Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  Misty bowed her head and her stomach flipped when Sterling grabbed her hand. As his fingers closed around hers, her soul filled with warmth and comfort. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the pastor’s prayer, knowing deep in her heart what she had to do. She needed to volunteer in the soup kitchen. She’d been aching for an opportunity to do this, and now that opportunity had arrived. This was an answer to a prayer. She recalled the phone calls and endless attempts for her to help in community based soup kitchens. Well, looked like they needed volunteers and Misty would happily serve. Could it also be possible that the Lord wanted her to do this to help the community and to help with her mission to get Jennifer into Juliette’s?

  When she’d initially asked Sterling about working in the soup kitchen. He’d not been enthusiastic. Well, now there was no excuse. The soup kitchen needed her.

  Once the service was over, Misty turned toward Adrian. She touched her cousin’s shoulder. “Adrian, I wanted to ask you something,” Misty said in a rushed tone.

  “What’s wrong Misty?”

  “Do you think you can keep Jennifer on Saturday nights?” She hurriedly explained that Jennifer had a playpen and she should be easy to watch for a few hours. Misty reminded Adrian that she’d successfully babysat Jennifer while Misty went grocery shopping the previous Saturday.

  Sterling touched her arm. “Why did you need Adrian to babysit Jennifer?”

  Misty sighed. “I was going to work in the soup kitchen on Saturday nights. Remember? You said that I should volunteer once Adrian was comfortable with watching Jennifer.”

  Sterling’s mouth dropped open. “You’re not volunteering to work there.”

  Misty folded her arms in front of her chest. “Why not? The pastor said they needed volunteers.”

  Adrian touched Misty’s arm, frowning. “Misty, are you sure you want to do this? There are other ministries that you can get involved in that aren’t as dangerous.”

  Sterling nodded, and Misty’s heart raced as he took her hand again. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. What if you get mugged like Rachel did?”

  Swallowing, Misty recalled the events from her childhood, things that Sterling still didn’t know about her. Her voice faltered. “But, I have to. Adrian, you know why.”

  Sterling spoke up. “Is it because of that scholarship?”

  Misty shook her head. “No, that’s not the only reason.” She focused on Adrian.

  Adrian nodded. “Honey, just think and pray about it for a few days.”

  “No, I want to do this.” She turned toward Sterling, her voice faltering. “Sterling, I don’t mind doing this. I’ve been in rough neighborhoods before.”

  He took both of her hands into his, his voice softened. “Misty, what’s wrong?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re crying.”

  “I’ll explain later,” she whispered. An usher suddenly appeared, handing Misty a tissue. She thanked the usher before using the Kleenex to dab the moisture away from her eyes. Embarrassed, she hadn’t realized that the vivid memories had made her cry. Some of the parishioners glanced at them as they made their way toward the exit. Adrian took her elbow, and Sterling stood on her other side as she made her way to the lobby.

  “Mommy!” One of the nursery workers held Jennifer at the window. Jennifer’s mouth curled into a bright smile.

  “Hold on, sweetie.” Misty stopped at the desk in the middle of the lobby to sign up for the soup kitchen volunteer group. Glancing at the paper, she found that all of the slots for Saturday night had been taken for the next several weeks. She sighed.

  The female worker at the table glanced at the paper. “You can always sign up for the dinner shift on Wednesday night. I think Saturday’s easiest for most people and that’s why it filled up so quickly.”

  Sterling appeared by her side, touching her shoulder. “You need to sign up for Wednesday. That way, I can keep an eye on you.” The authoritative tone of his voice set her teeth on edge.

  She glanced over at him, noticing the way his dark suit fit his broad shoulders. Misty still found herself questioning the giddy feelings that rushed through her whenever she saw Sterling. The last thing she needed right now was to spend more time with him – what if her feelings continued to blossom? Still feeling uneasy, she placed her name as a volunteer for Wednesday nights. Once that was done, she stepped away from the table, giving Sterling her full attention. “Look, you don’t need to keep an eye on me. I can take care of myself.” Irritation seeped into her soul. Didn’t he realize that she wasn’t a naïve woman and could take care of herself?

