Always the Baker

Chapter 1

1

B illie

Six Months Later

I sighed, staring at the screen in front of me. Another business card design for Joe’s Plumbing . Exciting stuff. Every time I was tasked with something like this, I couldn’t believe this was my life. Sure, I appreciated the steady flow of business but Jesus. Just once I wished a fresh, new, and exciting client file was set on my desk. It was bad enough I had to spend my days doing something I didn’t want to do. At least it could feel worth it.

Joe got a new set of business cards every year. How many ways could one make a toilet design look different? The cursor blinked, mocking my lack of inspiration. I glanced around the cramped office of my parents’ graphic design and printing company, feeling suffocated by the beige walls and the smell of cardboard and toner. This place was just as dull and lifeless as I’d been feeling since my breakup with Ian. As if it wasn’t bad enough for things to end between us, I felt like I’d wasted three years with him.

He knew he didn’t want to marry me, but he led me on anyway. Worse, he opened up a wound of insecurity that I hadn’t been able to shake since. I felt like my life had no meaning at this point. I felt like I’d failed myself somehow. Like I was supposed to be further along than I was. It didn’t matter how many times I told myself I was only twenty-five. I still felt like my life should have been filled with more than it was.

As a teenager, I swore I’d be married fresh out of college with at least one child by now. I wanted to have my own bakery and be a well-known artist to honor Mom. I had no kids, no husband, no bakery, no well-known art pieces, and three hundred and sixty eight dollars to my name. Well, that wasn’t including the twelve hundred dollars I’d saved since the breakup. Everything else had gone toward getting a small studio apartment and getting it furnished. Just thinking about the bills that had piled up over the months made me regret getting serious with Ian even more.

Something told me not to move in with him until we were married but I gave up my two bedroom apartment by the river and moved in with him. It was only five hundred bucks a month because they double reserved my one bedroom apartment, so they put me in a two bedroom, and the property manager never changed it. Now, I was paying three times that in an apartment complex downtown.

“Ugh.” I groaned, blinking my dry eyes. Regardless of how bored I was with Joe and his damn toilets, I needed to finish this project so I could get my commission.

“Billie, honey, did you finish those designs for the high school reunion T-shirts?” Mom asked from her desk.

The front office was probably twice the size of my bedroom. In the back, we had a smaller room for files and supplies, and a second room with all the printers.

“Almost done.” I lied, minimizing the plumbing business card and pulling up the T-shirt file. I’d barely started it. The good thing was it would be a quick and easy design. Trina had given me a lot to work with for the design. I’d add a little of my razzle dazzle and personal touch, but she’d done most of the thinking for me.

My mind wandered to the sketchbook hidden in my desk drawer, filled with cityscapes and abstract designs. Real art, not this small town stuff that literally anyone could do. It was crazy how my mom filled me with a dream of this life of an artist yet stifled me by making me work for her company. I imagined myself in a penthouse apartment, paintbrush in hand, creating something meaningful. It was bad enough that I wasn’t baking. Now, I hadn’t had a lot of time to focus on my art either. We were doing an early fall promotion for 40 percent off, which meant almost twice the work with no extra money.

The clock ticked loudly. Only two more hours until freedom.

“What are you doing for dinner this evening, Billie?” Mom asked. Her fingers clicked her wireless mouse as she worked on a design of her own.

“I’m going to Ember’s place after work. We’ll probably order in,” I answered, already envisioning the moment when I’d drive away from this place. I knew I spent too much time here to be so depressed by it, but until business picked up and she could hire more help, this was my life.

“Don’t stay out too late, honey. We’ve got that big mug order to finish tomorrow.”

I cringed before chuckling. “Right. Mugs. Can’t wait.” How could I forget about the order for two dozen mugs for a cat club? They wanted two dozen mugs, each one with a cat on it, for their next yarn night. Ugh. Who knew the highlight of my workday would be adding glitter to a toilet for Joe?

Later that Evening

The moment I got into my car, I took the time to check my phone since I tried to stay off it while on the clock. Mom didn’t really care about that as long as I got my work done, but if she saw me with it too much, she’d start watching my moves. I was shocked to see an email with the subject: Can you make my wedding cake?

Tingles shot up my spine as I immediately opened the email. It felt like forever had passed since I made a wedding cake. After the breakup, the last thing I wanted to do was be around all that love. I didn’t want to become a bitter Billie, but that’s how I’d been feeling lately. Would I have been able to be around a bride and not think about my three-year relationship ending? I was tired of being the baker—I wanted to be the bride.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I thought about that episode of Frasier where Roz ranted about all the bridesmaid dresses she had and that she’d never become the bride. There was no other sitcom episode that I agreed with more. But this email was different. Maybe it was because six months had passed, and maybe it was because I needed the moment and a chance to do something I truly loved. Either way, my smile was genuine as I read the email. The bride to be, Jaleesa, gave me all the details about her upcoming winter wonderland wedding.

She said she wasn’t sure about the flavor of the cake or the design, just that she wanted me to create it and was willing to pay for my priority. After shooting her an email to set up a time to meet, I checked the rest of my notifications before heading to Ember’s place. I wasn’t sure when we’d meet and how it would go, but just knowing there was an opportunity for me to get back to baking gave me hope.

That Weekend

Nervously, I headed inside of Steeped . It was a cool tea bar with a massage parlor and bookstore as well. Swayde, the owner, was probably one of the sweetest women I knew. She was truly a sweetheart, and I was glad she’d found love with Titan. There was a time she gave me hope I’d find love for myself, but after Ian, I wasn’t so sure.

He broke something inside of me that shifted the way I thought. The way I felt with men. A part of me no longer felt safe with them. Like I couldn’t trust them. Maybe that was dramatic, but knowing he’d been dissatisfied with our relationship for at least a year without saying something had stuck with me long after I removed him from my life.

