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CHAPTER1
Denise
"Happy Birthdayyy!"
The screamed words hit me as soon as I open my front door.
Two grown women are standing on my porch, hooting and hollering into the evening air.
They're holding an armful of bags and balloons, shrieking like girls half their age getting ready for spring break.
"Oh my goodness, youguys."A wave of warmth rises inside me as I hug each woman. "What are you two doing here?"
The blonde on the left gives me a beaming smile. It's my younger sister, Sheila.
She's still wearing her pink nursing scrubs and is holding a cake bigger than her head. "I know you said you didn't want to celebrate." She pinches me in the side. "But Lisa and I decided that you could use some cheering up. We wanted to make sure you felt celebrated."
I laugh. "I'm sure the entire neighborhood feels celebrated at this point." I cast a glance toward the quiet houses flanking mine on either side. "But who am I to stand in the way of your public service announcement?"
My best friend Lisa is standing beside Sheila, cackling. "I'm sure your neighbors won't judge you for making a little noise on your birthday. And even if they do, we are way too old to care."
Ever the trendsetter, Lisa sports a playful polka-dot dress, perfectly offsetting the glistening bottles of Prosecco in each hand. "Now, let's celebrate!" She waves the bottles like maracas. "You only turn forty-five once!"
I chuckle as Lisa and Sheila push past me into my bungalow, a rush of salty sea air following in their wake. The familiar scent calms me, and I can't help but linger on the porch for a moment.
I used to think it was cliché how people said the sea is therapeutic. But now that I live on the beach, I've found it profoundly true. The scent is like a lullaby, bringing comfort and tranquility. It's a smell I've come to love, as much a part of me as the freckles on my skin or the laugh lines around my eyes.
After a few seconds, I reluctantly shut my door and walk into my living room. And when I do, I can't help but frown.
When I bought my bungalow a year ago, the small space felt fun and eclectic. It's a two-bedroom, one-bath with a wonky layout, but it has great bones, large windows, and tons of natural light.
I decided to buy it because it felt homey. And at the time, there was nothing I wanted more than to feel at home. But now that I'm working so much, all my mismatched furniture and piles of clutter feel...chaotic.
"Sorry for the mess, ladies," I say sheepishly as I walk into the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting company."
Lisa gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't sweat it, honey. You know I didn't come all this way to see your house." She moves a stack of mail and sits on one of the barstools surrounding my kitchen island. "I came here to seeyou."
Lisa and I have been best friends since we were freshmen at Texas A&M - almost twenty-five years. She's divorced, like me, and still lives back in Houston, where she works as a legal secretary.
"You know I don't have any room to talk," Sheila chimes in as she sets three plastic glasses on the granite countertop. "I have a husband and four kids. My house is one messy, revolving door. Speaking of which, Lisa is staying with me this weekend."
Lisa pops open the Prosecco and starts pouring generously. "I hope that's okay. We didn't want to ruin the surprise, and I figured you would be busy most of the time."
"Of course, it's okay." I grab a glass and take a generous gulp.
Lisa gives me a sympathetic look while Sheila shakes her head and tops off my glass.
"Things at the bakery still that bad?" Sheila asks.
I sigh and take another sip, although this time more slowly.
I took over as the owner of the Sugar Breeze Bakery last year after my mom passed away. Sugar Breeze is famous for its cupcakes, which my mom used to say were "as sweet as a summer breeze." To everyone's surprise, she left the bakery for me alone to run.
Since I was going through a divorce at the same time, and my only daughter, Sophia, was heading off to college, I figured that taking over Sugar Breeze would give me the fresh start I needed.
But things haven't exactly worked out that way.
Running a bakery is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
