Shades Of Chocolate (The Bakery Romance Series Book 2)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  Living with her alcoholic father and non-working mother had not been Toni’s idea of a perfect family. Over the years, she’d heard that a perfect family did not exist. She certainly believed that, but she still felt that her family had been dysfunctional. They’d barely had enough money to buy groceries, and staying in that small, broken-down trailer had been awful. She’d often heard the taunts from other kids about her drunkard dad causing trouble at the local bar. She’d also heard rebukes about being trailer park trash. The memories proved unsettling, and she’d always longed for the open, spacious, nice houses in which a lot of her schoolmates lived. Her poverty-stricken life had made her an outcast.

  “You’re thinking about your parents’ home, aren’t you?” Sheila knew her so well.

  “Yes. Thinking about that bothers me, and I just wanted to make everything right.”

  Sheila’s dark face scrunched into a frown. “You think marrying Brian, buying a house, and having some children would make everything all right? Do you honestly think making those changes in your life would help you to deal with your childhood issues?”

  Toni shrugged. Since Sheila put it like that, the whole idea did sound ridiculous, but she needed to be honest. “Well, yes. I think if I’d married Brian, got a house and had some kids, I’d be happier.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t misunderstand me. If I’d married Brian and then caught him cheating on me, I can guarantee that his actions would’ve ruined our home life.”

  “I don’t want to upset you, but it sounds like you’re not really trying to get married for love. It appears that you wanted to marry Brian to fulfill your happy family fantasy.”

  Toni’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not true. I loved Brian—”

  “You loved the idea of marrying him. There’s a big difference. You two had been having problems for months. You were just too stubborn to break the engagement – you wanted to make it work so that your childhood dream could come true.”

  Toni winced. She didn’t want to talk about this anymore.

  “Toni, you don’t have to wait for your Prince Charming to come into your life to make you happy. You can try fulfilling that dream yourself.”

  “Myself?”

  Sheila nodded. “Yes. I’m not talking about marriage and kids, but what about buying yourself a house?”

  “I can’t afford that.” She lived in the apartment above her small bakery. Since she’d inherited the debt free bakery from her aunt, she didn’t have to worry about paying rent.

  “You’re so quick to say that. Why don’t you at least research that option, find out what you need to do to buy a house. You’ve always told me you wanted to have a yard to plant your flowers and your herbs.” Sheila shrugged. “Find out more information about it.”

  Could she really do that? She’d imagined purchasing a home with her husband, moving into their new house together, having two or three kids down the road. But if she searched for part of her dream, would being in that home somehow fulfill the happiness she’d been seeking?

  She stood, about to head to the door, to flip her sign to “closed” when Sheila’s voice stopped her. “I’ll be praying for you.”

  Prayer, again? Earlier, Sheila had again invited her to church, stating she should let the Holy Spirit heal her broken heart.

  How in the world could the Holy Spirit make her feel better?

  “You want your dreams to come true? You want to be happy? Try giving God a chance. You get upset when I mention Him. Maybe you need to do something about that.”

  What could she say? God never cared for her. Why should she put God first in her life?

  “I hope you heal from your pain soon. I hate to see you hurting.” Sheila dropped her head, glancing at the floor. “I’m sorry for losing my temper. It’s childish of me to be jealous of your friendship with Rhea and Sterling. But I guess I’ve always felt like I was your number one confidante.”

  Toni needed to re-explain her reasoning. The bell above the door jingled, interrupting her thoughts. Fatigue consumed her, and she wanted to say she was closing. But when she spotted her customer, she didn’t say a word. This had to be the best-looking man she’d seen in ages.

  Chapter 4

  He’d taken a trip back in time. If he didn’t know better, he’d assume he’d entered the bakery from his childhood. The unique display cases had been etched with a lattice-patterned steel frame. He’d only seen a display like this once – in his mom’s very first bakery. The signs behind the counter advertising chocolate baked goods mimicked the dark blue design of his mom’s artistic calligraphy.

