Life Next Door (Love Not Included Series Book 2) (13 page)

“Well, I hope I won’t disappoint, Mrs. Wilson.”

With that, we shake goodbye and I walk back next door and into May’s. “Hey Katie, take a break.”

“What? Take a break how? We have customers.” I turn to Mr. Jenkins and his construction staff.

“Boys, I'm stealing away the service for a couple of minutes. Behave and no stealing pastries while we’re gone.”

“Sure thing, CeCe,” they respond in unison.

“Problem solved. Let’s go.”

Katie thinks I'm crazy. She is looking at me with her ‘
I think you’re crazy’
face. I tug on her hand and walk her out of May’s and next door. I open the door and push her in.

“You’re starting to scare me, you know.”

“It’s okay. I tend to do that to people sometimes. Now…look around and tell me what you see.”

Yep, there’s that crazy look again. I nudge my head at her, silently telling her to do as ordered. She takes a step forward and surveys her surroundings.

“Um, an empty room in major need of some TLC?”

“Great, me too! What else?”

“Bugs?”

Ugh, yeah, me too. “Okay so let’s move past all the non-pretty stuff. Use your imagination. How about I rephrase my question? What
can
you see? As in, possibilities?”

Ah, the wheels are finally starting to turn. She looks back at me. Oh, this one’s new. It looks like a
‘you are crazy but a cool kind of crazy
’ face.

“Expansion?” It’s half statement, half question.

“Ding ding ding! Okay, for what?”

“Wine?” Man, she knows me well.

“The third most important food group,” I say, because sugar is one and wine is second.

“Coffee?”

“Ding ding ding!” I yell and grab Katie’s hands and start jumping up and down.

“You’re finally going to do it?”

I stop jumping. “You knew about this?”

“Well, yeah, I was always standing by you when you would press May for the expansion.” Eh, good point.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I think it’s an amazing idea.”

“You do? Promise? You don’t think May will be rolling in her grave at the idea of adding liquids to the mix, do you?”

She smirks and rolls her eyes at me. “Ha ha, and no. She left you the shop, CeCe. She knew what ideas you had up your sleeve. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to do anything but shine. Don’t hold back. This is a great thing for May’s.”

My sweet Katie is getting all mushy on me. “Aw, thanks, Katie.”

“I just ask one thing.”

“Sure, anything,” I say.

“We hire on more staff. Now that May is gone and can’t tell us no, we need more hands.”

“Done!” I reply all too quickly.

“And preferably a good-looking male.”

She gets a snort laugh for that one. I love Katie. “Done as well. I will even let you interview and hand-pick him.”

“Good, now let’s get back to work before Mr. Jenkins pockets the whole store.”

She’s right. No matter how stern I sounded back there earlier, Mr. Jenkins is so leaving our shop with free cookies stashed in his pants.

“Oh God…ooooohhh God.”

“Babe, it’s pretty fuckin’ sexy when you call me God while I’m balls-deep in you.”

Balls-deep is describing it mildly. Because he is hitting so far home right now, I think he might break my vagina. “Yeah, that’s it babe, let it go.” I hate being told what to do, but every damn time he tells me when to come, dammit, I do. It’s like he has complete power over my libido and gets me to blow on command. It’s not fair. Of course, my lady bits betray me and I do as I'm told; I clench all around him and release. Trent is not far behind me and I feel him explode.

Once I float back down to Earth, I smile into Trent’s chest. Today has been pretty awesome so far. Mrs. Wilson just left with the contracts and I just signed my life away. I am now the proud owner of yet another unit, soon to be made into one. Not twenty-seven seconds after Mrs. Wilson shut the door, Trent and I were on the living room floor ripping each other’s clothes off. Who would have thought signing papers could be such a turn-on? 

“I love the way you look right after you orgasm,” Trent mumbles into my neck.

“Oh yeah?” I laugh. “And what look is that?”

He pulls himself up and looks into my eyes. “Happy. Content. Spent.”

“Well, gee, thanks. I was afraid you were going to say ‘rugged beast’ or something.”

He smiles and brushes a loose strand of hair away from my face. “I love that I give you that look.” Oh, here we go with the ring around the
L-word.

“What else do you love?” I ask him, challenging him to step up to the plate. I need to nip this one in the bud, because let’s be honest, I think it’s time to put both of us out of our misery. He places his hand to my face and brushes his fingers against my soft cheek.

“Your drive. Your passion. You know what you want. This whole shop expansion. The way you are with Jake and Katie. With me…” I am full to the brim with affection. And that is the exact reason I give in.

“I love you,” I blurt out. There, I said it. Cat's finally out of the bag. No taking it back. I feel Trent tense up, eyes frozen on mine. I may have just made an error in judgment with this one.

And three, two, one…in a flash, he stands and picks me up. Like a sack of potatoes, he throws me over his shoulder. This is definitely not going the way I thought it would. He walks us back toward the bedroom. Deciding the ten extra steps it would take to get to my room is way too far, he stops, slides me down his chest, slams my body against the wall and crushes his lips into mine. His kiss is powerful and possessive and totally hot.

“Thank fuck,” he declares between lips and teeth.

“Huh?” I murmur. I really would like to do less talking and more of this kissing thing.

He lets go of my lower lip, bending to take a healthy love nip from my neck. “Finally, you said it. I’ve been waiting for weeks for you to say it.”

Again I ask, “Huh?” He is sex-tonguing my neck and it feels glorious.

“After the whole stamina comment, I couldn’t step on my manhood any more by confessing my love to you like a sappy teenager. So I’ve been waiting for you to say it first.”

I pull away. Weeks? “Wait. So you’ve been waiting for
me
to say it?”

“Fuck yes.”

