Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3)

by Cecelia Dowdy

  He pulled into a parking space down the street from The Miami Creamery. They got out of the car and as they strolled toward the place, he took her hand. She looked down at their clasped fingers. He held his breath, wondering if she would object. He breathed with relief when she didn’t pull her hand away. He opened the door to the brightly-lit, crowded room. A bright red juke-box sat in the corner, crooning music from the seventies. The tables were littered with people. He spotted one table in the corner that was unoccupied. “Misty, do me a favor and grab that table for us. I’ll get the ice cream.”

  “Okay. But I’ll need to let you know what kind of ice cream I want.” Her dark eyes twinkled and he touched her face. “Trust me. I already know what to get for you. Go ahead and get the booth before somebody else gets it.” She rushed over to the empty booth and he stood in the line to get their ice cream.

  He headed to their booth several minutes later, holding his banana split and her mega-sundae made with cookie-dough ice cream. Seeing her sundae, she beamed, and a small dimple appeared in her cheek. “How’d you know cookie-dough was my favorite?” She dipped her spoon into the concoction that was coated with caramel syrup and nuts. With her small frame, he doubted she’d finish the gigantic sundae, but he wanted to be sure she had enough ice cream to last for a while. He planned on sitting at this table with her for a long time – until he found the answers to the questions that continued to burn in his brain. She slipped the ice cream into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning, grinning playfully. “This is the best sundae I’ve ever had! You haven’t answered me. How’d you know this was my favorite flavor?”

  He hadn’t answered because he’d been staring at her, mesmerized, for the last few minutes. He still thought it a miracle that she’d agreed to come with him to get ice cream. He slipped his spoon into his banana split. “When I was talking to Adrian after church, I told her about my idea and she mentioned that you loved cookie-dough ice cream.” Actually, he’d asked Adrian if she could keep Jennifer if he took Misty out to dinner tonight. Adrian had wisely advised that Misty might be more apt to accept his invite if it were something less formal than dinner. He’d wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant and Adrian had said it’d be best to start with ice cream and then see how things went from there.

  The music continued to blare in the background as the sound of voices in the crowded creamery surrounded them. This wasn’t the most romantic of places, but, due to Adrian’s advice, Sterling now realized that if they were in a romantic place Misty would probably be less likely to open up to him. She tapped her foot to the rhythm of the music, humming while enjoying her ice cream. She stopped eating, eyed his full bowl. “Aren’t you going to eat your banana split?”

  He glanced at his puddle of vanilla ice cream, bananas, nuts and cherries. He shoved a bite into his mouth, barely paying attention to the swirl of vanilla and bananas on his tongue, still wondering how to get Misty to talk to him about what had been bothering her earlier. He finally thought of something to say. “So, are things going pretty well at your job?”

  She nodded, continued to eat her treat. “Yes, things have been going great. I’ve been really busy.” She continued to speak about her boss Carmen, and different things she had to do with contracts and making appointments. “I really like my job and Carmen even encouraged me to continue my education.”

  He enjoyed another bite of ice cream. “Are you planning on going back to school?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I have my associate’s degree, but, I think getting my bachelor’s may be what I need to do.” She shook her head. “I’m living with Adrian right now and she doesn’t charge me much for rent. Plus I have Jennifer. I guess since I’m raising my child by myself, and I’ll want my own home someday, then, it’d probably be best if I had my bachelor’s degree so that I can make more money on the job.”

  “When you were getting your associate’s why did you stop? Why didn’t you just continue to get your bachelor’s?”

  She sighed. “I got pregnant and had Jennifer, plus, Nate…” She shook her head, dropped her spoon, and the utensil clinked into the empty bowl. Shocked, Sterling couldn’t believe that she’d finished the entire sundae. Goodness, this woman could eat a lot of ice cream at one time!

  He gestured toward her empty bowl. “Did you want more ice cream?”

  She shook her head, patted her stomach. “No, I’m stuffed, but eating all that ice cream made me thirsty.”

  “Would you like a soda?”

  She shook her head. “No thanks.” She stood. “I’ll just go and get a glass of water.”

  He dropped his spoon into his half-full bowl. “I’ll go get it.”

  “That’s okay. You’re not done eating.”

  There was no way that he was letting her get her own drink while out on a date with him. “I don’t mind getting it.”

  “But—”

  He took her small hand, squeezed her slim fingers. “Let me go, okay. I’ll be right back.” He went up to the counter, purchased a large bottle of water, and returned to the table. He still wasn’t done talking to her and there was no way he was leaving yet. He plopped the bottle onto the table. “Now, you were telling me something about Nate.”

  She unscrewed the top off of the bottle and guzzled the liquid. It took her a few minutes before she responded. “When I enrolled in the community college, Nate didn’t like it.”

  He frowned. “How come?”

  “He was always making snide comments about my books, my schooling...” she shook her head. “He even accused me of dating people that were in my classes.” She stared at her water bottle, as if lost in thought. “My educating myself really took a toll on our relationship. We argued more. Just thinking about it makes me tired.”

