The Cupcake Diaries: Sweet On You

by Darlene Panzera

Andi didn’t believe him. Everybody? The only person she knew who still talked about the incident was her father. He’d never let her forget how the newspapers had referred to her as ‘Pyro-Andi’ and ‘Burnt Buns Burke.’

  “I’m OCD when it comes to kitchen safety now,” she said, curling her fingers into a tight squeeze. “I took a food safety test when I applied for the job at the school cafeteria last month, and I passed with flying colors.”

  “You didn’t get the job though, did you? Probably because you never finished college.”

  “You don’t need a degree to work in the school cafeteria,” Andi informed him. “And you know why I dropped out of college.”

  In her third year, her mom had passed away in a small engine plane crash while visiting her aunt and uncle in Idaho. She’d been devastated by the loss. Still was.

  “You never went back.”

  “I decided to do something different.”

  Her father grimaced. “Yeah, you got married and didn’t stay committed to that either.”

  Andi swallowed hard. “Stuart was the one who didn’t stay committed. He cheated on me.”

  “Every marriage has problems,” her father continued. “Your mother and I didn’t have a perfect relationship, but we worked it out and remained committed to each other till the day she died. You could have forgiven him and worked to save your marriage.”

  Andi choked back a sob. “He wouldn’t let me! Stuart’s the one who filed for the divorce. He didn’t want to work it out.”

  She’d never revealed that piece of information to her father before. She’d been too proud. Her eyes stung and her throat ached, burning from the inside. How was it her father was always able to sink his hooks into her and affect her this way?

  William Burke shook his head. “You dropped out of college and have had a series of failed jobs, a failed marriage . . .”

  Andi waited for him to say it—failed mom. Just let him dare say she’d failed as a mom, and she’d leave. Her daughter meant everything to her. She’d do anything to support and protect her.

  Only once had she been late to pick Mia up from preschool. She’d been in the bathroom with an upset stomach but to her father it didn’t matter. The school had called him to come get his granddaughter, and it was yet another incident he’d never let her forget.

  “Mom used to say, ‘You aren’t a failure until you stop trying,’” Andi reminded him.

  “Your mother didn’t have a wit of sense to save her soul. Did you know she once dreamed of opening a bakery?”

  “No, I did not know that,” Andi replied in a small voice. “I remember she loved to bake. What happened?”

  “I talked some sense into her, that’s what happened; convinced her not to make a fool of herself. Baking is one thing, running a business is another. Your mother could never have run a bakery. She had as much business experience as you do.”

  Andi recalled the happiness on her mother’s face when she was in the kitchen, baking cakes and cookies, with flour on her apron. Her heart pined for her mother, to see her one more time. Her mother would have offered encouragement and support and given her the loan. She was sure of it.

  “I can do this,” Andi said, steeling her resolve. “I will open and run a successful cupcake shop.”

  “You say you can, but you won’t. Right now you’ve got this big fancy dream—”

  “I’ll do more than dream.” She pushed her chair away from his desk and stood up.

  Her father had killed her mother’s dream, but she wouldn’t let him kill hers. She’d open and run a cupcake shop, not just for herself, or Mia, or her sister and Rachel, but also for her mother and anyone else who said dreams couldn’t come true.

  He called after her as she walked away, but she couldn’t turn back. If she did, she’d break down and cry.

  Chapter Four

  * * *

  Recipe for CUPCAKE SURPRISE

  2 scoops of attraction

  Several heart-stopping grins

  A couple of semi-sweet confessions

  A deep layer of “I Must Be Dreaming” intrigue

  * Garnish with laughter and unexpected promise.

  ON MONDAY RACHEL called, excited, and asked Andi to meet her at the Fish ‘N Nets Cafe to discuss a possible new lead for financing the cupcake shop.

  Andi couldn’t wait to hear the details. After sending Mia off to afternoon kindergarten, she hurried down the paved walk along the waterfront.