It didn’t matter how much I busied myself with work and joked to keep people from knowing how much I was struggling, that last conversation with Ian replayed in my head almost daily. Never in my life had I felt so low.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, I plastered on a smile and made my way to the counter to order. After ordering a cheese pastry with plum jam and a green tea with a splash of cream, I headed to a table in the back so I could people watch. I didn’t know what Jaleesa looked like, but she told me she would have on a dark orange sweater dress. Since she had no idea what she wanted, I brought my idea book for inspiration. The front half had pictures of cakes I’d designed over the years, and the back was filled with pictures of cakes I wanted to try to duplicate in the future.

It wasn’t until I grabbed my pastry and tea that a woman entered the bar with an orange sweater dress on. She had a glow on her pretty brown face that screamed in love and newly engaged. I gave her a slight wave, causing her to head in my direction as I set my pastry on the table.

“Billie?” she confirmed.

“Yes, hi.” I extended my hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too! You did my cousin’s cake for her wedding a year ago. As soon as I saw it and had a bite, I said I wanted you for my wedding.”

“And here we are. I love that!”

We continued to make small talk for a few seconds about her cousin and my previous work before she left to order a mug of tea. When she returned to the table, I was halfway done with my pastry and tempted to get another one. There was something about jam on a warm cheese pastry that was almost sinful to me.

“So… I’m sure your time is limited, but do you mind waiting a few minutes for my fiancé?” Jaleesa confirmed as she sat back down.

Nodding, I wiped the corners of my mouth. “Not at all.” Thankfully, we were closed today, so I didn’t have to go to work. “I can wait.”

“Yay! He’s the typical man and isn’t interested in being involved but I made him promise to at least be involved with the menu.”

We shared a quiet laugh as I nodded. “I can’t count how many times I’ve heard that. Most guys like this part because they at least get to eat good.”

“I’m excited about the samples.”

“Me too! I haven’t been baking lately, so I’m looking forward to doing your samples. I usually only do three, but you’ll probably get six different flavors to choose from.”

“Ooh, my mouth is watering already.”

The bell chimed and my eyes lifted toward the door. At the sight of Ian, I choked on my pastry. It went down the wrong pipe or something, causing me to clutch my throat as I coughed. Jaleesa leaped from her seat and lifted my arms. As she patted my back, I kept my glistening eyes on Ian, praying he didn’t come to our table.

He did.

Was he coming to help me?

Surely he couldn’t have been coming because he was her fiancé.

How could he be?

We’d been separated for only six months.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” Jaleesa asked, handing me my tea to sip.

“I-I’m f-fine,” I stuttered before coughing again. I took a few small sips of the tea and shut my eyes, unable to look at Ian as he stood next to her.

“Baby, get Billie some water.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated, sterner than I meant to. I had no reason to be upset with her. She clearly didn’t know who I was beyond the woman who made her cousin’s wedding cake. She didn’t know her fiancé was my ex… right?

“Are you sure?” she asked sweetly, rubbing my back. For some reason, her concern pissed me off.

“Yes.” Clearing my throat, I pushed my braids off my shoulders and pulled in a deep breath. My legs began to shake under the table as I felt Ian’s eyes burning a hole in the side of my face.

“I’ll um, get the water just in case,” he offered. I couldn’t respond.

Jaleesa took her seat across from me, which meant Ian was going to be sitting between us.

Freaking great.

It was going to be a sandwich of the ex and the next with his ass in the middle.

Ugh .

As he set the water in front of me, I looked up at him with a frown. I felt my lip twitch, and that was the only reason I looked away.

“Thanks,” I grumbled, no longer excited about baking this wedding cake.

My head shook in disbelief. There was so much I wanted to say, to ask, but I remained professional. I halfway listened as Jaleesa told me about the little that she had in mind. We went through pictures in my idea book, and she loved three designs. After that, we discussed flavors, icing, layers, and centerpieces. I told her I’d sketch a few options for her to choose from, and after that, we could set a date for the samples.

When the time came to discuss my pricing, Jaleesa wanted Ian to pay upfront. He agreed but I declined. Honestly, I needed to be sure I could even handle the job. How was I going to make his wedding cake? How could he trust me to not use salt instead of sugar? After promising her that I’d reach out via email to discuss next steps, I tried to leave quickly, but Ian was on my heels as I left the bar.

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly, stepping next to me.

“Did you know she was meeting me?”

“No. You know I wouldn’t do that.”

Chuckling, I looked toward the dreary sky. “I don’t know that at all.”

“Well, I didn’t. She told me to meet her to talk about cake. It didn’t cross my mind that she was talking about a wedding cake made by you.”

I waited until we were by my car to ask, “Were you cheating on me with her?”

His jaw clenched and head hung before it shook. “No. I was talking to her but as friends only. We worked an account together at work when she came in as a new hire like a year and a half ago.”

“Priceless.” My laugh was humorless as I leaned against my car. “Around the same time you suddenly stopped being attracted to me.”

With a sigh, he ran his hands down his face. “Look, we just… had things in common and—”

“I really don’t care, Ian. Do you want me to make the cake or not?”

He shrugged and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Not if it’ll be uncomfortable.”

I needed the money, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. He was the reason I hadn’t taken any jobs lately. He was the reason my love for love had faded. Now I was supposed to make his wedding cake? Nah.

“I don’t know, Ian. I don’t think I can handle that.”

His mouth twisted to the side and head bobbed once. “I understand. I’ll um… see if I can convince her to meet with the bakery owner next week.”

Nodding, I avoided his eyes. “Fine. Congratulations.”

Pushing him back, I opened the door and quickly got inside. He stood there for a while and watched as I frantically swerved out of the parking lot.

Ember is not going to believe this.