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Chapter 2
“Here you go,” Linley said on Monday, coming into my tiny office at the back of the bakery. It had once been an extra storage closet, but they’d cut a window out for me so I got some sunlight, and had added a desk and a chair. I’d tried to do a lot of work at home, but it was much easier to come in so I could get new pictures and active shots for social, and it was nice to interact with my family and the customers.
Linley held a plate with a pink-frosted donut with rainbow sprinkles on it. My favorite.
“You’re an angel,” I said. I’d been so immersed in looking at the click-through rate on our paid advertising that I’d forgotten to eat.
“I’ve got your back,” Linley said, sitting down in the only other chair that would fit in the tiny space.
“You good?” she asked as I sunk my teeth into the donut. There was nothing like Sweet’s donuts. They were as soft as clouds and had the perfect hit of sweetness in the strawberry frosting. I’d gotten so spoiled by their quality that I couldn’t handle donuts from any franchise restaurant. They all tasted like tough garbage now in comparison.
I chewed and swallowed, wiping my face with a napkin.
“Yeah, why?”
“I mean, no reason, but I got kind of a weird vibe on Saturday.”
“What kind of vibe?” I asked, trying to keep my face calm.
“I don’t know. Maybe I just have wedding brain. But it seemed like there was something weird between you and Alivia,” she said.
I didn’t want to lie to my cousin. But I also didn’t want to make things awkward. I was helping Linley with a lot of the wedding stuff, so I was going to be bumping into Alivia a lot. Not to mention that I was going to see her on the actual day. I was grown-up enough to act normal in front of her, so there was no need to add drama for Linley. She had enough going on.
“No, nothing weird. She just looked like someone I knew, but it wasn’t her,” I said. This was…kind of close to the truth?
“Okay, cool,” Linley said, satisfied. She got up and sighed.
“Guess who’s doing another gender reveal cake?” She pretended to gag.
The cake she’d done for Em’s sister Gretchen’s reveal had gone slightly viral last year, and so Sweet’s had been inundated with requests from all over the state, and even some from other states. Linley had driven cakes all over the place, for an extra fee.
“What’s this one?”
“Bows or Bullets,” she said, and I cringed.
“What is wrong with people?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I have no idea, but I have to make a half pink-princess, half camo cake now. They paid the extra rush fee, so whatever. It’s a cake. Do you want to take some progress pics?”
Not really.
“Yeah, sure. Just let me know when you’re at a good place,” I said, going back to my donut.
“Will do,” Linley said and saluted me before going back out to the main kitchen.
I had more visitors, including my Aunt Martha and Uncle Mitch, who came to ask various questions. I’d also started doing some of the ordering and bookkeeping as well, since I hadn’t met a spreadsheet I didn’t like.
The job kept me busy, and I got to use my creative side. Honestly, an ideal situation.
I finished my afternoon with pictures of the offensive cake, which was beautifully decorated, as always.
“You coming over tonight?” Linley asked as I shut my office door and planned to head out for the day.
“Yeah, I’ll see you at six?” Natalie was with Em tonight, and Gray had a work event at the hospital where he was a phlebotomist, so we’d decided to do a cousin dinner, except Paige and Esme were also coming over. I thought of them as my honorary cousins, since they were two of Linley’s best friends.
“Great, see you then!” I said goodbye to my aunt and uncle and a few of the regular customers that I saw every day. Somehow, I’d become part of this town. This community. I wasn’t upset about it.
I waved to people on the road as I drove the short distance back to my apartment building. Linley lived just a floor below me. It was nice to have her so close, but still have my privacy. Since Natalie was off with Em so much, it was almost like I had my own place most nights. I kept expecting the two of them to move in together, but they were saving money right now so they could buy a house. They’d been pestered enough about getting married, so I didn’t want to add to that pressure.
