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Shannon wipes the icing from her hands and drops a towel on the counter. “How many more orders do we have?” She looks exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. We’ve been here for the past eight hours, and the crowd has only let up for short periods in between extreme busy rushes.
“We can close up soon,” I tell her.
“Not yet,” a woman says from behind me.
Shannon and I both turn to face a voice that sounds familiar, surprised to see Mrs. Rizzo. She’s holding a wrapped package in her hand, gripping a cane in the other. Mrs. Rizzo pushes a white box with a big silver bow across the counter to me.
“It’s a wedding present,” she says. “I never got the chance to mail it.”
Shannon approaches the counter and leans over taking Mrs. Rizzo’s hand in hers. She gives it a quick squeeze and smiles. “You didn’t have to get us anything. Just coming here today means the world to me. Thank you.”
She means every word. Shannon loves Mrs. Rizzo like a grandmother. They grew very close over the five years she worked at the bakery. Mrs. Rizzo is the reason she wanted to become a baker. Shannon talks about how much she misses her all the time.
“It’s nothing.” Mrs. Rizzo swats her hand. “Just a cake decorating set I picked up. When I saw it, I thought of you.” She hesitates for a second, her bottom lip quivering. “I also wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have a few minutes?” She motions her head toward me. “You, too, Jamie. I’d like to speak to both of you. Now that you’re married, you make decisions together. That’s how my Angelo and I did things.”
Shannon nods and then asks one of the girls to watch over the truck. We follow Mrs. Rizzo to an open table further away from the students.
“I’m so proud of you, Shannon,” she says with a warm smile. “My Antonio loved you like a daughter, and so do I. He would’ve loved to have seen you grow into the woman you’ve become.”
A few tears spill down Shannon’s cheeks, and she wipes them away before I get the chance. Leaning into my side, Shannon reaches across the table for Mrs. Rizzo. They have a special bond like a parent and child. Now that I work with my father, instead of for him, I understand what it’s like.
“I wish he was here, too,” Shannon says, her tone soft. “Mr. R taught me a lot about owning a bakery. So did you. If not for both of you taking a chance on me when I needed a job, I doubt I would be here right now. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
The Rizzos never had kids of their own. Shannon was lucky to have people like them come into her life because her parents never pushed her in any direction. In fact, they didn’t even want her to start Shake-and-Cake. They were so afraid of her failing they tried to stop her before she ever got it off the ground.
“I’m selling Rizzo’s Bakery,” she says, a pained expression on her withered face. “Now that you’re gone, and I’m getting too old to stand in the kitchen, I have to retire. I know you’re looking for a new location for Shake-and-Cake, and I was hoping you would consider moving into Rizzo’s.”
She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. More tears spill down her cheeks. I hook my arm around her back and dab at them, but the tears keep falling.
Shannon lowers her hand and stops crying long enough to choke out, “I would be honored. Thank you, Mrs. R. I will make you proud, I promise.”
She scratches the corner of her eye. “You already have, Shannon.”
“What do you think?” Shannon asks me, hopeful.
“I say, do it. We were looking for a location, and this one already has a customer base.”
“Can we afford it?”
I almost laugh but hold it back. “Yes. You’re already turning a profit on a brand new business. Shake-and-Cake is a success.”
We’ve talked about turning her business into a franchise once we expand. A lot of food bloggers and journalists have raved over Shannon’s food and her business model. Some of them wish there was a location in their city, and in a few years, we could make that a reality. One step at a time.
Shannon flings herself into my arms, hugging me hard as she smacks a kiss on my cheek. “I love you, Jamie. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me.”
“And you on mine.” I kiss her back. “I love you, too, Shan.”
Epilogue
One year later
Jamie
Droves of people shuffle into the massive event room in Las Vegas desperate to try Quest for Shanaya. So far, only the beta testers and major publications have played. Gamer Nation Con has grown over the years, or maybe it just feels that way now that all eyes are on me. Today is the official unveiling of Quest for Shanaya to the public.