  When he’d started working with his mother, her first location closely resembled Shades of Chocolate. Even the small round white tables and black chairs proved warm reminders of his mom’s first establishment. Eventually she’d expanded and had sold that small location since they’d outgrown it, but being here…

  Tears welled up in his eyes, and he blinked them away. So many memories…he ached to go back into that kitchen to see if it resembled his mother’s.

  The rich, decadent scent of chocolate surrounded him. He sniffed, recalling the heavenly chocolate croissants his mom used to bake every Wednesday.

  He swallowed, finally realized he stood here, staring like a zombie. But he was entitled. He’d been traveling for weeks, and his father’s ridiculous road trip had finally come to an end. Now he could just sit back and relax for a bit. He finally forced himself to focus on the two ladies sitting at the table. One of them had dark-skin with petite features.

  The other woman…

  Good grief, this other woman, with her light brown skin and light hair piled on her head…weird, she reminded him of one of the assistants who’d worked for his mother when he’d first started baking. He didn’t realize he was staring until she stood, approached him. “Are you okay?”

  *

  His eyes reminded her of the golden honey she poured into her honeypot each morning. His caramel brown skin glowed in the late afternoon sun. For the life of her, Toni couldn’t understand why this stranger had entered her bakery and now just stood there, staring. He wasn’t a regular customer.

  “I’m fine. Just tired.” He folded his arms in front of his massive chest. His clean-shaven bald head shone, and he sported a mustache and goatee.

  “May I help you?”

  Before he could speak, Sheila cleared her throat, gesturing toward the door. “I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you later.” She exited the bakery, but when she got outside, she pointed to the customer and gave Toni a thumbs-up. Toni grinned. Whenever they were out in public and Sheila saw a cute guy, she’d always let Toni know her thoughts by giving a thumbs-up.

  He stroked his mustache, glancing at the almost-empty display cases.

  He finally smiled. His white, even teeth and dimples almost made her swoon. “I’ll take some coffee.”

  “Regular or decaf?”

  He grinned. “Regular is fine. I need the caffeine to stay awake.” Dark circles nested beneath his eyes. He chose a table near the door and made himself comfortable, stretching out his long legs. He scrutinized her shop while she poured the coffee. She placed the cup and saucer on his table. Tired sadness passed over his handsome features.

  She had learned long ago that food could sometimes change a person’s mood. For some reason, she wanted to make him feel better. She arranged cream and sugar on a plate and then cut an extra-large slice of chocolate fudge cake to serve him. Her customers always said her chocolate cake tasted great with coffee. She placed the cake on the table along with the cream and sugar.

  “I didn’t order cake.” He started pushing the plate away.

  “Are you on a diet?” She eyed his bulging muscles beneath his cream-colored long-sleeved shirt. She doubted he needed to worry about calories, unlike some of her customers, who had created a demand for her low-fat/low-calorie desserts.

  “No.”

  “Well, go ahead and eat the cake. It's on the house.”

  He lowered hi
s head in prayer. Who prayed over a piece of cake? That made no sense at all. Could he be one of those obsessive, judgmental Christians like some of the people who attended the church in town? Since his head remained bowed, she studied him. A gold cross dangled at the end of the chain around his neck.

  He finally lifted his head and took a bite of cake. His honey-colored eyes sparkled. Maybe the jolt of sugar gave him a bit of energy. “I’ll pay to eat cake that’s this good.” He took another huge bite. “It’s almost as good as my mom’s.”

  “Thanks.” Her fatigue melted away like warm butter. She cleared the other tables and placed the dirty plates on a cart hidden behind the counter. She wanted to ask him where he was from but thought better of it. She didn’t want to seem nosy.

  She placed the CLOSED sign in the window. She turned around just when he finished the last bite of cake. The fork rattled against the plate. He reached for his coffee. “Is there a hotel around here?”

  She nodded as she emptied garbage into the trash can. “It all depends on what you want. If you’re after a fancy place, then you’ll need to travel a bit farther. Mrs. Dukes owns a bed-and-breakfast nearby.”