  “So, Nate didn’t go to college?”

  Misty shook her head. “He dropped out of high school and hasn’t been in a classroom since.” She shuddered. “I just want Jennifer to know that it’s good to educate yourself and I don’t want Nate giving her negative ideas about going to school.”

  Sterling nodded. “I can understand that. I’d imagine Nate was probably jealous and felt threatened that you were trying to make a better life for yourself.”

  She shrugged. “I suppose. It’s hard to know what’s going on in Nate’s mind.”

  Sterling figured there was hardly anything worthy going on in Nate’s brain, but, he kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t feel like talking about Nate anymore, so, he changed the subject. “I was surprised when you volunteered to work in the soup kitchen since it’s in a dangerous area and all.”

  She shrugged her slender shoulders. Taking a straw from the nearby dispenser, she un-wrapped it and rolled it between her fingers, as if releasing nervous energy. He realized she probably didn’t want to talk about her reasons for volunteering. “What did you mean when you told Adrian that she knew why you had to volunteer?” He knew he was probably being too nosy right now, but, it proved unsettling to see Misty crying after church. If there was anything he could do to make her feel better, then he’d do it. But, he knew he couldn’t do anything until he knew what was wrong.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Her mouth hardened into a frown and he realized his nosy question had changed the mood of their date. He took one of her hands into his, removing the straw from her slim fingers.

  He softened his voice and continued to hold her hand. “Misty, you were upset this morning and I just want to make you feel better.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t interrupt me. Just hear me out.”

  She tried to pull her hand away, so he released her from his grip. “You don’t like it when I hold your hand?” he asked quietly.

  She looked away, focusing on a group of teenagers occupying a nearby booth. One of the youths bellowed with laughter, and Misty looked as if she wanted to say something about the youths, but she remained silent. She finally answered his question. “I…I don’t mind your holding my hand, but…�
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  “But what?”

  “I just don’t think that this is the right time for me to be interested in somebody.”

  He smiled. “So, you admit that you are interested in me?”

  She folded her arms in front of her. “I didn’t say I was interested.”

  “Calm down, Misty.” She unfolded her arms and he took her hand again. He mentally sighed with relief when she didn’t pull away. “I’d like to be more than just your friend.”

  She glanced at their clasped hands, a dubious expression lining her pretty features. She didn’t say anything, so, he continued to speak. “You must know that I care about you. I’ve met your mother. I’ve visited your home. I’ve helped you when you were sick.”

  She shook her head. “I only accepted your help to drive to my mom’s house because Adrian insisted. I could’ve driven home myself that day.” Her voice had taken a steely edge.

  He dropped her hand, still trying to figure her out. “What is it with you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t like it when I help you. Is it just me, or, do you refuse the help of others too?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t like me to help you. Why?”

  “I don’t need help.”

  He sighed, glancing at his puddle of melted ice cream. Maybe this whole trip to the creamery had been a bad idea. He closed his eyes, frustrated. Lord, I have no idea what to say to this difficult, stubborn woman. Am I wasting my time? Suddenly, a memory swept through his mind. He recalled his father showing him how to bake bread. He’d only been around eight at the time, and his father had shown him how they’d needed to let the bread rest and rise. His dad had covered the large glass bowl with a towel and Sterling had not wanted to wait for the dough to rise. He kept lifting the towel every minute, and his father had said he was too impatient to wait for the bread to rise. “You’re such an impatient boy,” his father had commented with a chuckle. His patience had always been practically non-existent. He’d hated waiting for things to happen and had wanted to make things happen on his own. He’d recalled asking his dad if there was anything that they could do to make the bread rise quicker.

  The answer came to his mind. He was rushing Misty. She was working full-time, helping Adrian when she could, raising her daughter alone, plus, she had knuckle-headed Nate trying to reconcile with her. Was she used to helping others, while not receiving any help of her own? Was this a foreign concept that was hard for her to handle?

  He didn’t attempt to take her hand again, but, he decided that he did need to speak. “Look, we’re neighbors, and I’m Adrian’s friend and I’m glad that I’m your friend, too. I care about my friends and I just wanted to make sure you were okay earlier today. If you don’t want to tell me what was wrong, then I understand. I won’t ask you about it again unless you’d like to talk about it.” He stood, figuring it was time to take her home before she missed Jennifer’s bed time. “Come on, I guess we’d better be heading back.”

  “Wait.” She pointed to his recently-vacated chair. “Sit back down.”

  He returned to his chair, giving her his undivided attention.

  “Adrian’s always on my case about being stubborn, so, well, I guess it just takes a little getting used to,” she explained.

  “Okay.” He wasn’t sure if there was anything else he could say about that.

  She took a deep breath. “Look, I was upset at church because when they were talking about the soup kitchen and needing volunteers for the ministry, I just knew I had to do it. I know what it’s like to be hungry and have nothing to eat.” Her voice softened. “When I was five, me and my sisters were separated and placed into foster care.”

