Shades Of Chocolate (The Bakery Romance Series Book 2)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  She unlocked the front door to her bakery, entered the building. Dirt and soot covered the walls, and the busted windows had been boarded up. Eyeing her display cases, she recalled Jason standing there, ringing up orders for chocolate hot cross buns and fudge brownies. She slowly walked into the kitchen, stared at her ruined mixer and her charred oven. Jason had shown her his secret cinnamon roll recipe, suggested a few changes for Shades of Chocolate.

  Memories of Jason and the time they spent together consumed her. Once the revisions were done, and she was open for business, Jason Matthews would dominate her thoughts each day while she mixed batches of dough.

  He’d said she needed some time to herself to figure everything out. She’d done that. He said he’d come and visit soon. But did that mean she should not call him? She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, pulled up his number. Her finger hesitated over the call button.

  “Lord, I need your help here. What do I say to Jason? I haven’t spoken to him for two months, and now…well Lord, now I don’t know what to do.”

  She closed her eyes, still clutching her phone. No, she wasn’t going to make this call. She had a better idea.

  *

  Jason disarmed the alarm of his newly-managed Main Street location with his key fob. He unlocked the doors, visions of lemon pastries filling his mind. He’d been toying with a new recipe. He needed to give samples to his regular customers. He flipped on the lights, spotting his father sitting at the table in the center of the room. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  “I came to talk to you before you started baking.”

  He glanced at his watch. “You want to talk now?”

  “I want to say this before I lose my nerve. I haven’t slept all night, working up the courage to approach you this morning.”

  This sounded like something major. Frowning, he joined his dad at the table, sat down. He’d been wanting to have a civil conversation with his father, a conversation where they actually connected, for a long time. Lord, is this the answer to my prayers?

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Jason, I know we’ve never really gotten along.” That was an understatement. They’d argued, butted heads, disagreed about everything. His dad had made his life miserable, and for the life of him, Jason could never understand why. “But I wanted to tell you that…well, I’ve been working on trying to fix our relationship for months now. Clara encouraged me to do this.”

  This was news. Jason had not noticed his dad doing anything new except dating Ms. Clara. Ms. Clara had started wedding plans, and Jason still found it hard to accept that his father was going to be with another woman so soon after his mom had passed. He supposed in time he’d learn to accept Ms. Clara’s new role in his life. “I don’t understand.”

  He nodded, glancing outside, before fixing his eyes on Jason. “I’ve been seeing a therapist.”

  “A therapist?” The thought of his dad sitting in a therapist’s office sounded weird…almost too weird to imagine.

  “Yes, I’ve been talking to him about my problems.” He leaned over, placed his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Especially the problems about the relationship with my son.” Jason glanced at his father’s hand, not knowing what to say. He quietly waited to hear his father speak. “I never liked to talk about my father very much.”

  His grandfather. Jason knew practically nothing about his dad’s father. He knew that he was abandoned by his father when he was a kid, leaving his mom to raise him alone. The few times he’d boldly asked about his grandfather, his dad would get angry, so angry that Jason knew that he should never broach the subject again. “What about him?”

  “Well, seeing you, reminds me of my father. You look just like him.”

  “Seriously?” Jason couldn’t believe that he resembled his grandfather. His dad nodded.

  “Yes, you even sound like him when you talk.” He paused, licked his lips, as if gathering courage to say what was on his mind. “You even act like him.”

  “What?” This entire conversation was getting to be too much to handle. Maybe they should put a stop to this conversation now and return to it later.

  “Your grandfather was good-looking, accepted by others.” He glanced down at the floor, before regarding Jason again. “I was never accepted like that. People even doubted that I was his son since I’m so homely.”

  Jason winced, again recalling how people often compared his looks to his father’s. He’d heard that a few people doubted they were related. “So that’s why we’ve never gotten along?”

  He shook his head. “No, there are other reasons. But that’s the main one. Son, I love you, but it’s just so hard for me to show you that love. Since my father abandoned us when I was little, I’ve always resented him, and I guess I resented you because you remind me of him. I know that sounds twisted and unfair, but I need to be honest with you about it.”

  Jason nodded, so stunned he didn’t know what to say. He closed his eyes. Lord, you need to help me out here. Let me know what I should say to my dad. He needed to be truthful. “What happens now?”

  “I was hoping we could have a new beginning. Now that you know that I’m working through my issues, I was hoping we could make a fresh start.” He paused, took a deep breath. “I was hoping we could take a fishing trip next weekend, just the two of us. I rented a cabin, and we could talk.”

  “Talk? About anything?”

  “Talk about everything. You’re free to tell me about when I’ve fouled up as a dad. I can tell you about things that were going through my mind, issues I’ve had. I’m hoping this fishing trip can be a new beginning for both of us.”

  Jason nodded. The Lord had finally answered his prayer. He stood and his father did, too. He started to shake Dad’s hand. Instead, they hugged.

  Chapter 39

  “Uncle Jason, somebody’s here to see you.” Jason’s ten-year-old nephew, Antoine, entered the kitchen.

