Bake Me A Cake: A Single Dad Love and Baking Romance

by Katie Simms

  “Claire,” he said as he approached her.

  She turned to him and looked at him in slight disbelief. “You’re here.”

  “Of course I’m here.”

  “Where’s the cake, Dean?”

  “It’s in the car. Where do you want us to assemble it?”

  “Who’s us?”

  “Me and Henley, the baker.”

  “Right,” she said and walked to the living room. It had a pair of French doors leading to the side of the house. “You can bring it through here.”

  “Where’s Cora?”

  “She’s outside with her friends.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get the cake.”

  “It better be exactly how I told you to be.”

  “Trust me, you will not be disappointed.”

  Dean left the house through the French doors and ran up to where his car was parked. Henley stood beside the car, wearing her sunglasses and staring at the house.

  “We can bring it through those french doors over there,” he said.

  “Okay,” she answered.

  Within a few minutes, they brought the cake boxes inside and into the kitchen.

  Claire narrowed her eyes when she saw Henley and continued to hover while Henley unboxed the cakes. As she placed them on the tiered cake stand, Claire’s look of contempt turned into a look of awe and she glanced at Dean.

  “Now do you believe me?” Dean asked.

  She pursed her lips, not saying a word.

  Henley finished assembling the cake and stepped back, ensuring that everything was as it should be. She turned to Claire and Dean and held out her hand. “I’m Henley.”

  “Claire. Nice to meet you.”

  “Same.”

  “I must say, I didn't expect it to look like this,” Claire said and looked at the cake.

  “You didn't?”

  “No,” Claire said and looked at Henley. “It’s even better than I thought.”

  Henley chuckled with relief and crossed her arms.

  “It’s perfect,” Claire said with approval. “Thank you.”

  “It was no trouble. Actually, it was, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” Henley said, briefly glancing at Dean.

  “It sure looks like it. I love the purple tingle in the pink. It just gives it a feeling of royalty, if that makes any sense.”

  “Of course, and Cora loves purple as well.”

  Claire narrowed her eyes at Henley and asked, “How do you know that?”

  “Henley met her when I fetched Cora at school.”

  “Did you now?” Claire asked.

  “Yes.”

  Before Claire could respond, her mother, Nora entered the kitchen and she gasped.

  “Oh my gosh, Claire. Is this the cake?” she asked.

  “Yes, Mom. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Indeed. I certainly wasn't expecting it to look like this.”

  “Neither was I, but I am very impressed with it.”

  Nora glanced at Dean and nodded curtly, “Good afternoon, Dean.”

  “Nora. Long time, no see.”

  “Apparently,” she answered with a tight lip and glanced at Henley. “And you are?”

  “Henley. I’m the baker.”

  “Well, then. It’s nice to meet the woman behind this magnificent cake.”

  “Nice to meet you as well.”

  “Are you staying for the party?” Nora asked her.

  “Of course she is,” Claire said with a forced smile.

  “I wouldn't want to intrude,” Henley said with a shrug.

  “Nonsense,” Nora fobbed her off. “We’re just about to take everything outside and surprise Cora. Will you help me, Henley?”

  “Of course,” Henley answered and looked at Dean. “Go wish your daughter a happy birthday. I'll be right out.”

  Dean nodded and reluctantly stepped away, with Claire following closely behind him. They stepped outside and walked towards Cora who sat on the grass with a few of her friends. As soon as she spotted her father, she jumped up from the grass and ran towards him.

  “Daddy! Daddy!”

  She ran straight into his arms and he scooped her up in his arms.

  “Hey, kiddo.”

  “I missed you, Daddy.”

  “I missed you too,” he said and placed her down on the ground. “Happy birthday, baby.” He took the small box out of his pocket and handed it to her.

  “Can I open it now?” she asked and looked at her mother, and then her father.

  “Of course you can,” Claire and Dean said at the same time.

  Cora giggled with excitement and opened the box.

  “It’s a bracelet!” she exclaimed.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “It’s so shiny! Look, Mommy!”

  Claire bent down and glanced at the bracelet in the box. “Wow, it is beautiful.”

  “Can I wear it, Daddy?”

  “Honey, I think it will be safer inside. We wouldn't want it to get dirty, or break, do we?”

  “No,” Cora pouted but put her arms around Dean’s waist. “Thank you, Daddy. I love it!”

  “You’re welcome,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.

  “We have another surprise for you, Honey,” Claire said and Cora glanced at her.

  “What surprise?”

  Claire stepped to the side and pointed to the patio doors. Cora’s eyes widened as she saw her cake being wheeled in on a mobile display table by her grandmother and Henley.

  “Is that for me?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Mommy, it’s purple,” she exclaimed with the highest level of excitement Dean has ever seen in his life. “Henley remembered.”

  As Cora ran over to her cake and saying hello to Henley, Claire turned to Dean.