  Pulling her knit scarf tighter around her neck, to ward off the breezy March chill, she entered the cafe’s outside patio. The flavorful aroma of deep-fried fish and chips greeted her nose as she scanned the crowded white round umbrella tables for a wave of Rachel’s distinctive flag of red hair.

  She found Jake Hartman instead.

  He rose from his table, stepped forward, and reached out to shake her hand. “Hi, Andi. Great to see you again.”

  He knew her name? How did he know her name?

  “Rachel should be here soon,” Jake continued, “but Kim sent her a text message saying she can’t make it.”

  “You talked to Rachel?”

  “Five minutes ago. Would you like to sit?” he asked, motioning a hand toward his table.

  “Yes, I think I better,” Andi replied. Before her knees gave out from shock.

  Jake’s brown hair and brown eyes appeared lighter this time, glinting with natural golden hues in the outdoor sun. Her gaze slid over his color-coordinated stylish taupe suit, white dress shirt, and loose striped tie, and she sighed. How could a guy so perfectly put together be interested in someone like her?

  Yet here he was.

  He pulled out a chair for her, and she’d just sat down when Rachel made her appearance, wearing a faded blue designer jacket and matching skirt. If Andi had known she was going to see Jake, she would have worn something similar. Instead she was dressed in jeans and an emerald green Kids Kamp sweatshirt featuring a grizzly bear sleeping in a canoe.

  “Here I am,” Rachel announced, taking a seat beside her.

  “Yes, but what is he doing here?” Andi whispered into Rachel’s ear.

  Rachel grinned. “I invited him.”

  Andi sucked in her breath. “You didn’t! How did you get his number?”

  “You left Jake’s business card on the table at the restaurant the other night, and I picked it up. You also forgot to take this,” Rachel said, handing her the Cupcake Diary with the business plan, “when you stormed out of your father’s house yesterday. He gave it to me to give back to you.”

  Rachel gave Jake a smiling nod and tipped the three-ring binder open at an angle. Andi took a quick peek and discovered Rachel had taped Jake’s business card to one of the inside pages. She’d also handwritten a personal note:

  You go, girl! Jake’s a great catch!

  But Rachel still didn’t explain why she had called Jake or what he was doing here.

  Andi snapped the Cupcake Diary closed, eager for answers.

  “I was thinking about the cupcake we ate the other night,” Rachel began, “and called Jake to ask about local—”

  The LMFAO song “Sexy and I Know It” rang from the cell phone in Rachel’s purse, and her eyes lit up. “Excuse me one moment.”

  Andi slipped a tentative look at Jake while Rachel greeted her caller. He smiled. Was he being friendly, or did his smile consist of something more? She shifted in her seat, her insides tight with excitement, and pretended to study the menu.

  “Fantastic!” Rachel exclaimed, then paused, keeping the cell phone against her ear. “Now?” She paused again. “I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  Rachel shot up from the table. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Go where?” Andi demanded.

  “Down the street,” Rachel replied and turned to Jake. “Would you mind if I left you and Andi alone?”

  “Not at all,” he said with a grin.

  Rachel patted Jake’s arm as she passed around him. “You are sweet.”

  A
lunch date alone with Jake? What would they talk about? Andi swallowed hard. “Rachel, wait.”

  But her friend tossed a you-can-thank-me-later look over her shoulder and left as fast as she’d come.

  How could Rachel do this to her? Hadn’t she told her a hundred times not to set her up before her heart had time to heal, that she’d start dating again without outside help when she was good and ready?

  Jake gave her wrist a light brush with his fingers. “Are you ready?”

  Andi stared at him, her skin tingling. “Ready for what?”

  “To order.”

  Jake pointed and when she spun in her seat, she saw the waitress stood behind her.

  “Oh. Of course.” The aroma wafting toward her from the cafe’s kitchen had her salivating for the fried fish and chips. But seeing Jake reminded her she needed to lose a few pounds, and she ordered the tuna salad on whole wheat instead.

