Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80893 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Mom: Have a great day, my beautiful daughters,
Dad: Now you’re just trying to make me look bad.
My parents are the best people on the planet. Sure, I might be biased, but it’s the truth. They’ve supported us in everything we’ve wanted to do. Although they didn’t want us to move away, they knew I needed it. I think knowing that Aspen and I were going to be together helped.
Aspen: Love you!
Me: Love you!
With a smile on my face, I unlock the door and let the small crowd that’s been waiting outside in. Today is going to be a great day indeed.
We’ve been slammed all morning, and I can’t seem to stop smiling. Aspen is in the small lobby wiping down the tables that are finally empty from this morning’s rush. “I’m going to run back and grab another pan of magic bars,” I tell her.
“I can’t believe how busy we’ve been.” Her smile matches mine.
“Right?” I chuckle, disappearing into the kitchen to grab another pan of bars. “This is the last of them,” I say, meeting her back behind the counter. She slides open the display case so that I can replace the full pan with the empty one.
“Do you want me to make more?”
“Nah, it’s just before eight. We have a full pan and plenty of other options.” Since we close at noon every day, it leaves the afternoon for catering jobs, which reminds me I need to hire a delivery driver. It’s too much for Aspen and me to keep up with. It takes both of us to run the bakery, and we’ve had a few deliveries requested for the morning hours.
“Can you hold down the fort for a few minutes?” she asks. “I need to run to the restroom.”
“Go, while you can.” I laugh.
“That’s a good problem to have, sister.” She gives me a quick hug before disappearing into the kitchen to use the small staff restroom.
The chime over the door rings out and I lift my head to greet my next customer. I open my mouth to say hello, but no words come out as I watch the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on saunter into the bakery.
“Morning.” He grins.
I shake out of my fog and offer him a smile, feeling my face heat. “Good morning. Welcome to Warm Delights. What can I get you?”
“It all looks delicious,” he says, but he’s not looking at the display case. No, he’s looking at me.
Me!
He has dark hair, cut short on the sides and a little longer on top. His eyes are a deep blue, and they’re mesmerizing. He’s wearing dress pants and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tattoos on display. It’s an unseasonably warm day for January, and it appears he’s taking full advantage of it. My mouth waters as I lick my lips. “To-Today’s special is magic bars.” I point to the display case.
“Magic bars,” he repeats, his eyes still locked with mine. “Tell me more,” he says, leaning in a little closer.
“Well, they have a buttery graham cracker crust, topped with layers of chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, chopped nuts, and finished with a blanket of sweetened condensed milk,” I rattle off the ingredients on autopilot.
“I’ll take all you have left.” He smiles.
“Um… that’s an entire tray.” I glance down at the tray I just slid into the display case.
“That’s fine. I have four brothers who will be sure to steal these and two sisters-in-law, one of which is eating for two. I’ll take them all.” His eyes are still locked on mine, never once straying.
“Don’t you want to try one first? You don’t even know if you like them.”
“Did you make them?”
“Yes,” I say. My cheeks grow hot, and I’m not sure if it’s embarrassment or this man's attention solely focused on me. It takes extreme effort to pull my gaze from his as I get to work packaging the entire pan of magic bars. I fight the slight tremble in my hands from his attention and pray to whoever is listening that he doesn’t see it. When I finally have his order packaged, I have to steel my resolve and face him again.
“Can I get you anything else?” I ask.
He nods, a slow smile tilting his lips. “As a matter of fact, there is one more thing I can’t leave here without,” he tells me.
“Sure, what can I get you?”
“Your number.”
I pause, replaying his words over in my mind, knowing that I must have heard him wrong. “Of course.” I reach for a card on the counter by the register. “Our hours are listed on the back as well as our website.”
“That’s great, thank you. However, that’s not the number I was referring to. I want your number. As in your personal number.”
“You can reach me here.” I smile, trying to hide my unease. I have no idea what he wants with my number. Men who look like him don’t want chubby girls like me.