Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  “It’s just a dinner to celebrate your success.”

  Just a dinner to celebrate her success? She doubted it was only a celebration dinner, but, Martin seemed to be a cautious man. If he mentioned the word date, he probably figured she’d refuse his invite.

  Martin had already done so much for her business, and she really liked him. She’d been thinking about their conversation – when he’d said he’d wanted to be more than friends – for a couple of weeks.

  She’d thought about this, agonized and prayed about them. What should she do? “Martin, I can’t.”

  “You can’t or you won’t?”

  Her heart skipped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “A few seconds ago, you just said you liked me. You let me kiss you.”

  And what an amazing kiss it was, too. So amazing…but, she just didn’t know if she was ready to actually go out on a date with Martin. It’d be a huge step and she didn’t know if she had the courage to go through with that.

  He stood, came toward her, took her hand. Her palm sizzled as he leaned toward her, looking into her eyes. “Did you need more time?”

  More time? She blinked, looked away. If she had more time, would she change her mind? He was probably willing to grant her more time because he wanted her to say yes to his dinner invite, but…it was so much to process. “I’m not sure what I need.”

  He sighed, pressed his lips together. “Okay. I’ll just leave you alone right now.”

  She didn’t turn around when the front door closed. She’d just hurt Martin’s feelings. What could she do now? She pulled the desk drawer open, removed her wedding photo, caressing the frame. “Stan, I don’t know what to do.” Was she a lunatic, sitting at a desk, talking to a picture of a dead man?

  Her cell phone buzzed. Maybe it was Raven, finally reaching out to her to let her know what was going on. She checked the number.

  It was her friend Taylor.

  She pressed the answer button. “Hi, Taylor.”

  “Hey you! How’d opening day go?”

  “It went great.”

  “If it went so great, then, why do you sound like you’re about to cry?”

  “Oh, Taylor.” She told her best friend about her fabulous grand opening, Martin’s mesmerizing kiss, and her rejection of his dinner invite.

  “Girl, are you crazy? At least go out with the man, just once, to see what happens!”

  “But, I’m not sure if I’m ready.”

  “You’ll never be sure if you’re ready, but, you have to at least try! Call Martin back and tell him that you changed your mind!” Taylor’s loud voice screeched through the phone so much that Rhea’s eardrum ached. She pulled the phone away for a few seconds.

  “Well…”

  “You mean to tell me you two lip-locked and then you told the man no when he asked you out?”

  “That’s exactly what happened.”

  “Well, stop being silly and call Martin back and tell him to come pick you up for your dinner date. That’s why you sound so miserable right now. You know you made a mistake.”

  “Hmm…”

  “Do it!” Taylor ended the call and Rhea stared at her phone. Could she really call Martin back and tell him she’d changed her mind? What would he say? Would he be disgusted with her since she couldn’t seem to figure out what she wanted?

  She quickly called him before she lost her courage.

  “Rhea.” His deep voice caressed her battered soul. She gripped the phone. She really needed to calm down. “Are you okay?”

  No, she wasn’t okay, but, she needed to do this. “Martin…I’ve changed my mind.”

  “What? Do you mean—”

  “I’ll go out to dinner with you, unless you don’t want me to anymore.” Maybe Martin didn’t want to see her since her attitude was like night and day. It wouldn’t surprise her one bit if he’d changed his mind about going out to dinner.

  “Rhea.” His voice filled with relief. “So, you’ll really go?” His tone intensified.

  “Yes, I’ll go.” She took a deep breath. No need to let him know how anxious she was to spend some time alone with him. “What time did you want to leave?”

  “I’ll come get you around eight o’clock. I already made reservations for us.”

  “You made a reservation before asking me out?” That was awfully presumptuous of him. How did he know she’d finally say yes? It was kind of shocking that he didn’t cancel the reservation when she’d initially told him no.

  “Don’t get upset about my making the reservations. I’ve been wanting to take you out for the longest time. I just wanted to make the evening special.”