  All day, Jason’s mind had been in a buzz. Since his conversation with his dad that morning, he’d burned two pans of cookies and ruined one cake. Good thing his assistant and his nephew were there to cover for him. The conversation he’d had with his dad that morning hovered in his mind. He both dreaded and anticipated the fishing trip this coming weekend.

  He’d even thought about Toni a lot. He’d wanted to call her, confide in her about his dad, but he’d not had the courage to reach out to her. He made his way toward the front of the bakery. He needed to stop thinking about Toni so much. It’d been a couple of months since their dinner date at Pedro’s. Maybe he should call her tonight, arrange to come down for a visit to Blue Spring. His assistant could cover for him for one weekend.

  He figured the visitor was probably someone who’d placed a special order. He pulled the clipboard with the birthday cake orders from the wall, turned toward the counter. “May I help—”

  “Hi, Jason.”

  He had to make himself breathe. His heart pounded, and he dropped the clipboard onto the counter. Removing his apron, he came from behind the display. “Toni.” He swallowed, surprised that his voice sounded halfway normal. “What are you doing here?” He couldn’t resist rushing to her, taking both of her hands.

  She looked beautiful, but her eyes…they were no longer shrouded with sadness. Her caramel-colored eyes sparkled, and her toffee-brown skin literally glowed. Her long, light brown hair tumbled over her shoulder in rich, auburn curls and small diamond studs winked from her ears. “Toni, I’ve never been so happy to see somebody in my life.”

  “Who’s that, Uncle Jason?” Antoine came from behind the counter, holding a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

  “This is my friend Toni.”

  “But who—?”

  “Why don’t you go back there and finish cutting the cookies.” Not giving his nephew a chance to interrupt again, he escorted him into the back. He then checked with his assistant, letting him know he was taking a break. “I’ll be back in about an hour. Watch everything while I’m gone.”

/>   He returned to Toni, who patiently waited in front of the bakery. She scanned his menu, grinning. “Everything looks so good.”

  “Did you want to try something?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe later. I’m sorry for barging in without calling, but I just felt led—”

  He placed his fingers over her beautiful lips. “Don’t ever apologize for coming to see me. Toni, do you know how much I’ve agonized about calling you?” He removed his fingers. “Now, you said you felt led to come see me?”

  “Oh, Jason, so much has happened.” Refreshing joy filled her voice while he led her outside onto the busy Chicago sidewalk.

  “I want to hear all about it.” He placed his arm around her, and they walked the short distance to Starbucks. After he’d gotten their coffee, they sat in an empty table in the corner. “Tell me what’s happened.” He left his coffee untouched, paying close attention to Toni.

  “Oh, Jason last Sunday I accepted Christ!”

  “Hallelujah!” They stood and he hugged her, kissing her cheek. When they sat, Toni gave him a rundown on all that had happened to her since he’d left two months ago.

  “So I’ve received my settlement check from the insurance company. I just need to start hiring contractors to repair my bakery.”

  He took a deep breath, took both of her hands. “Honey, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Lord, please let her agree to do this. I don’t know how else to make this work.

  She raised her pretty eyebrows, still smiling. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “Well, how about I ask you about it tonight? Where are you staying?”

  She mentioned the name of her hotel.

  “Is it okay if I pick you up at six? I want to take you out to dinner.”

  “Dinner sounds like a lovely idea.”

  Now he just hoped that she agreed to his plan.

  *

  Jason feasted his eyes on Toni as they entered the five-star restaurant. The owner was an acquaintance of his, and he’d had to pull a few strings in order to get a last-minute reservation. Toni grinned, staring at the dark paneled walls and the fancy tablecloths decorating the seating area. Their server showed them to their table. A single lit candle gleamed in the center of each table. “Jason, this is so nice.” She barely glanced at her menu. Instead she focused on the atmosphere.

  “You look nice.” Her black dress fit perfectly, and her caramel skin glowed under the dim lights.

  She stared down at her menu. “Thanks, Jason.” She fixed her eyes on his, smiling. “You look nice, too.”

  He’d worn his best suit, eager to please her.

  Their server arrived, and Toni put her menu on the table. “Everything looks so good. I’m not sure what to order.”

  “Let me order for us.” He looked up at their server, ordering filet mignon with potatoes and salad.

  He figured he could ask her about what was on his mind after dinner. He took her hand, caressed her slim fingers. “You have such pretty hands.”

  She raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling. “You’re full of compliments this evening.”

  “I just don’t think I ever told you how much I appreciate you. My life hasn’t been the same since we met.”

  The server arrived with their food. He eyed Toni while she sampled her meal. “This is delicious.”

  His stomach was full of butterflies. His usual hearty appetite was practically ruined from his nerves. Now he understood why Toni had to drink ginger ale when her stomach was upset.

  She gestured toward his plate. “Why aren’t you eating?”

  Drat, he didn’t want to wait until after dinner. He needed to tell her everything that was on his mind. He put his fork aside, observed the beautiful woman sitting across from him. “I’m too nervous to eat.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous before.”

  He cleared his throat, took her hand and stared into her light-brown eyes. “The last time we spoke, I told you that I loved you.”