  “Misty, that’s awful.” He thought about her mother living in the run-down neighborhood. She appeared to love her children, which prompted his next question. “What happened?”

  “My mother…she had a drug habit when she was much younger. The authorities found me and my sisters at home unsupervised. We hadn’t had anything to eat in two days, so they placed us in foster care. The foster home that I was in…well, they didn’t always feed us enough. I remember being hungry a lot and the foster mother locked the refrigerator so that we couldn’t get into it to get food. I used to love going to school because since I was a foster child, I got a free meal for breakfast and lunch through the school system.” His heart softened when a tear rushed down her cheek. She swiped it away, staring at the napkin dispenser on the table. “Even before my mother was arrested, she often took us to the soup kitchen to get a meal. I’ve served in a few soup kitchens in Lehigh Acres, so, it’d just be natural for me to want to volunteer here.”

  “Misty, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” He again thought about her mother. “So, the courts gave you back to your mother?”

  She nodded. “Yes, after two years, they gave her custody since she’d found a job and was off drugs. She got her life back together but the social services people came to check up on her frequently.” She shuddered. “I think it was the worse two years I’ve ever had in my life.”

  He digested her news, speechless. He honestly didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. What an awful childhood. While he’d been growing up, there’d always been plenty of food. Sure his parents argued, but, he never doubted they cared for him. If his parents had been irresponsible, on drugs, what would his life had been like? Before he could speak, she said something else. “I know I can be stubborn sometimes, but it’s just hard for me to accept help from others.”

  “But Misty, you care about others and you want to help. I think God would want you to accept help from others, too.” He just couldn’t imagine going through what Misty had experienced. He was sure if he had, he wouldn’t be the same person he was today. Did Misty ever learn to deal with the pain she’d suffered as a child? Maybe when she saw that people cared about her, she pushed them away, afraid of getting hurt.

  She appeared to be thinking about his words. “Yes, I guess you’re right.” She paused. “Sterling?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m glad that you’re my friend.”

  He took her hand, leaned toward her. “I’m glad that you’re my friend, too,” he whispered in her ear.

  Chapter 19

  The next day at work, Misty crossed her legs, and swung her office chair toward the window. She stared at the people strolling down the sidewalk. Sterling was her friend and nothing more. She needed to focus on that. His chocolate brown skin, muscular arms and legs, his handsome face and kind mocha-colored eyes… she needed to stop thinking about his physical attributes. But, she was drawn to him for more than just his exquisite looks. His kindness stunned her, literally. She was so used to fending for herself, doing things for herself but it felt kind of nice to have somebody there to help her if she needed it.

  Well, she didn’t plan on relying on him very much. Yes, she’d fetch a ride with him to the soup kitchen on Wednesday nights, but, other than that, she didn’t think she’d need his help for anything else. She’d found it was best not to rely on people very much. The only person she could depend on was herself. She shook her head. She’d spent enough time daydreaming about Sterling. It was time for her to pick up Jennifer. She’d taken the afternoon off from work so that she could take Jennifer to Juliette’s for the open house.

  Since she’d been working with Carmen, she’d noticed the woman seemed to be sharp and to the point. She’d pondered telling Carmen about her dream of sending Jennifer to Juliette’s. After careful thought, she’d decided not to tell her. She figured Carmen might laugh, just as Sterling had. Also, Carmen had not seemed sympathetic when she’d spoken about leaving Jennifer at the daycare. She figured Carmen would not understand her deep desire to provide the best education for her daughter. Carmen didn’t have any kids, so, she wasn’t sure if she’d understand.

  She rushed from the office and got into her car. She checked the time. She had an hour to
get Jennifer and head over to Juliette’s. After driving as fast as possible, she finally pulled into the driveway of the daycare. She rapped on the door and Lucy opened it, her hair frazzled. Two kids were crying and Jennifer lay on the couch, her eyes sad. “What’s wrong?’

  Lucy closed the door. “I had to send one kid home with a stomach virus this morning. Jennifer has been cranky all afternoon. She doesn’t have a temperature, but, I’m sure she doesn’t feel well.”

  Misty rushed over to the couch. “Are you okay, honey?”

  “My head hurts.”

  Now what was she going to do? They really needed to go to that open house. She really wanted to tour the school, maybe talk to some of the parents and get to know the teachers. She also wanted the staff to meet Jennifer. Once she warmed up to people, she could be quite charming – her daughter’s charm could be one more asset when they were considered for acceptance. She touched Jennifer’s forehead. She didn’t feel warm. “Come on, Jennifer.” After she’d said goodbye to Lucy, she made her way back outside to her car, strapped Jennifer into her car seat.

  Jennifer was usually fine after she’d taken some Motrin. She stopped at the drug store and purchased the liquid medicine for her daughter. After she’d given her a dose, she drove to Juliette’s. Lord, please help me. Please help Jennifer to feel better. Plus, could you please help me with my nerves, Lord. I feel so nervous.