  “How does she know the baker?”

  “Henley.”

  “What?”

  “Her name is Henley.”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “I told you, she met her when I picked her up from school.”

  “Did you take her to the bakery or something?”

  “No, we had dinner.”

  “The three of you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re dating the baker?”

  “Yes,” Dean said, without hesitation, or thinking if there would be repercussions for that answer.

  “Wow.”

  “Just try not to be a bitch to her, okay. This day is about Cora, and no-one else. We’re adults and we can be civil to each other for our daughter’s sake.”

  “Fine.”

  “Now, let’s go get this party going,” he said as he turned and walked away from her, the same way she had done to him, many times.

  ***

  Cora’s eyes sparkled with excitement and delight as everyone stood around her and her cake and sang to her. Afterwards, everyone started to mingle, while the kids watched a magician doing a few tricks on the other side of the backyard. Henley was introduced to everyone by Nora, who could not stop gushing about the cake, and neither could all the guests. She received constant praise on how beautiful, and how delicious it was.

  It felt good to receive such high praise from people again, even though she had convinced herself that she didn't need to hear those commendations anymore. She was a good baker, she knew that, but it had been such a long time since she baked something as elaborate as the princess castle cake, and it felt good that she had exceeded everyone’s expectations.

  Dean was seen playing with Cora, being the perfect father, and it made her smile.

  "Are you having fun?”

  Henley whirled around and saw Claire walking up to her.

  “Yes, it‘s great.Thank you. Your mother was very sweet to let me stay.”

  “Well, the more the merrier,” Claire shrugged and studied Henley for a while.

  “It is amazing how great he is with her.”

  “He has always been good with her, even when she was a baby.”

&nb
sp; “That‘s nice,” she answered and looked at Claire.

  “Not always,” Claire answered and looked over at Dean and Cora. “Dean was never-”

  “I get it, you don't have to explain.”

  “Right. Dean probably told you that I was a horrible bitch.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Because you’re the new girlfriend and I am the ex-wife.”

  “Excuse me?” Henley asked and looked at Dean, laughing with Cora.

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

  “I‘m sorry, but what are you talking about?”

  “I know about you and Dean.”

  “What about me and Dean?” Henley asked, trying to hide her obvious shock.

  “You’re his girlfriend.”

  “He said that?” she asked.

  “Don’t look so shocked. He told me earlier.”

  “He told you we were dating?”

  Claire threw her hands up in defense and said, “I don’t care if you’re his girlfriend, or whatever it is that you two do. It’s none of my business.”

  “Right,” Henley nodded and glanced over at Dean, who was now walking towards them.

  “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” Claire said smugly and walked to where her parents stood on the patio.

  ***

  Dean’s pace slowed down as Claire walked passed him and he frowned when he noticed Henley’s expression. Oh, no, he thought to himself. “What did she say to you?”

  She looked at him and crossed her arms. “A better question would be what did you say to her?”

  “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “Did you tell her that we were dating?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it sounded much better than ‘we had sex last night on the living room couch and the floor’.”

  Henley’s eyes widened and she hushed him. “Not so loud.”

  “Are you ashamed of what we did?”

  “No, of course not, but I hardly think this is the right time and place to talk about this.”

  “Are we ever going to talk about this?”

  “Yes, we are. Just not now, okay?” she asked and ran her fingers through her hair.

  Dean glanced at her and frowned.

  She stepped towards him and put her hand on his arm. “I promise. Let’s just get through this afternoon.”

  “Okay.”

  “I just have one question.”

  “And that is?”

  “Are we supposed to act like a couple?”

  “Just act like you normally would. Claire would think that we’re keeping it low-key, so don’t make a big deal out of it.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. I had to hear from your ex-wife that I was your girlfriend.”

  “Not an ideal way of finding out, but life’s not always perfect,” Dean chuckled and winked at her.

  She tilted her head and looked at him. “You can count your lucky stars that you’re cute.”

  “You think I’m cute.”

  Henley narrowed her eyes slightly and pouted her lips. “I need a drink.”

  “Do you want me to get you something?”

  “Where does Claire hide the wine?”

  “If you figure it out, let me know,” he chuckled and touched her cheek. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Just everything,” he answered simply, lowered his hand and dug it into the front pocket of his jeans. “And have I told you how pretty you look today?”

  “Are you trying to flatter your way out of my bad books?”

  “Maybe,” he answered with a smug smile. “Is it working?”

  “Maybe.”

  He laughed and studied her for a few seconds.

  “Dean,” a voice said behind them and they turned around.

  “Jeremy,” Dean greeted the man with a handshake. “How have you been?”

  “Great to see you, Dean. It’s been a long time.”

  “It has,” Dean nodded and turned to Henley. “Henley, this is Jeremy. Claire’s cousin.”

  “Hey,” Henley greeted with him a friendly smile. “Henley.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here,” Henley said with a smile.