  “Oh, Jason, I love you so much.”

  “You do?” His body warmed. Just hearing those words tumbling from her mouth lifted his nervous mood.

  “Yes. I’ve been in love with you for a while, but I was too scared to tell you. Plus, you had so many secrets, I wasn’t sure if my telling you my feelings was a good idea.”

  He could understand her being hesitant about letting him know her true feelings. After being with a creep like Brian, it’d make sense for her to be leery. He stood up, walked toward her. He then got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

  “Are you serious?” Her pretty eyes widened, and a few patrons stared at their table. It appeared he’d made a spectacle of himself. His proposal seemed to have surprised her.

  “Honey, I’ve been waiting to ask you that question for months. Now that you’re here, I’ve missed you like crazy, and I don’t want to let you go.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small velvet box, pressed it into her hands.

  Squealing, she opened the box, her pretty eyes rounding. “Oh, my goodness.”

  He gestured toward the ring. “I bought that when I first returned to Chicago. I’ve been praying for you every single day. I knew I wanted to marry you when everything was worked out.” Why wasn’t she saying anything? Did she think it was too soon for them to get engaged? Maybe this was a bad idea. Sweat popped onto his forehead, rolled down his face. Lord, please let her say yes. I’ve been dreaming about this moment for the last two months!

  “Yes, Jason, I’ll marry you!”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Her delicate lips, warm and moist, made him groan. “I love you so much,” he whispered in her ear.

  Several patrons clapped, and Jason returned to his chair, scooting closer to Toni. He glanced at their abandoned dinners. Marriage wasn’t the only proposal on his mind. Now that she’d accepted, he could move on to the next subject. “I know you’d mentioned starting repairs on Shades of Chocolate.”

  “Yes?”

  “Well, I have a proposition for you.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  Jason then told Toni about the plan that had been forming in his mind over the last two months.

  Epilogue

  “Oh, Antoinette, you look so beautiful. I wish your father was still alive to see this day.” Toni’s mother dried her wet eyes with a white handkerchief.

  Toni glanced at herself in the full-length mirror. Her cream-colored wedding dress, etched with tiny lace flowers, was exquisite.

  “I know, Mom. I wish Dad could’ve seen me get married, too.”

  They hugged, and Sheila opened the door, entering the church dressing room. Her baby blue maid of honor dress gave a nice contrast to her dark skin. “Toni, you’re the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen.” Sheila sniffed, drying her tears.

  “Sheila, don’t cry.” Her best friend had become more emotional as the wedding date neared. It had been nine months since Jason had proposed to her, and it had been a whirlwind of a time. Toni had never imagined planning a wedding could be so time-consuming. Since Jason’s family was pretty prominent in Chicago, the guest list had been huge. Five hundred people were attending the nuptials, and Toni had been praying for the past hour that her stomach wouldn’t get too upset from her nerves.

  She’d invited a lot of people from Blue Spring. She’d also invited her pals Sterling and Rhea. Rhea declined. She was pregnant again, and she was too far along in her condition to travel. She’d sent a nice wedding gift, and Toni had chatted with her a few days ago.

  Sterling had also declined her invite. She’d spoken with him recently, and he’d again expressed concern about his father’s health. Toni continued to pray for Sterling’s father regularly. She hoped he recovered soon. Sterling had sent a wedding gift. Toni had sighed with relief when Jason finally realized that the friendship she shared with Sterling was platonic.

  She swallowed, took a deep breath. Sheila came to her side, a can of gin
ger ale in her hand. “Don’t get sick. We know you’re nervous, but just think happy thoughts, happy thoughts about the future of your life with handsome Jason Matthews.”

  Toni sipped the sweet, bubbly liquid. Visions of the last nine months twirled through her mind like snowflakes dancing in the wind.

  Five months after Eva had been arrested, she’d been pronounced sane enough to stand trial. She’d been sentenced to twenty years in prison and together, both Toni and her mother had attempted to visit Eva. The visit did not go well, but after much thought and prayer, Toni had finally found the courage to forgive Eva and Brian for all that they’d done to her. She realized she couldn’t be bitter towards them forever.

  She took another sip of ginger ale, forcing herself to think happier thoughts. After Jason had proposed marriage, he’d gently suggested that she reopen Shades of Chocolate, but not in Blue Spring. In Chicago. He’d already spoken with his father, who’d agreed to offer to make her bakery part of the Matthews Baked Goods chain. She’d have total control of her new establishment. After all of the agreements and paperwork had been taken care of, Toni’s bakery was scheduled to reopen one month after her wedding. Her move to Chicago was partially why Sheila had been in tears. “Girl, I’m going to miss you so much! How am I going to get through my days, not having any of your delicious cinnamon buns or chocolate donuts?”

  Now there was a dilemma to which Toni had no solution. She shrugged, thinking.

  “I can mail you one of my cocoa pound cakes once in a while.” She’d sold her aunt and uncle’s building to a veterinarian. He’d recently opened up for practice, and Sheila had been having a lot of communication with the handsome vet since she volunteered at the animal shelter. Toni had met the man a few times and agreed with Sheila that the vet was extremely handsome.