could lick their lips, his would, and they were looking at me like I’d be their next meal. “That could be your nickname,” he said, his eyes never straying from mine. “Tart.”
I put my hand on my hip and huffed. “I am not promiscuous!”
He waved his hand in the air. “Not that definition of the word. Rather the one you just described. You’re very tempting, a little sassy, a lot sweet, and probably even more yummy. Anyway, I will definitely take one of those and also a Berry Sinful. I see cream cheese stuffed in the middle of that strawberry, and I’m all about stuffed strawberries dipped in chocolate.”
I was trying to make my brain work again after his little declaration. Those things he said about me were so far from the truth that they were laughable. At the same time, the way he said them raced a shiver up my spine. What should have been an easy transaction had become dangerously flirty and out of my comfort zone. I cleared my throat before I spoke to avoid my voice sounding like a whimper. “Excellent choice,” I said as I started packaging them up. “The Berry Sinful cupcake was last year’s Lake Pendle Cupcake Bake-off champion. Haylee competes every year.”
He held up his finger. “And wins every year?” I nodded, and he grasped his wallet from his back pocket. “Odd that they’d let a professional compete.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I said, leaning on the counter with my palms. “Oh, that’s right. You’re new here. I’ll have to tell you the story someday.”
“I’d like that, Amber.”
The way he said my name made me swallow hard around the desire that filled me. I wanted him to leave immediately and stay forever. The fact that I had to war with those two emotions told me I needed to get him gone now.
“What do I owe you?” he asked, motioning at the box.
I thrust it toward him and waved away his money. “Consider it your welcome to Lake Pendle. Thanks for stopping by The Fluffy Cupcake.”
He accepted the box and smiled. I hated how much I liked the way it made his green eyes light up like a Christmas tree. “Thank you. A tart from a tart,” he said, holding up the box and winking. I swear I whimpered when his lashes brushed his cheek—men with lashes that long should be outlawed.
What is wrong with you, woman? Get a grip.
“Are you busy later?” he asked as he backed up toward the door.
“No, why?” I asked before I stopped long enough to think about it. Crap.
“I was hoping you could tell me the rest of the cupcake story,” he said, lifting the box in the air.
What do I do now? I just told him I didn’t have any plans, so I can’t pretend that changed in the last two seconds.
“Oh, I don’t want to bore you with all of that,” I squeaked, brushing my hand at him.
“You couldn’t possibly bore me. You have to eat, and I have to eat, so we could eat together while you tell me the story. I would love to make some friends in Lake Pendle that don’t work at the school. It’s boring talking about the same stuff with the same people all the time.”
“Okay, sure,” I said before I could stop myself. “I know what it’s like to see the same people all the time. I work here with my best friend, and I get tired of talking about cupcakes and bread all the time.”
“I knew you’d understand,” he said on a grin. “How about seven? I can pick you up if you’d like.”
I waved my hand at my neck. “I’ll probably still be here.”
I wouldn’t be, but I didn’t want him to know where I lived just yet.
“I’ll pick you up here then? I thought we could check out The Modern Goat. I hear they have great food.”
“They do,” I finally agreed. “I’ll see you here at seven.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Amber. See you then.” He waved, opened the door, and headed down the street with a spring in his step.
I lowered myself to a chair and put my head in my hands. What did I just do?
I SET THE PHONE ON the dresser and waited for it to be answered. When my best friend’s face filled the screen, I leaned in to see her better.
“I need help,” I said before she could say hello. “Major help.”
“Hello, Amber,” Haylee said with laughter in her voice. “I already know you need major help. Was this just a reminder call?”
I tossed my head back and laughed hysterically with heavy sarcasm. “You’re hilarious. I have a new problem.”
“I’ll try to help,” she said, turning serious. “What’s the problem.”
“I don’t know what to wear tonight.”
“Uh,” she said, her head tipped to the right. “Pajamas?”
“I have to be ready for dinner at seven!” I exclaimed, letting my arms fall to my sides.