  He sipped his coffee, sighing. He removed his phone from the pocket of his jeans. “What’s the address?”

  She recited the address, and he pressed a few buttons on his phone, nodding. “Thanks.” He placed the phone back into his pocket. “By the way, I’m Jason Matthews.”

  “I’m Antoinette Brown, but everybody calls me Toni.” She shook his hand, finding comfort in his firm grip. He seemed strong and confident. “Are you planning to stay in town for a while?”

  “I’m not sure.” He stared at his empty plate as if willing the dish to give him answers to unasked questions.

  How could he not know how long he planned on staying? Was he a drifter? She eyed his Rolex watch. Brian owned a Rolex, and he made sure everybody knew about it. Rolexes were known to be expensive, classy watches. Perhaps he had some wealth and didn’t have to worry about working every day.

  She forced herself to turn away. No way did she want him to know she’d been staring. Hopefully, he wouldn’t think she’d been rude. “I just asked because Mrs. Dukes gives reduced rates to people who plan on staying awhile. She can tell you more about that once you get there.”

  He nodded. “Thanks. Do you own this place?”

  She nodded and flashed him a smile. “I have for the past three years. My Aunt Grace died and left it to me in her will.”

  Toni removed the cart with the dirty dishes from behind the counter and rolled it into the kitchen. Her mind flashed back to memories of the summer she had spent working at the bakery with her aunt and uncle. A few years after Toni had gone to college, her uncle Bob had died. Aunt Grace had continued to run the business until her own death.

  They had one daughter, Eva, who was five years older than Toni. But Eva had no interest in the family business. She didn’t like the early mornings and long hours. At seventeen, Eva had run away from home, so Toni never knew her cousin very well. Toni remembered her aunt and uncle saying that they never heard from Eva unless she needed money. Toni couldn’t understand it. She had always enjoyed working here. She returned from the kitchen, bent down behind the counter, and began removing empty racks from one of her display cases.

  “You seem kind of young to be running your own bakery.”

  What did he mean by that? How old should a bakery owner be? Toni straightened up quickly. “I’m twenty-eight. Is that old enough to own a bakery?” Her voice wavered.

  He held his hands up, as if he were surrendering. “Hey, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  She closed her eyes, turned in the opposite direction. She was losing it. Not getting enough sleep, still thinking about the pain Brian had caused her. Jason’s comment made her angry because it reminded her of what Brian used to say. Brian had doubts about her owning a bakery. He’d implied once that she shouldn’t waste her young life in that sort of business. Wouldn’t it be better if she’d spent her time doting on him, using her culinary skills to make him happy?

  She pushed the unwelcome thought away, squeezing her eyes shut. She took a deep breath, tried to calm down.

  Strong, gentle fingers skimmed her shoulder, and she jumped, opening her eyes.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Jason’s deep, compassionate voice filled the room. Concern mirrored his kind eyes.

  She stepped away from him. She needed to stop over reacting. It wasn’t Jason’s fault that his comment reminded her of Brian. She softened her words with a smile. “Sorry. I’m okay. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I guess I’m a bit tired.”

  He nodded, his eyes fixed on hers, before finally returning to his seat. “I can understand that. I haven’t slept well in a few months.”

  “You haven’t?” For some weird reason, she wanted to serve him another slice of cake, maybe another cup of coffee, sit with him and find out why he’d been having a hard time sleeping. Did he recently go through a bad breakup too? Could he be pining over an ex-girlfriend?

  “So, you’re twenty-eight. Well, I don’t think you look a day over twenty. I think you’re very pretty.”

  Her face heated. She peeked at Jason. Did he really mean that, or was he just saying that to be nice, trying to put her at ease?

  She should just accept the compliment. “Thank you.” She took his dirty dishes away.

  “Thanks for telling me about Mrs. Dukes’s Bed and Breakfast. I’ll be seeing you soon.” He smiled, leaving the bakery. The bell tinkled when the door closed behind him. When he walked to his car across the street, Toni studied him. Strange. A small, quaint, quiet town, Blue Spring didn’t get many long-term visitors. Why had Jason said he’d be seeing her soon?