  “Does the salmon and white bean salad have fresh beans or canned?” Jake asked.

  The waitress said, “Canned.”

  Jake pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket and made a note. “Are the tomatoes seeded?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  Jake frowned and made another note. “You know, maybe I should have the halibut sandwich. What kind of dressing does it have?”

  “Tartar sauce.”

  “Plain, no sauce, would be better.”

  The waitress smiled. “Coming right up.”

  Jake made a couple more notes in the little black notebook. Seemed like Prince Charming was a picky eater. And what was he writing? Notes about the food? Andi frowned. Would he write notes about her, too?

  Her uneasiness grew right after their plates arrived and they began to eat. “The food arrived in exactly fifteen minutes,” Jake said, tapping his gold wristwatch. “Good service.”

  Andi nodded. She’d never timed it, but she’d always thought the cafe was pretty quick. She watched Jake lift the top of his bun with his fork and study the meat. Then he took a bite and made another note in his notebook.

  “I’m glad I ordered it plain,” Jake said, “so I can get a real grasp of the flavor without the sauce. Tasty, but if I wanted a gourmet sandwich, I might go elsewhere.”

  Andi stared at him. “Did they ever claim to be gourmet?”

  “You’re right, they didn’t.” Again he wrote a note in his little notebook. “What do you think of the atmosphere?”

  “Very judgmental.”

  He looked up, locked gazes with her, and laughed. “Sorry. When Rachel called to set this up, I suggested we meet here so I could work and talk at the same time.”

  “Work?”

  “I’m a reporter for the Astoria Sun,” he said, pushing his notebook aside. “Most of my assignments consist of interviews and profile pieces on community events. This week they stuck me in the role of food critic because our regular restaurant reviewer is sick. Except I don’t think I’m very good at this. I hate giving bad reviews.”

  “Like the review for the cupcake we ate the other night at the Captain’s Port?” Andi smiled, relieved his critical analysis wasn’t an ingrained personality trait.

  Jake nodded. “Yes, but it’s because of that cupcake that we’re here today, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe that cupcake wasn’t so bad after all.”

  “It was,” Jake said, moving his chair closer, “but meeting you made the evening sweeter.” He slid her another grin. “So, where would you like to start?”

  Andi wasn’t as practiced as Rachel at idle chitchat. Better to be up front with the personal facts before either of them wasted any more time . . . or entertained possibilities that would never materialize.

  “First,” Andi said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for his reaction, “I think you should know I’ve got a five-year-old daughter.”

  “So do I.”

  “You do?”

  “My daughter, Taylor, goes to Astor Elementary.”

  “So does Mia. I wonder if they know each other.”

  “Miss Winston’s kindergarten?” Jake asked.

  Andi nodded. “Have you lived here long? Astoria isn’t very big, and I know most of the locals, but I’ve never seen you around town before.”

  “We recently relocated from Lake Tahoe. Bought a house near my sister, just a few blocks from here.”

  “I rent a small Victorian cottage up the hill,” Andi told him. “Just me and Mia. My divorce finalized a year ago. And you?”

  “Lost my wife to breast cancer when Taylor was three.”

  “I’m sorry; that must have been hard.”

  “For you, too.”

  Andi grimaced. She wasn’t sorry she lost her husband. He was still running around with his secretary somewhere in Las Vegas. But it was hard being single again. Lonely.

  “I’m glad you came today, Jake.”

  “You know, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t interested.”

  Jake gave her a look so soft, so full of emotion, she could barely breathe.

  “So? What do you think?” he asked. “Should we take a look at the business plan?”

  Andi frowned. “Business plan?”

  “For the cupcake shop.”

  She froze, and the bite of sandwich she’d just put into her mouth turned tasteless. The chatter from the men and women at the surrounding tables drifted away from her ears, and her vision narrowed, excluding all else except the serious expression on Jake’s face—the expression of a professional intent on business.

