Bittersweet

by Jacquie Underdown

  Again Mitch nodded.

  Tom rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand, just letting her know he was here for her.

  ‘I love Sugar Cakes. And Rachel was right, it has been a godsend for me. A Rachel-send,’ she corrected. ‘But I think if I’m to continue running the shop, I need to change it up. I need to inject more of myself into it, so it’s more of a partnership between Rachel and me. But I want your permission first before I do anything. And I’ll accept either answer.’

  Mitch cleared his throat as he looked out over the vineyard. When he peered back at Amy, he smiled sadly. ‘You and Rachel are the strongest women I’ve ever met. Except for Mum before she became ill.’

  Tom nodded in agreement.

  ‘I wish I was more like you. But, I guess my grief will take a different path. And that’s okay. But I agree with what you’re saying. Rachel left Sugar Cakes to you. And she had her reasons for doing that. She trusted that whatever decision you make will be the right one. So that’s what I will do too, trust you. You do what you need to do. I support you one hundred per cent.’

  Amy smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘And I’m glad you’re staying. I know if Rachel were still here, she’d feel the same way.’

  Tom leaned over and kissed Amy’s cheek. ‘I love you,’ he whispered in her ear.

  ‘And she’d be happy to see you two together too,’ he said with a smile, though Tom could hear the tightness in his throat as he struggled with his emotions.

  They sat in silence for a long time until the moment was cut by a series of rumbles in Sophie’s nappy. Laughter burst from all of them. And when Sophie offered a gummy grin right back, they laughed harder until tears ran from their eyes.

  Perhaps it was how they were best able to relieve some of the tension.

  ‘Thank you, Sophie, for keeping it real,’ Tom said.

  Mitch laughed and said, ‘She has to have inherited that skill from Rachel.’

  Later that afternoon, Tom said to Amy, ‘I’ve got a question to ask you.’

  She arched a brow. ‘Wow. Okay. There are a number of ways to interpret that.’

  Tom’s eyes widened when he realised what one of those interpretations might be. Marriage.

  Amy laughed. ‘Judging by the fear in your eyes, I’m going to assume you’re not asking me to marry you, nor gifting me a surprise ring.’

  Tom chuckled. ‘Not quite.’

  In his car, they headed across the vineyard towards his semi-constructed house. His stomach was rumbling with nerves, which almost made him laugh to think this could make him anxious. But it was going to be a big step forward in their relationship and commitment to each other.

  And if she said no … No, he wasn’t going to think about that.

  When at the house, Tom parked, and they climbed out, feet on the soil below. ‘Wow, quite a lot of progress here,’ Amy said.

  He nodded, taking her hand and pulling her to him. He kissed her, deep and slow.

  When he drew away, she smiled up at him, a dazed look in her eyes. ‘What was that about?’

  ‘I love you.’

  She giggled, and a blush crept over her cheeks. ‘I love you too.’

  ‘Amy,’ he said. ‘I want you to live here with me.’

  Amy blinked. Blinked again.

  ‘Once it’s finished, of course. What do you think? I know it’s a big step, but it feels like the right move.’ He held her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

  ‘I … I don’t know what to say. Are you sure?’

  He was as certain as he’d ever been. Looking back, she was why he had chosen to go ahead with the construction. He wanted a private space for them to be together. ‘Absolutely.’

  A smile spread across her face. ‘I’d love to.’

  ‘In the meantime, and I’ve cleared it with Sam, you’re welcome to stay with us until this is built.’

  ‘Um … okay. As long as you’re both fine with it.’

  ‘I’m more than okay. God, I can’t wait to wake up with you every morning.’

  ‘Me too.’

  He laughed, consumed with an intense happiness and hopefulness about the future.

  She jumped into his arms and straddled her legs around his waist as she giggled. ‘I love you so much, Tom Mathews.’

  He kissed her deeply as he spun her around in his arms. ‘I love you too.’

  Chapter 34

  At the cupcake shop the following Monday morning, Amy took the sign off the front door that stated it had been closed for a week due to renovations.

  Outside was already a line-up of customers anticipating the re-opening and unveiling of Amy’s new shop. The sign above the door now read Love and Cupcakes. A new bar Tom had constructed lined one side of the shop and housed a new espresso machine. Amy had hired an experienced barista to take care of the drink bar day to day.

  With the help of the three brothers, they had managed to paint the walls a beautiful pale lemon and the ceiling a crisp white. Amy found wonderful second-hand cabinets to display her new range of slices, macaroons, and cakes.

  A colourful sign with the new name was painted onto the wall behind the counter in a pretty gold font.

  With Mitch’s permission, Amy gave another interview to the local reporter, explaining how this store was representative of a heart-broken family moving on with their lives while still honouring Rachel’s original concept.

  Amy neither denied nor accepted that her cupcakes held any romantic tendencies, but that she was happy if her lovely customers’ love-lives improved as a result of eating the cupcakes. And Rachel would have been happy too.