  A delivery truck rolled up, blocking her view. The man exited the truck, carrying a huge bouquet of roses. He rapped on the door, gesturing toward the flowers. “I have a delivery.”

  She signed his clipboard before he handed her the buds. Sniffing, she relished the sweet, fragrant scent of roses. She unboxed the container, searching for a card. No card inside.

  Intrigued, she fingered the blossoms. She pulled out her phone, about to call Sheila to tell her about the flowers when she happened to glance across the street. Jason’s car remained parked. Why hadn’t he left for Mrs. Dukes’s?

  He finally started his engine and pulled away from the curb.

  She sat back down at the table and stared at the roses, still holding her phone.

  She’d keep them for now. After she cleaned up, she’d call the florist to see who’d sent them.

  Chapter 5

  Jason pulled away from the curb. So flowers had been delivered to Toni’s shop. They were probably from her boyfriend. He doubted she was married because she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. That’d been one of the first things he’d noticed.

  While eating the chocolate cake, he’d checked out her bakery, realizing he loved the scents of chocolate and pastries filling the small space. Being there proved nostalgic, reminding him of when his mom first taught him how to bake. The unique display cases, the tables, the décor…all of it reminded him of his mom.

  While visiting the last few bakeries on his father’s list, his desire to bake had consumed him. It’d been weeks since he’d baked up a batch of his mother’s secret cinnamon rolls.

  He pulled into the parking lot of Mrs. Dukes’s Bed-and-Breakfast, again thinking about Toni’s bakery. He hadn’t paid for the cake and coffee. His first instinct had been to rush back and do so, but then he remembered that Toni had been about to close. Beautiful. The word popped into his mind when she’d asked if he were okay. He couldn’t believe he’d blatantly told her that she was attractive. He didn’t usually go around giving women compliments like that but with Toni, it’d been different. He wasn’t sure why. Just being around her made his composure melt like ice during a spring thaw. Her creamy brown skin, pretty eyes, and tall, shapely figure were a distraction. He could’ve chatted with her for
hours – that was, if he didn’t offend her again.

  After he’d checked into the bed and breakfast, he went to his room and turned on his laptop. In a couple of hours, he’d typed up a report about the last bakery he’d visited: Sarah’s Southern Sweethouse. Sarah, the owner, came from the south. He detailed her tasty pralines, chess pie and peach cobbler. Talkative, she’d eagerly given him information about her business. After he’d typed up the report, he emailed it to his father.

  He then pulled up his dad’s list of bakeries on his computer. His father had fifty-five lucrative bakeries in the continental United States. He placed a checkmark beside Sarah’s Southern Sweethouse, bringing an end to his journey. His dad would visit Jason’s recommendations.

  Earlier that day, when he’d stopped at a gas station on the highway, he’d seen a road sign for Shades of Chocolate. The idea of specializing in chocolate desserts sounded unusual. Curious about the bakery, he’d visited, glad that he’d arrived before they closed.

  The urge to return to Shades of Chocolate consumed him. He’d stay in Blue Spring for a while. He needed the rest. He hadn’t made any plans for his three-month vacation.

  His phone buzzed. His dad requested a Facetime appointment. Jason groaned. Facetime with his dad, now? He just didn’t feel up to it. Well, he needed to get this over with. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the invite. His dad’s face appeared on the screen. He seemed tired, his dark eyes apprehensive.

  Ms. Clara, his mom’s best friend, sat beside him. “Ms. Clara?” He hadn’t seen her since his mom’s funeral. Why was she doing Facetime with his dad? Ms. Clara’s salt and pepper hair had been shaved into a short style. Dimples winked from her smooth mocha-brown face. Several people over the years described Ms. Clara as attractive, yet, she’d never married nor had any children. She seemed content being alone, and she’d always doted on Jason and his sister Trina.