“For weeks?”

“Babe, I think I’ve loved you since the day I set eyes on your sweet face. Your fake anger turned me the fuck on. I think I beat off to that memory of you in that tight little sugar tank top for that whole week.”

What?             

Let’s be honest, folks. That. Was. Hot.

“You need to kiss me and like five minutes ago.”

“My pleasure, Sweetcheeks.”

That was the end of our talk and we spent the rest of the day doing other sort of talking.

Have I ever mentioned how great it is to be in love? I mean, who would have thought it would be this much fun? I can’t remember the last time I was mad or angry at anything. The world just seems brighter, like I am now living life in high-definition or something. I think about May’s wish for me and I know she would be proud. I mean, not to beat a dead horse as they say, but they aren’t kidding when they say love makes the world go round. I could probably run out of wine again and still have a smile on face.

Okay, too far? Maybe.

Anywho, life is great. It’s been two weeks since the L-bomb was dropped and I swear, if I knew it was going to be like this, I would have said it as a welcoming speech when I opened my door that first day. The expansion project has been going awesome! The building codes were approved and they started the renovations this week. I was a wee bit nervous when the machine went to the wall, knocking a huge hole through the barrier between both shops, but once most of the wall was taken down, it was like a whole new world in there. The construction was a bit hectic, what with trying to run a business around it and all. We had to take out some seating in the already tiny space and that caused some cat fights with the regulars. Who would have known that the local customers actually had daily dibs on seating?  Some of them made Betty and Mrs. Humphries look like angels.

I have the other side of the shop covered up with a tarp. I’ve caught a few customers trying to take a peak, but Katie or I jump and swat them away. I want it to be a surprise.

I have already been planning the grand opening party. Of course, wine will be served. I’ve been coming into work earlier in the mornings to get a head start on the baking list so I have more free time to play in the new space. I’ve just finished icing the last batch of almond spice cupcakes and I have to head next door to finalize the floor material going in tomorrow.

I head toward the front, passing Katie on my way out. I see her in the corner, interviewing a really cute boy. She said he may be the one. This is his second interview, and from what I’ve learned about the first one, he is a student at the local community college, plays football for their team, enjoys cooking, and the best part, he’s single. Katie’s finding, not mine. I wink at her and make my way next door.

 I open the door and see Edwardo, my contractor, speaking to a woman in a suit.

Oh no. Suit equals no good. I swear everything is up to code and approved. Did I submit everything? Shit. I should have brought over cupcakes. Nothing like bribing a city inspector with sugar. “There she is.” Edwardo points to me. Gee, thanks for selling me out. There goes my idea of pretending I was Katie and taking off.

“Thank you,” the woman says and turns to me. She struts my way and closes the space between us. “Hello. Ms. Westcott?”

“That’s me. I think. Unless this is a warrant and you’re here to take me in, then I swear I didn’t do it.” Okay, I’m not sure where that awkward comment came from.

“Okay then, Ms. Westcott. My name is Silvia Weathers. I’m a reporter for WGGN News stationed out of Cleveland, Ohio. We have been getting a lot of noise from this small town about May’s. Seems your success has spread like a wildfire. “

Huh? “Come again?”

“Ms. Westcott, it seems like you have become a legend in this town. Your ability to bake a cupcake that tastes ‘better than sex’, as a”—she lifts a tiny notepad and flips it open—“a Fran Humphries stated word for word.”

Mrs. Humphries’s first name is Fran? And she thinks my cupcakes taste better then sex? I don’t know whether to be touched or grossed-out. I do not want to know anything about Mrs. Humphries’s personal activities or have her name and sex put in the same sentence ever again!

“Ms. Westcott, I was hoping to set up an interview with you. It would be an honor to have you sit down with me and let me pick your brain on May’s and your story.”

“My story?”

“Sure, your gift. It’s clear that you have one. No baker from here to two towns over could compete with you. They’ve even admitted to sending out secret staff to May’s to stock their own stores. You have a gift, Ms. Westcott, and we want to share that with the world. If you agree we, would like to set up a time to interview you. We will set up a photo-shoot and it will not only be broadcasted on the national news, but it will be in the next issue of Cooking Today Magazine.”

Holy. Crap.

I know I’m good, but not
this
good. This is like awesome. Like crazy awesome! Like, I’m going to be famous, awesome. Well, it sounds like, according to her, I’m already famous for my baking.

“Still with me, Ms. Westcott?” Mental smack in the head. Stay on Earth.

“Oh yes, sorry, you just are catching me off guard with all this. It’s a lot to take in. In a good way, of course.”

“I bet. Well, it sounds like you’ve earned all the press you get.”

“Thank you, Ms…”

“Silvia Weathers, but please, call me Silvia.”

“Silvia, thank you. Yes, I would love to sit down for an interview. Thanks for thinking my story and May’s is worth the air time.”

“Oh, trust me, I do. We have had some secret shoppers in your bakery all week and I’ve never seen grown men fight so much over cupcakes in my life.”

At this, I laugh. I wish we all could just get along. There are enough cupcakes for all.

Silvia proceeds to pull out her planner and we set a preliminary date for the interview. She tells me that she is going to schedule the show for right before the grand opening of the expansion for greater exposure. This gets me all sorts of giddy; there is nothing better than free advertising.

We head back to May’s and I box-up three dozen varieties of cupcakes and tarts galore for the station and her staff. I try to play it cool, but when she says her goodbyes and puts out her hand, I actually hug her, totally blowing my collected façade.

I tell Katie I’m taking the rest of the day off and I go straight home and find my boyfriend.
Ahhh, love that word
. Right after I tell him my exciting news, I’m going to insist he takes me in every part of the house to celebrate.