“That’s a new development,” Hay-Hay said, checking her watch. “I just left the bakery a few hours ago.”
I rubbed my forehead and sighed. I was standing in my sports bra in front of my best friend while freaking out. “I agreed to dinner with this guy. I don’t know if it’s a date or just a friend thing, so I don’t know what to wear.”
“Whoa, back up the bakery wagon,” she said, leaning into the phone. “You agreed to go somewhere with a guy? You? Amber Larson? Miss I Am Never Trusting A Man Again?”
“Ha-ha,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He’s new in town, and he’s looking for friends. He stopped into the bakery earlier and bought a Berry Sinful. I mentioned that I’d have to tell him the story behind them someday since he was new to town. That’s when he asked me to dinner.”
“Wait,” she said, drawing out the T. “Are you talking about the new teacher you met when delivering cupcakes?”
I rubbed my temple and bit my lip. “Bishop Halla. That’s him. I don’t think it’s a date-date, though. I think it’s like a friend date.”
My best friend whistled and shook her head, a giant smile on her face. “I would bet my bakery that it’s a date-date.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed with fierceness. “That’s half of my bakery, too! Don’t go betting it on anything.”
“Geez, relax,” she said, the smile still on her face. “I’m not going to bet the bakery. I am going to bet that if you wear that long sundress you have, Bishop won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
I waved my finger around at her on the screen. “I don’t know if that’s what I want. I don’t even know why I agreed to this date!”
“Because as much as you don’t want to admit it, you’re lonely, Amber.”
“I am not!” I exclaimed.
“You are, and we can all see it. There’s nothing wrong with it, sis. You told me last year when I was dating all those hideous frogs that you were happy where you were. That’s changed over the last six months, or at least something has changed.”
I shrugged and lowered myself to the bed. “We need to talk about some stuff, but right now, I need to figure out what to wear to this date.”
Haylee tipped her head even more to the right. “Did I do something wrong? Are you upset with me? I’ll come over there right now if you don’t tell me what’s
going on.”
I waved my hand at my throat. “No, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s not a big deal. Things have changed with my health, and I have to stop pretending it hasn’t.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I can see it. Brady can see it. We want to help, but we can’t if you won’t let us.”
“Then you understand why going on this date is a terrible idea.”
She swung her head back and forth while her hair bounced against her shoulders. “No, it’s not. It’s okay to go out and have fun sometimes. You aren’t marrying the guy. You’re just meeting him for dinner.”
I stood up and sighed. “That’s true. Long sundress? Which one? I have thirty.”
Haylee chuckled and pointed at me. “You might have too many sundresses, but I meant the black one with the cap sleeves and the sunflowers. It’s gorgeous, and you always look super sassy when you wear it.”
“Super sassy?” I asked with a brow up in the air. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Her finger came out to point at the screen. “An excellent thing. He will see that you can hold your own, and you aren’t going to take crap from anybody.”
I tossed my head back and forth a couple of times while I thought about it. “Not untrue. Okay, sunflowers it is. Thanks, Hay-Hay.”
“You’re welcome. Have fun, okay? You don’t have to be petrified. It’s just a date.”
I rolled my eyes all the way to the back of my head. “I’m not petrified. I think it was a bad idea to agree, but since I did, I have to go. I mean, he’s a teacher, and I work in a bakery.”
She shook her finger at the screen. “No, you own a bakery, there is a huge difference. Do not start playing the inferiority card to keep this guy at arm’s length. It’s not like you didn’t go to school and get a degree, too. Relax and let things happen naturally. Maybe you’ll end up despising the guy. Maybe you’ll end up finding a friend or something more, but don’t be resistant to the idea that he’s the one you’ve waited for.”
“That’s rich coming from you.”
She shrugged her shoulder with a grin on her face. “I kissed a lot of frogs to get my prince, and you know it. I know now that I wouldn’t have had to, but they taught me that when you do find the right guy, you hold on tight.”
Tart (The Fluffy Cupcake Book 2) Page 2