  “Do you really think you can take care of yourself? Misty, I care about you, haven’t you realized that yet?” The determination in his voice made her wary. She glanced into his handsome face, noticing the warmth in his eyes. Good grief, this man really did care about her and she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. He didn’t know everything about her past, and she wondered how he would feel if he knew about all of the dark parts of her life. “I can pick you up on Wednesday evening and drive you over to the soup kitchen.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m driving over there by myself.”

  He dropped her arm, turned away before looking at her again. His mouth set in a firm line, his large hands balled into tight fists. “Why are you being so difficult?” He gritted the words out, before glancing at Jennifer, who continued to gaze at them from the nursery, smiling widely. “How much help do you think you’d be to Jennifer if some fool cracked your head against the window like he did to Rachel? She had to stay home from work for a few days because she was dizzy and she was scared. Do you really want your daughter to see you like that?”

  Misty’s heart slammed into her chest. Sterling’s anger rattled her, plus, he had a valid point. Sighing, she turned away, shame filling her soul. Tears rushed to her eyes again before she blinked them away. He opened his mouth, about to speak, before Misty voiced her thoughts. “I need to go and get Jennifer.”

  She rushed away, and while she was signing Jennifer out of the nursery, she noticed him having a conversation with Adrian. She got Jennifer and walked over to fetch Adrian.

  Throngs of people continued to walk to the exit when the strong, distinctive scent of heavy floral perfume curled into Misty’s nose. She sniffed, turning to find Latisha coming behind her. She rushed around Misty and grabbed Sterling’s arm. “I heard what happened at the soup kitchen. Are you okay?”

  Misty studied Sterling’s worried expression. His lips tensed as he pulled out of Latisha’s grasp. “I’m fine. I’m glad you were gone when that happened.”

  Latisha raised her arched eyebrows, her red-painted lips smiling. “Oh, you were worried about something happening to me?”

  Latisha’s loud perfume was starting to get on Misty’s nerves. She turned toward Latisha. “Hi, I’m Misty.” The woman turned toward her, frowning. “We met at service a couple of weeks ago,” Misty reminded her.

  Latisha barely looked at Misty. “Hi,” she mumbled, all her friendly enthusiasm draining like a popped balloon.

  Undeterred, Misty tried again. “I was worried about what happened last Wednesday, too. Since they’re short on volunteers, I decided to volunteer on Wednesdays.”

  Latisha’s mouth dropped so wide open that Misty could see the stud pierced into the girl’s tongue.

  For some reason, Misty wanted to put the girl at ease. Her short skirt and heavy makeup did little to endear her to the church members. She sensed she was only volunteering for the soup kitchen to get close to Sterling, and she wished there was some way she could connect to Latisha. She gestured to Jennifer. “Do you like kids?”

  Latisha glanced at Sterling, but, he was already in deep conversation with Adrian again. What in the world were they talking about?

  “This is my daughter Jennifer. Jennifer, this is Latisha.”

  Latisha smiled as if the effort hurt her mouth. “Hi.” She barely looked at Jennifer, her eyes again focusing on S
terling.

  Misty decided she’d tried to endear Latisha enough for one day. “Well, I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday at the soup kitchen,” said Misty. Latisha mumbled something before hurrying away.

  Sterling was still in deep conversation with Adrian. Misty approached and took Adrian’s elbow, interrupting their conversation. Sterling grabbed Misty’s arm. “Hey, I still needed to talk to you.”

  “Why?”

  He sighed, taking her fingers into his. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Misty nodded. “I’m fine.”

  “You were crying—”

  “I’m fine. I think Adrian and Jennifer are ready to go now. I know Jennifer is going to want lunch soon.”

  He blew air through his lips, dropped his hand from her shoulder and looked away. Misty wondered if his feelings were hurt because she wouldn’t confide in him. “I’m okay. Really.”