  So, he really wanted to find out how things would work out between them. Her heart thudded. What would it be like to really date Martin, and see him regularly? Well, it looked like she was about to find out. “I’m not mad. I think it’s nice that you gave so much thought to our…” What should she call it? She didn’t want to call it a date, although, she felt that’s what they were doing. “Our outing.”

  “I know it was presumptuous, but I wanted to make sure we had a table if you agreed to come.” He paused for a few seconds. “Wear a nice dress. This place is classy and it has a dress code.”

  She swallowed, trying to relieve her suddenly-dry throat. “Okay, I’ll be ready,” she murmured.

  *

  Martin pulled his best suit from the closet. It was tailor-made, and his mother and sister were always telling him the charcoal-gray color looked good against his dark skin.

  While showering, Rhea’s cute face kept popping into his mind. Would this dinner be a turning point in their relationship?

  When she’d initially said no, he’d been stunned. Her rejection stung, and he’d wondered if she’d ever wanted to see him again.

  The kiss they’d shared had been amazing! Her sweet lips were like nectar to his soul! So sweet and gentle, just like those desserts that lined her display cases. He closed his eyes, recalling how she’d shown him her favored raspberry cupcakes. Why was he thinking of her cupcakes now?

  He opened his eyes, recalling how she’d said she wanted to perfect her cupcake recipe. His mouth watered, and he suddenly wanted to try one of her raspberry cupcakes again. The cupcakes were sweet, moist and tasty. Just thinking about the treats made him think about Rhea even more.

  Now, maybe, she’d agree to be more than just a business associate. Would that be possible? He hoped so.

  He gathered his keys and wallet. Lord, please let Rhea accept me for who I am. Please let her understand my need to serve You with my pastoral duties. My feelings for her are getting deeper and I’m not sure if she feels the same for me. Please, let me show her how I feel during this dinner. Amen.

  He opened the door and stepped outside. A slight breeze blew and the warm, balmy weather of the June night, washed over him. It was a perfect evening for his appointment with Rhea.

  He drove over to Rhea’s. He couldn’t waste any time. He’d been waiting too long to get to know her, and he wanted to spend the evening talking, getting to know her better. Rhea was usually open with him, honest, but, he’d always sensed there was a wall…a separation between them. Were there things about her life that she chose not to share? Was she holding some of her emotions back because she was still not ready to move forward?

  Well, even if she wasn’t ready, he’d be patient, wait until she felt it was the right time to get serious. It must be hard to move forward with your life after having your spouse to die so quickly, so violently. He sighed. Lord, please help Rhea to deal with her pain.

  He pulled into the parking space in front of her small apartment complex. He exited his car, quickly walking toward Rhea’s building. He opened the foyer door, cringing. This place was hideous! Cockroaches scurried across the dirty floor. He crushed a few of the bugs, before glancing at the numbers on the doors, finally spotting Rhea’s apartment. The dirty hallway floor was littered with broken toys, and the stench of cigarette smoke fille
d the putrid air.

  When he knocked, a neighbor opened her door. Wearing a ratty nightgown, she puffed on a cigarette. Her thin, stringy hair matted to her head. She grinned, showing tobacco-stained teeth. “Ya got a date?” Her slurred voice echoed in the empty hallway and two small, dirty children peeked from behind her legs.

  Martin smiled, again knocking on Rhea’s door. “Just going out to dinner.” This woman and her children looked about as needy as the homeless people he fed in the city. Did Rhea know anything about her neighbors? He knocked again. He needed to ask her about them during dinner. What was taking Rhea so long?

  Finally, he heard her high heels tapping against the floor as she approached. When the door opened, he stared, mesmerized, completely forgetting about the squalor of her apartment building. She sported a silky red dress and matching high-heeled shoes. Red earrings dangled from her ears and matching lipstick colored her mouth. When he gazed into her caramel-colored eyes, they flickered with wariness and a bit of hope. She opened her mouth, as if she were going to speak, but before she could, he took her hand.