  A little before opening time, Mitch arrived with Sophie. She was dressed in a gorgeous little romper suit that Tom had had embroidered for her with ‘I love cupcakes’ on the front.

  Amy went to Mitch and kissed his cheek. ‘Thanks for coming,’ she said. She kissed Sophie’s head. ‘And you too.’

  Mitch checked out the colourful array of cupcakes, each with a romantic theme. Red, pink, white, and rich dark chocolate topped with love hearts and Cupid bows, decked the shelves. To the side were strawberry macaroons, red velvet cakes, and cherry and coconut slice.

  ‘Wow, Amy, this looks amazing.’

  She smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  Tom came through from the back, grinning wide. Sam followed close behind him. Amy smiled at them both and kissed Tom. ‘Good morning,’ she said.

  ‘Smells amazing in here.’ He rubbed her arm and said with a serious tone, ‘How are you feeling?’

  She grinned. ‘Really good.’

  He winked. ‘Excellent.’ He retrieved a small pink tissue-paper parcel from Sam and held it out for her.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked, taking it from him. She couldn’t wipe the grin from her face.

  ‘You’ll have to find out.’

  Amy ripped the paper and pulled out the gift inside. Another apron, in yellows and whites. On the left side was embroidered Love and Cupcakes and, on the right, in the same font, was her name.

  Amy pressed a hand to her heart. ‘It’s lovely.’ She kissed Tom on the cheek. ‘Thank you so much. I love it.’

  She untied the other apron she was wearing and dressed in the new one. It blended with the updated colour palette of the shop.

  ‘Remember, Amy, any leftovers you are to bring straight home for me,’ Sam said.

  Amy laughed. ‘You don’t need to remind me.’

  Tom breathed in. ‘Are you ready?’

  Amy nodded and grinned. She was excited and over the moon with how the shop turned out, but there was an undercurrent of sadness to the day as well. But this was how life was going to be without Rachel—bittersweet.

  Amy peered at each member of her new family. They all shared that same bitter-sweetness—a tinge of sadness behind their smiles. But their lives would go on. Go on together.

  After a deep breath in, Amy went to the front door and opened it wide.

  ‘Good morning, everyone,’ she said to the lo
ng line of people on the sidewalk. ‘Love and Cupcakes is now open for business. Come on in.’

  Customers ebbed inside, filling the store. Locals were happy with the changes and loved to see Mitch with Sophie out and about. Meanwhile, Tom helped serve the customers, while Sam assisted with the drink bar.

  A bubbling happiness surged through the store as customers shared their romance success stories, ate cupcakes and drank coffee.

  Amy chatted with and served customers all morning, but she needed a moment to take a breath. She headed out to the back room, closed her eyes and inclined her face to the ceiling. She may have accepted that Rachel was gone, but she couldn’t deny feeling her presence here today.

  Whether that was her spirit, or her memory, or that fragment of Rachel she would hold forever in her heart; it didn’t matter. She didn’t have to define what it was, but just accept that her beloved friend was here.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  Tom came in behind her, touched her waist. She wiped at her eyes and spun to face him, giving him a watery smile.

  ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Everything okay?’

  She nodded. ‘Yep. Everything’s great.’ And it was. She lifted onto her toes and kissed his lips. ‘I love you.’

  He smiled. ‘I love you too. Now come on, your customers await you.’

  As she went out the front, she met the gaze of Mitch. He flashed her a knowing smile. Then Sam, that same look of understanding. She smiled back at them.

  In unique ways, Rachel was here with them all.

  Amy stood beside Tom, pressed her hand into his, grateful he was here for her today. Tom pulled her to him with a cheeky glint in his eye. Before she knew what was happening, he’d gripped her waist, pressed one hand to her back and tilted her backwards in his arms, almost to the floor.

  She giggled as he leaned over her and kissed her hard on the mouth. A cheer rose from the customers, some yahooed, others chuckled. When he let her back up, he was laughing, looking at her as though he couldn’t love her any more.

  Funny that, because she felt the same way about him.

  Amy looked up at the ceiling and grinned.

  So this was your plan all along.

  Thanks for reading Bittersweet. I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage jacquieunderdown.com, follow me on Twitter @authoraire, or like my Facebook page.

  You can also follow me through my publisher’s page here www.escapepublishing.com.au

  Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you’ve read, and what you thought.

  You’ve just read a book in my Brothers of the Vine series. The other books in this series are The Sweetest Secret and Sweet from the Vine.

  If you liked this book, here are my other books Catch Me a Cowboy, Pieces of Me, Beautiful Illusion, Unstitched, The Paler Shade Of Autumn and Beyond Coincidence.

  This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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  ISBN: 9781489255228

  Title: Bittersweet

  Copyright © 2018 by Jacquie Underdown

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrie
val system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Limited, Level 13/201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2000.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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