  “Okay. I’ll talk to you later then.”

  As Adrian, Misty and Jennifer walked toward the exit, Misty wondered why Sterling looked so worried.

  Chapter 17

  When Sterling arrived home from church, he quickly removed his tie, threw it into his closet, angry. What was Misty’s problem? She insisted upon volunteering at the soup kitchen in that bad neighborhood but then refused his help to escort her over there. He dressed into his battered-looking house clothes, turned the TV onto the ball game, still upset about Misty’s attitude. What was wrong with that woman?

  Hearing a motor, he glanced outside and saw her arrive home from church. Adrian walked into the house unescorted while Misty unstrapped Jennifer from her car seat. Her petite figure looked nice in the orange dress she’d worn that day. Her smooth skin reminded him of the color of dark chocolate he used to bake his cakes. Her brown eyes sparkled with warmth. He blinked, still staring. His heart skipped when she looked over at his house and caught him spying on her through his window. Jennifer saw him and waved and he focused on the child, waving at her until Misty made her go into the house.

  He turned away from the window, still wondering about what was going on in Misty’s mind. Anxious, he worked off his energy by kneading dough. Once he’d covered the dough to rise, he turned on the burner. He dumped the ingredients for the filling he’d be using for his lemon tarts in to the small pot. If his plan worked, he would know more about what was bothering Misty by the end of the day.

  *

  Smiling, Misty rinsed the dinner dishes. The pot roast and vegetables that Adrian had prepared in the slow cooker had been excellent! Adrian rounded out the meal with mashed potatoes and gravy and a sweet tangy pitcher of lemonade. Jennifer ate two helpings of the meal, and Misty enjoyed how her daughter continued to thrive over the last week. Once she’d placed the last dish into the dishwasher, a knock sounded at the door. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she wondered who’d be visiting them on a Sunday night.

  She opened the door to Sterling Richards. He sported a pair of denim shorts and leather sandals. She eyed his muscular calves as he stepped into the house. “Hi, Misty.”

  “Hi, Sterling. Are you here to see Adrian?”

  He shook his head. “I’m here to see you.” He jingled his keys, glanced around the spotless house. “Did Adrian talk to you?”

  Misty frowned and closed the door. “No.”

  Adrian appeared in the living room, holding Jennifer’s hand. “Hi, Sterling. I didn’t tell Misty about your plans. I thought you could do that.”

  “Hi!” Jennifer rushed over to Sterling, her voice filled with excitement. Sterling scooped up Misty’s daughter, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “Hey, cutie.” He touched her braided hair before setting her back on the floor.

  “Come here, Jennifer.” Adrian spoke from across the room. Jennifer walked over to Adrian. “Let’s go into your bedroom so that I can read to you. I got some new books that I wanted to show you then we can watch a movie.”

  “What plans is he talking about Adrian?” Before Adrian could leave the room, Misty couldn’t resist asking her question.

  Sterling rushed to explain. “You just finished dinner, right?”

  Misty nodded.

  “Well, I wanted to take you out for some dessert.”

  Misty shook her head, already not liking his idea. “I don’t want any dessert. Besides, Jennifer’s had enough sweets today and I don’t want to give her any dessert right now.”

  He took her hand while Adrian and Jennifer exited the room. “I spoke with Adrian after church and she said she’d babysit Jennifer while you and I went out, so Jennifer’s not coming with us. I wanted to spend some time with you alone.”

  She jerked her hand away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, plus, like I said, I don’t want any dessert.”

  He turned away from her, sighed, shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “Do you really dislike me that much?”

  No, I like you too much and that’s a big problem.

  She wasn’t sure what to say. She certainly couldn’t tell him that her heart skipped every time she saw him. She didn’t want to tell him that whenever she saw him interacting with Jennifer, she couldn’t help but compare him to Nate, knowing that Sterling could provide for her daughter in a way that Nate probably never would.