  *

  Rhea could barely speak as Martin squeezed her hand. She couldn’t believe she was really going through with this. This was a huge step she was taking, going out to dinner with Martin. “You look nice,” she commented. The charcoal-gray suit skimmed his muscular body, and thoughts of his holding her in his arms rooted into her mind. She sniffed, the familiar scent of his aftershave intoxicating her senses.

  “You do, too. You’re not wearing your glasses.” He released her hand, continuing to caress her with his eyes.

  “I’m wearing my contact lenses.” She paused. How could she explain this? “After Stan died, I didn’t feel like wearing my contacts anymore.” She shrugged. “I felt like dressing up tonight.”

  “I like your dress.” He continued to stare at her. “You look even more like Raven since you’re not wearing your glasses.”

  She bit her lower lip, looking away. Why’d he have to go and mention Raven now?

  He touched her face. “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have compared you to your sister.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” It was only natural that he’d compare them. People had been comparing her to Raven since she was a kid. They stood at the door looking at each other for a few seconds, almost as if they were polite strangers meeting at a social gathering for the first time. This was so strange, her, going out on a date. Stan had been the first real boyfriend she’d had, and he’d asked her out for a couple of months before she finally started dating him. Now, she’d finally agreed to go out with Martin…well, it was a huge deal for her to go out on a date.

  Their strong attraction was almost too much to ignore, and Martin’s caring nature made her want to open herself up some more, let him get to know more about her. She glanced at her gold watch. “I guess we need to get going.” She pulled the door closed and locked it.

  They were soon on the highway, headed toward Millbrook. Soft jazz music played as they drove. “I’m glad your bakery is making more profit now. I hope you’re able to find a new apartment soon.”

  “I can’t wait to move. As soon as I finish paying Raven back, I’m going apartment hunting.”

  “I’d wanted to ask you about your neighbor.” He mentioned her neighbor across the hallway, the one with the dirty children. “Are you friends with her?”

  “Not really. She moved in recently. She’s very nosy, and her kids are always running around, unsupervised.” She glanced out the window. “I know the kids are hungry sometimes. I talked to her once, letting her know I run a bakery. I’ve brought leftover food to them and the kids will gobble a loaf of bread, and donuts, in minutes. It’s so sad.”

  “My Uncle Jesse’s church has a food bank. They hand out grocery bags of food to the needy on the first of every month, no questions asked. I’ll give you the address to his church and you can let her know about it.”

  “I will.” She stared at Martin for a few minutes while he drove. He’d been concerned about her neighbor, and he didn’t even know her. His kind, thoughtful, generous spirit reminded her so much of Stan. She still couldn’t believe she was out with him, alone, and they were going to a fancy place to eat.

  After they had arrived and were seated, Rhea stared at their surroundings. Wow, this place looked amazing! Martin must’ve really been looking forward to their time alone if he’d made a reservation at a place like this. Tiny lights twinkled from the velveteen walls, and white candles burned in the middle of the red-clothed tables. Diners spoke in hushed voices as the waiter approached, asking what they’d like to order. After they told him what they wanted, Martin also ordered a bottle of sparkling cider. “To help us celebrate,” he murmured.

  He leaned toward her and kissed her mouth, just before the food arrived. The warm, inviting touch of his lips made her stomach flip with joy. She touched her mouth, closing her eyes for a few seconds. What would it be like if Martin kissed her like this every day? She could imagine it being like swimming in a sea of euphoria, so many wonderful emotions twirling through her that she didn’t know how to handle so much happiness at one time. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

  After Martin blessed the food, Rhea sampled her crab cake platter. “This is so good.” The sweet, succulent crab meat had been seasoned with tasty herbs and spices. She sipped the sharp, tart sparkling apple cider. After they had enjoyed their meal for a few minutes, Martin looked up from his place.