  “Andi, are you okay?” Jake placed a hand on her upper arm and gave her a little shake. “Your whole face just went pale. Are you dizzy? Feel faint?”

  She shook her head. “I . . . I’ll be fine.”

  “We don’t have to go over the details of the partnership today, if you aren’t up for it,” he said, pulling back.

  “Partnership?”

  “Rachel gave me most of the numbers over the phone, but we still need to discuss specifics of the business plan before I’d be willing to finance the start-up costs.” Jake shot her a hesitant look. “Don’t you want me to be your partner?”

  Andi covered her eyes with her hand and cringed. “I was under the impression you wanted a different kind of partnership.”

  Jake was silent for several seconds, then let out a deep, throaty chuckle and pried her hand away from her face. “Did you think Rachel set us up on a date?”

  She looked away, unable to face him. How could she have been so foolish? Didn’t Rachel say they were meeting here today to discuss a new idea to finance the cupcake shop?

  “What if I said one of the reasons I’m interested in financing the cupcake shop is because I am interested in you?”

  “You barely know me.”

  “I think I know you better now.”

  “You don’t want to date me. I’m just plain, simple, and oh-my-gosh, right now I feel so stupid.”

  “How about we start over?” he suggested, taking her hand in his. “Hi, I’m Jake Hartman. I would have asked you out on a date the first night we met, except my babysitter sent a text saying she couldn’t watch Taylor past 11:30, and I was already late. I didn’t know how you’d react if I asked you out and hit you with the news I’m a father at the same time. Some women hear you have a kid and want to run.”

  “Some men have been known to do that, too,” she said, and shook his hand to formally introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Andi Burke. My dream is to open a cupcake shop with a kitchen big enough to dance in because I love baking. And music. And I also need to pay my rent. But why would such a great financially sound guy like you want to invest his money in a risky venture with a trio of women he doesn’t know?”

  “Maybe because I, too, have a dream, and with my past experience of owning and operating a restaurant the venture won’t be so risky. My family opened a pizzeria when I was growing up, but after my father became ill, we decided to sell the business. Over the last few years I’ve missed the camaraderie we had as a team. I�
�ve been looking to invest in another local restaurant, and when Rachel called asking about Hollande’s French Pastry Parlor and told me your plans, I told her I was interested.”

  “Did she tell you the bank denied our loan?”

  Jake nodded. “Banks have to be cautious. Most small businesses fail their first year, but I know what it takes to succeed. Besides,” he said and shot her a heart-stopping grin, “I think a gourmet cupcake shop would do well in this town.”

  “The idea of a fourth business partner hadn’t crossed my mind,” Andi admitted and smiled, “but I think the idea has merit.”

  Jake brought her hand up to his mouth and gave it a quick kiss. “I’d also be interested in knowing if you are free on Saturday night to go out on a real date.”

  “But if we’re working together . . .” Andi’s breath caught in her chest. “Do you think it’s wise to mix business with pleasure?”

  Jake grinned. “I think we already have.”

  He was right, of course, but what if mixing the two didn’t work out? What then?

  As if reading her mind, he added, “If we do this, and you decide our partnership is not working for any reason, you can pay back my investment with future profits, and I will graciously bow out.”

  Andi hesitated, still unsure.

  Her cell phone hummed, shaking the pocket of her baggy sweatshirt. Her first response was to check the ID and make sure it wasn’t the school saying Mia had been hurt—her biggest worry. But when she answered, she discovered Rachel had kept another business lead from her.

  She looked at Jake. “Rachel says Kim found the perfect place for our shop, and they want us to come see it right away.”

  “Well then,” he said, scooping the Cupcake Diary off the table and offering her his arm, “we better go.”

  Chapter Five

  * * *

  A dream shared by friends is more fun than dreaming alone.

  —Andi

  ANDI STOOD BESIDE Rachel and Kim on the sidewalk and surveyed the square brick storefront with two six-by-six-foot street-side windows on either side of the bright red door.