Sweet Possession

And I can’t wait to see that.

Joey occasionally pops his head into the back while I bake to see if I need help, and to remind me that Brooke still hasn’t shown up. I’m all about giving the girl a chance, but I am not the type of boss who tolerates lateness well. An occasional few-minute slip-up? Fine. But not a few hours, and definitely not on your first day.

As I’m cleaning off the worktop, having finally finished all the baking I’m planning on doing for the day, the shop door opens and Joey’s voice comes booming from the front.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up.”

I move quickly through the doorway, stopping at the sight of Brooke’s nervous expression. “Oh, my God, Dylan. I’m so sorry. I swear to God…”

I hold up my hand and cut her off midsentence. “If you’re late again, you’re fired. This is serious, Brooke. And you could’ve at least called me.” Stepping behind the counter, I grab the new employee paperwork I’d set out for her to fill out two hours ago. “Here, go in the back and fill this out.”

She eagerly reaches for the paperwork and rounds the counter, wrapping me up in a massive hug. “I forgot to set my alarm. And I forgot to plug my phone in to charge. I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Good,” I reply.

Stepping back, she holds onto my arms and smiles warmly at me. “I do have one question though.” I tilt my head and wait patiently, hearing Joey’s soft grunt of disapproval from behind her. “Any wiggle room on the pay?”

“Ha!” Joey squawks.

Her eyes widen at my stern look. “Get your ass in the back and fill these out before I change my mind.”

“Right. Sorry.” She turns and brushes past Joey, earning herself an evil look.

“Fucking disaster. Seriously, let’s keep her in the back away from the customers. Lord knows she’ll probably only drive away all the business.” He reaches into the display case and pulls out two muffins, offering me one. I take it and begin peeling off the wrapper.

“Give her a chance, will you? I can remember you being late, on occasion. For example, last week when Billy refused to untie you from your bedpost.”

Joey wiggles his brows at me as he tosses his wrapper into the trashcan. “That lateness was totally worth it. As were the rope burns on my wrists.”

I roll my eyes at him just as the front door dings open. A young woman, probably close to my age, comes barreling through the doors, eyes reddened and misty. She walks up to the counter, tucking her clutch under her arm.

I smile, setting my muffin down on the counter. “Good morning. How can we help you?”

She lets out a shaky breath, looking around the bakery quickly before meeting my eyes. “I don’t know if you can help me. I know this is terribly last minute, but you’re my only hope at this point.”

Joey steps up next to me. “Are you okay? Would you like a glass of water or something?”

She shakes her head and offers him a weak smile. “Oh, no, thank you.” She flicks her stare back to me. “You make wedding cakes, right?”

“She makes kick-ass wedding cakes,” Joey corrects, motioning toward me. “Not only do they turn out looking fabulous, but they taste amazing. Trust me. I’ve eaten my fair share.”

The young woman’s face seems to relax a bit but not completely. “I’m getting married, and the bakery I had originally lined up to make my wedding cake closed down. They didn’t even tell me. I went there this morning to make my final payment and the place is boarded up.”

A sickening feeling rumbles in my gut. I can’t imagine having that happen to me. “Jesus. That’s awful. When is the wedding?” I ask.

She winces. “Saturday. Like I said, I know this is last minute. I’ve been to every other bakery in town and you’re my last option.” She looks down at her feet. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to put any pressure on you. It’s just… I don’t know what else to do. I need to have a cake. I’ll pay you extra. Double if I have to.”

I reach my hand out and place it on her shoulder, prompting her to lift her gaze. “You don’t have to pay me double. I’d love to make your wedding cake.”

“Really?” Her soft voice is filled with a cautious hope.

Joey loops his hand through my elbow and pulls me back, dropping his lips to my ear. “Are you crazy? You’ll have enough to do on Saturday getting ready for your own wedding. How will you have time for this?”

“You’re getting married on Saturday, too?” the woman asks. Her excitement seems to fade as she glances between Joey and me. “Maybe he’s right. You’ll be so busy that day. It’s okay if you can’t do it.”

I shrug off Joey and smile at her. “I won’t be that busy. And besides, your cake will be done the night before. I’ll just need to add the finishing touches to it that morning.” I step closer to the counter. “But I probably won’t have time to deliver it. Would it be a problem if someone stopped by here that morning to pick it up?”

Her eyes widen as she fidgets with the clutch under her arm. “No. Not at all. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

I smile and point to my consultation table. “Why don’t you have a seat over there and you can tell me all about what kind of cake you want for your big day.”

The sorrowed mood she entered the shop with has completely vanished, replaced with that typical bride-to-be joy I love seeing. As she makes her way toward the table, I turn and see Joey shaking his head at me.