  “I forgot to ask you something earlier. When I came to the bakery today, you seemed overwhelmed. Was it the number of customers?”

  “Not really. It was a bit stressful having so many customers, but I’ve been upset about something else all week.”

  “What happened?”

  “I saw my sister-in-law, Mary.” While they ate, she told him about Mary fainting and her trip to the hospital, and the feeding of Mary’s cat. “It bothers me that she takes better care of her pet than herself.”

  “You said you saw her? She was released from the hospital?”

  “Yes, I returned her key, but, Martin, she looked awful. I tried to ask her how she’s doing but, she refuses to speak about her illness. She only wanted to talk about her cat, making sure I took care of her pet.” The thought infuriated her. How did Mary expect to get better if she didn’t start eating regularly? “I’ve been worried about her.” She gripped her fork. “What if she dies, and I did nothing?”

  “Honey, you need to stop worrying about that. You’ve done all that you could. Mary needs to admit she has a problem. You’ve already reached out to her, told her to confide in you.” He furrowed his brow, put his fork down, and stopped eating. “It’s awful that she won’t eat, especially if she’s hungry.”

  “You look mad.”

  “I’m not mad, just confused.”

  Confused? “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I feed hungry people through my ministry. On the flip side, you have successful people like Mary, who can afford food, but refuse to eat.” He shook his head, lifted his fork. “I just don’t understand. I’ll pray for her. Is she a Christian?”

  Was Mary a Christian? Since she’d never been close to Mary, she’d never really talked to her about religion. “This may sound weird, but, I don’t know. I know she was raised in the church, but, I’m not sure how her relationship is with God.” She’d always assumed that Mary was a Christian, but, now she wasn’t so sure. Stan had never talked about Mary’s relationship with God.

  “I was just curious. Try not to let it worry you too much. There’s not much else you can do except pray for her.”

  Rhea sipped of water. “Yes, I guess you’re right.”

  She removed one of the hot, crusty rolls from the basket, slathered it with butter. Martin continued eating, his brow still furrowed. Was he still thinking about Mary? Or, perhaps he was thinking about her neighbor with the small children? Did Martin’s caring nature and pastoral duties have a huge effect on his home life?

/>   She’d agreed to come to this dinner because she loved spending time with Martin, but, she’d also wanted to get to know him better, too. How could such a kind, loving, thoughtful, handsome man still be single?

  She touched his hand. “Remember you told me you’d been engaged two times?”

  He cracked his lobster, dipping the meat into melted butter. “Yes?”

  “What happened?”

  “You want to know why I’m not married?”

  “Yes.” She bit her roll.

  “Well, the first time I was engaged, I found out that the woman didn’t share my feelings.”

  Rhea frowned. “Then, why did you get engaged?”

  He sipped his cider before continuing. “Veronica worked for me when I owned my bakery.”

  “When she arrived to apply that first day, when I saw her I was so attracted to her. She seemed so kind, attentive and thoughtful. We used to talk about food and recipes. We had a lot in common. We grew closer as she continued working with me.”

  He paused for a few minutes, looked away. Was he remembering his old romance? Did he still miss his former fiancée? “After we’d been dating for a few months, I asked her to marry me.”

  “Only a few months?” Was it possible to fall in love that quickly? She’d been dating Stan for months before they got married.

  “I was twenty-five, still kind of young myself.” He paused, and Rhea glanced down at her plate. She was twenty-five—a fact Martin seemed to forget.

  He continued. “I just knew that I’d never met anybody who affected me like Veronica did.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, my parents and siblings tried to make me see the error of my ways. They didn’t trust Veronica, and they tried to warn me that I was making a big mistake.”

  Rhea frowned, still listening. “So you broke up based upon your family’s negative opinion about her?”

  “No, that’s not why. As a matter of fact, their negative opinion about my fiancée caused a rift in our familial relationship for about a year. There were things about her they could see, that weren’t apparent to me because I was in love with her.”