  “So what are you up to these days?” Jeremy asked.

  “Oh, I’m still at Fordyce Electrical.”

  “You’ve been with them for a while now.”

  “Yeah, they’re good to me,” Dean nodded. “What about you?”

  “Oh, I’m still at Delwyn and Sons.”

  “Jeremy is a conveyancer,” Dean said to Henley.

  “Wow, that’s pretty impressive,” she answered.

  “And what do you do, Henley?”

  “Oh, my job is not nearly as impressive as yours.”

  “Henley is a baker. A really good one.”

  “A baker?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you bake cookies and cupcakes?”

  Dean noticed the irritated glare that instantly appeared in her eyes after Jeremy’s patronizing remark, and interjected before she could say anything. “She baked Cora’s birthday cake,” Dean said with a smile.

  “Wow, that was your handiwork?” Jeremy asked. “That must be a lot of fun.”

  “It is, but it’s also hard work.”

  “I can imagine,” Jeremy said with a nod.

  “I’m going to see if Cora is okay,” Henley said and excused herself.

  Dean smiled and watched as she walked to where Cora and two of her friends were playing with a balloon arch.

  “So what’s the deal with you and her? Are you dating?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow, you have balls of steel.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Bringing her here, for one. What does Claire say about your new girlfriend?”

  “I don’t really care if she approves of Henley or not.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Wow. I’m not sure if I should congratulate you, or feel sorry for you.”

  “Henley is great, and she is nothing like Claire, which is a good thing.”

  “It’s your business,” he said, “but good for you for moving on with your life.”

  “Thanks, Jeremy.”

  “I’ll talk to you later. I promised Aunt Nora I’d help her with something.”

  “Go ahead,” Dean said and held out his hand. “It was nice seeing you again, and catching up.”

  Jeremey shook his hand and nodded. “We should go out for a drink sometime.”

  “Sure,” Dean nodded, but he and Jeremy both knew that was never going to happen.

  Jeremy, although he was a good guy, always had excuses when it came to following through with plans, which was why he and Dean hadn’t seen each other in such a long time.

  Jeremy stepped away, walking across the backyard to the house and Dean turned to look at Henley and Cora. A small smile ran across his lips and a warm feeling filled his chest. Seeing his daughter, the most important person in his life enjoying herself with Henley, made him incredibly happy.

  “I know that look,” he heard Claire say behind him and he turned around.

  “What look?”

  “That look on your face when you look at her.”

  Dean frowned and tilted his head at her.

  “I know it all too well because you used to look at me like that when we were still young and stupid,” she said and looked at him.

  “We were.”

  “I know.”

  “Don’t look so full of regret.”

  “I’m not. I just realized that you changed.”

  “I have.”

  “Is it because of her?”

  “Are you referring to Henley?”

  “Yes.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Then what prompted the change?”

  “Since I didn't need to impress you, or your family anymore, I’ve been focus
ing my energy on bettering myself and making sure that my daughter knows that I will do anything for her, and I will be there for her whenever she needs me.”

  “Wow,” Claire said.

  “What?” He raised his eyebrows expectantly and crossed his arms.

  “I must say though, you impressed me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The cake is amazing,” she said. “And the bracelet too. I never thought you would ever get her something like that.”

  “When I saw it, I knew she’d love it.”

  “She does,” she answered and sighed. “God, why couldn't you be like that before?”

  “Claire-”

  She glanced up at him and placed her hand on his arm. “We would have still been married if you didn’t-”

  “Claire, don’t do this right now,” he said and took hold of her wrist.

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  “You are, and it’s not going to work,” he said. “Trust me when I say this. We’re better off than we were. We weren't good for each other.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “Yes, because it’s true. You and I were never a good match.”

  “But we made Cora.”

  “Regardless of what a great kid she is, and what a great woman she is going to be, she was never going to fix things between us. It’s not her job to fix it.”

  Claire’s eyes saddened and she looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” he answered and moved her hand away.

  Chapter Seven

  Henley stared at the dashboard in front of her as she sat in the car, waiting for Dean to say goodbye to Cora. She had loaded the empty cake stand into the trunk of the car a few minutes ago after she said good-bye to everyone. She watched as Dean gave Cora a hug on the porch, reluctant to let her go. She noticed the sadness in his eyes, having to say goodbye to someone who meant so much to him.

  She sighed and her eye caught her reflection in the side mirror. She herself looked rather upset, but it was not for the same reason. Seeing Dean and Claire across the backyard in what looked like a rather intimate conversation, upset her more than she thought it would, especially when Claire touched his arm the way that she did. Dean had told her that there was nothing but mutual feelings of despise towards each other, but they had agreed to remain civil to each other for the sake of their daughter. She was surprised at herself for feeling ridiculously jealous seeing them together, but somehow she couldn't help it.