  She approached him, touched his back. She hated that she’d made him upset when all he’d done was be nice to her since she’d arrived in Miami. “I’m sorry, Sterling. I don’t dislike you, and I want you to know that I appreciate all that you’ve done to help me since I moved in with Adrian.”

  He faced her and she stepped back, caught off-guard by the determined glint in his wonderful brown eyes. “Why don’t you want to come and have dessert with me? I like you, Misty, and I want to know more about you.”

  “I’m not sure if knowing more about me is a good idea.”

  He scratched the back of his head, a puzzled frown forming on his handsome features. “Why do you say that?”

  Her past swam before her eyes, things about her life that Sterling wouldn’t like to hear. “It’s just…well, it’s complicated.”

  “I’ll bet everybody would say their life is complicated. Does anybody really have an easy life with no problems?” She wasn’t sure what to say about that. “Let’s go.” He checked his watch. “I’ll probably have you back before Jennifer goes to bed. We won’t be gone for long.”

  “Well…” she chewed her lower lip, thinking. It would probably be a good idea to go out with him this once. Once he got to know her better, his attraction would fizzle like the bubbles in a flat soda. “Okay, I’ll go.” It was the least she could do since he’d been so kind to her. “Just give me a minute so that I can change.”

  She walked toward her bedroom. As she passed Jennifer’s room, she heard Adrian’s clear voice, reading to Jennifer from a special Braille Dr. Seuss book. As Jennifer became more comfortable around Adrian, Misty had thought of activities for them to do together since Adrian had insisted on helping Misty care for Jennifer. Misty had found a company on the internet that provided books that were in Braille and print. Misty had been excited to see Jennifer’s new books arrive. She’d seen that the Braille bumps covered the pages on a special clear, tape-like material, allowing both the blind and sighted reader to read the book at the same time. Jennifer giggled at the story, and Misty figured her daughter would soon be reading books on her own.

  She entered her bedroom, in a rush to find something to wear since she didn’t want to keep Sterling waiting. She found her white cropped pants in the back of her closet. These would look perfect with her new peach-colored sleeveless top. She dug in her closet and found her white sandals. After she dressed, she slipped the sandals on her feet, pleased that she’d painted her toenails that morning. Before she joined Sterling, she entered Jennifer’s room, closing the door behind her. “I’m leaving. We won’t be gone long.”

  Jennifer walked over to Misty, giving her a hug. “Bye, Mommy.”

  “Bye, Sweetie.” She kissed her daug
hter’s chubby cheek.

  “I hope you have a good time.” Adrian said with a smile.

  Misty looked at her cousin. “Oh, we’ll have a talk about this later. Sterling told me you knew about this.”

  Adrian flicked her wrist in the air, as if shooing Misty away. “Just go. I’m sure you’ll have a good time.”

  She entered the living room and Sterling’s full lips broke into a wide smile when he spotted her. “Misty, you look nice.”

  “Thanks.”

  They left the house and walked to his car. He unlocked the doors and opened her car door for her. She entered the vehicle, still trying to calm her racing nerves. Was she really making a mistake by going out with Sterling? Lord, what have I gotten myself into? I’m attracted to this man, but, something’s telling me that a relationship would not work between us.

  Chapter 18

  Sterling placed his key into the ignition and started his car. As he pulled into the street, he resisted the urge to turn on his jazz music. He wanted Misty to talk to him and he figured having the music blasting wouldn’t encourage conversation. “So, what’d you do after church today?” He enjoyed the pleasing lilt of her lovely voice while he drove through the city of Miami. Palm trees danced in the evening breeze as he whizzed by tall buildings and people strolling down the street. While she spoke, he realized she told everything that both Adrian and Jennifer had done after church. She chuckled when she told of one of Jennifer’s antics, and he glanced at her when he stopped at a light, noting that she seemed at ease. Maybe once he got her to the ice cream parlor, she’d be more likely to answer the questions that had been burning in his brain since church.