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I knew it was all for the best. Or at least I tried to make myself believe that. I was failing miserably. Honestly, it hurt that he hadn’t contacted me. I thought we had a connection. Apparently it was one-sided since he didn’t even tell me that the article he wrote had been published. Raine Peters, the lifestyle reporter who was supposed to have written the article, had emailed me with a link.
Dear Sorrel,
Eric asked me to make sure you got a copy of this. He was certain you had canceled your subscription. He mentioned something about you two getting off on the wrong foot. I’m not surprised. He’s a bit of a heavy hitter around here and keeps to himself. I’m still not sure how and why he got assigned to cover this story in my absence. But I have to admit, he did a better job than I would have. In fact, I’m kind of jealous of his prose. You must have really impressed him. Which isn’t surprising. I tell everyone I know they should make the drive from Atlanta to Riverhaven just for your cupcakes and the chance to talk to you.
I hope this article brings you tons of business. You’re a real gem.
Toodles,
Raine
Her note was sweet, and I was glad she was feeling better after her appendectomy. She had been in the hospital longer than she had expected. If only I could have sneaked in and given her some of my special vegetable juice with fenugreek and almond oil, she would have healed in a jiffy. Better yet, if I’d known earlier, I could have given her some and she’d still have her appendix. I knew I couldn’t save the world, but I wished I could. It would help me to feel better about my lonely existence.
I gave a big thumbs-up to Josie, who was on stage singing her heart out for the newly married couple and half the state of Tennessee. She was belting out a fabulous rendition of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” Not to mention she was totally rocking it in her tight coral dress. I wasn’t sure she saw me among the large crowd of inebriated wedding goers, but I pretended she had and scooted off to an empty table near the cake display, where only crumbs of my masterpiece remained.
In the glow of the lantern centerpiece, I clicked on the link to Eric’s article. Butterflies erupted in my stomach just knowing I was going to read his beautiful words. Words that on one hand led me to believe he liked me as much as I liked him but on the other hand confused me. Why couldn’t he have at least sent the article to me? It was as if he was purposely avoiding me. Like my dream was real. Which was insane, right? My dad used to tell me that dreams were important and I should pay attention to them. Now, as an adult, I assumed he meant that in a metaphorical way, because when I was a little girl, I used to dream all the time that I lived in a castle made of mostly windows and that my pink teddy bears were real and could talk to me. Dad used to laugh and smile when I told him that. He would say, “Your world will be as magical as you want to make it.” Eric was pretty magical. At least in my dreams. No. Not just there. His article made my heart sing.
When I walked into Love Bites, I expected I would be writing an uninspired story about another wedding cake baker whose highest aspirations were to be discovered by a televised baking competition where they manufactured drama and chose the winner before the contest even started. But this hardened reporter was pleasantly surprised by the owner, Sorrel Black. From the first moment I met her, I knew this wouldn’t be a run-of-the-mill, feel-good story. Because there is nothing run-of-the-mill about Sorrel.
To start with, her bakery looks like a dollhouse decorated in every imaginable shade of pink. It invokes feelings of hope and happiness—two words I would use to describe the owner herself. Even her customers seem to feed off the energy of the place and her. You will hardly find a face there without a smile. That is unless you happen to be daring enough to book a wedding cake tasting appointment with her. Then you should be prepared to have your deep-seated secrets come to the surface. Sorrel has an uncanny way of bringing out the truth in the future brides and grooms. Some say it’s the cake. I would say it’s the way Sorrel can look into your soul and make you wish you were a better person—the person she can see deep inside of you. She will have you longing to do anything to become that person, even if it means facing the truths that scare you the most and announcing them to the world. But don’t worry, all is not lost, she has a gift for healing rifts too. Just a touch of her hand calms the most agitated hearts.
