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My stomach rumbles with hunger, but I've got no food and I won't eat anything else that Clover bought me. I'll be getting a paycheck from Lazy in a week and, until then, I can live on my own baked goods. I have a bag of what didn't sell today waiting in the car, but I'm saving it for dinner later.
My phone dings and I pull it out of my bag to see a bunch of missed calls and a few texts. I scroll through the texts first, all from my ex-partner, demanding I call her. My stomach sinks. This can't be good.
The first voice message is from a bakery in Atlanta I applied to six weeks before. I'd given up on hearing from them.
I put the phone to my ear as the message plays, "Dani Weston, this is Ashleigh Franklin from Franklin's Bakery. I'm calling to offer you a job at our bakery. Please forgive me for taking so long to get back to you. There was some confusion about your references. Please call me at your earliest convenience."
Franklin's Bakery is a tiny hole in the wall in a suburb of Atlanta and packed with customers every time I went there. I'd been particularly excited about that bakery, but after getting turned down for every other job I'd applied for, I'd given up when I didn't hear from them. Now, it's too late.
The second message is from a cashier from my former bakery. "Hey, Dani. This is Thomas. When you were the baker at Starshine, I worked the register. I just wanted to give you a heads up Abby fired me after Franklin's bakery called and asked for a reference from someone other than Abby. I told them you're an amazing baker and were a great boss. Abby found out and got so mad her face turned red, like she was a cartoon devil or something. Then she fired me. If you get this job at Franklin's, maybe you can put in a good word for me?"
I don't listen to Abby's messages. I can't. I need to know what the heck is going on and I don't trust her to tell me the truth.
There's only one reason Franklin's Bakery would call back yesterday and ask for a reference from someone other than Abby. There's no other explanation than Abby giving them a terrible reference for me.
It's bad enough she wanted me out of the bakery and tricked me into signing off on a contract that wasn't in my best interests, but I can justify that as a financial decision. Abby wanted a bigger share of the profit.
Preventing me from getting a job anywhere else makes no sense from a financial standpoint. It's personal.
As the phone works on connecting and then rings, I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees and tapping the coffee table restlessly.
I'd been so happy after a successful day at the bookstore. Lazy's happy with my work and I've gotten a ton of compliments, but the best was Grant's face when he tasted one of my cherry danishes. The pure ecstasy as he closed his eyes and moaned was beautiful.
He's not necessarily handsome, but in that moment, he'd been sexy as hell and the sound he made thrummed through me and woke parts of me that haven't been touched in far too long.
In every quiet moment, that sound echoes in my memory, having the same effect on my body it had in the moment.
Which is a problem, since I can't stand the guy.
"Franklin's. How may I assist you?"
"Hi, I received a call from Ashleigh Franklin and I'm calling her back. Is she available?"
"This is Ashleigh."
"Oh, hi. This is Dani Weston. I-"
"Dani. Do you mind holding on for just a moment? I want to be somewhere quiet to talk to you."
"Of course."
I listen to the sound of soft voices and music before there's a click and everything goes quiet.
"Dani, I'm so glad you called. I was worried it had been too long."
"Unfortunately, it has been. I've moved out of Atlanta and have a job in Virginia now."
"Oh, no. I'm so sorry. I've tasted your muffins, Dani, and you were my first pick to bake here."
And what a difference that would have made if she'd hired me on immediately. I would have still had to move to Virginia, but I wouldn't have been quite so broke doing it.
"I would have loved to work at Franklin's. If it's not too nosy, can I ask why you didn't hire me when I applied six weeks ago?"
Ashleigh clears her throat. "I'm not at liberty to speak about it. Please accept my apologies. If you ever move back to Atlanta, call me, dear."
"Thank you."
I hang up and stare at my phone. Everything is adding up to Abby giving me a bad reference. Did she do that for every bakery I applied to?
