Did she really want proof that she and Jennifer were just as good as the rich crowd?
Plagued with these thoughts, she cancelled out on Latisha, wanting to be alone. After Adrian agreed to keep Jennifer, Misty set out on a drive. She needed to go grocery shopping and do a few other errands for Adrian. She drove aimlessly for an hour, in deep thought. She recalled being poor, her mom’s drug abuse. She remembered living in the foster home for two years, not getting enough food to eat. She recalled shopping for new clothes at Goodwill, always longing to shop at the posh mall on the outskirts of town. She even recalled riding the school bus each day. Her bus passed the fancy private school each day. How she’d envied those wealthy kids. They’d seemed so cool and organized in their school uniforms. She’d spot them standing around the school campus, imagined what glorious lives they led. Her private school dream had probably taken root back then, before Jennifer even existed.
Money had always been a problem for her family. She’d been so sick and tired of their circumstances. When she’d finally found the courage to move, she’d not only wanted to raise Jennifer in a Christian household, but, she’d also wanted to leave her poor environment behind. She finally found herself parking in the small lot behind Sterling’s bakery. Deep down, she had a hard time accepting that he was probably right. With deep longing, she still pursued that dream, wanting to prove to herself that she was just as good as the rich folks on this God-given earth.
Still in deep thought, she got out of her car, slowly strolled to the entrance of the bakery. She glanced at the large, delicious-looking cupcake that decorated the glass-fronted building. She finally pushed the door open, went inside. The delicious scent of sugar and chocolate filled the air. A line of customers stood at the counter. A group of people zoomed past her, carrying monogrammed bakery bags. She stood in the middle of the bakery, just staring.
Tasty cupcakes and cookies were arranged behind the clean glass displays. Taking a closer look, she spotted pink-frosted cupcakes, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and several loaves of bread. If she weren’t feeling so down, she’d purchase some of those sweets. She’d pull up a chair to one of those small round tables and sip a hot cup of coffee while sampling a chocolate chip cookie. Far as she could recall, she’d never had Sterling’s chocolate chip cookies.
¿Puedo ayudarlo?” That was Sterling’s voice. She scanned the work space behind the counter and spotted him speaking to a customer in Spanish. Sterling spoke Spanish? She sniffed, focused on the wonderful scents, tried to clear her troubles from her mind.
The Spanish speaking customer grinned, pointed to cookies. “Galletas una docena de canela, por favor.”
Sterling nodded. He boxed up the cookies. His dark eyes appeared serious as he did the chore. He wore a white apron over his sexy muscular body. Goodness, he was such a beautiful man. She could just stare at him all day. The woman paid for the cookies.
Sterling grinned. “Gracias.”
The woman nodded in response before making her exit.
Sterling glanced up and spotted her standing in the middle of the bakery. “Misty.” His deep voice echoed through the room. Several customers stopped eyeing the display cases and glanced over at Sterling, obviously startled by his loud voice.
He rushed back into what she assumed was the kitchen. A minute later another man appeared behind the counter with Sterling. She assumed he was one of his assistants. The assistant took the order from the next person in line. Sterling rushed toward her, his dark eyes full of concern. “Is something wrong?” He took her hand, led her over to one of the few empty tables. “You look upset.”
Her mind was literally spinning. Maybe she should not have come here. She said the first thing that popped into her mind. “I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
He blinked and tilted his head, stared at her. “I had to learn. It’s hard to run a business in Miami without speaking Spanish.”
There was so much about him that she didn’t know. She sighed, again glanced around the bustling bakery. Sterling was at work and she was bothering him. “Maybe I should go home.”
“Honey, no. What’s the matter?” His voice softened and he caressed her hand. Activity continued to bustle around them.
“Jennifer didn’t get the scholarship.” She cringed as the awful words tumbled from her mouth.
“Aw, Misty. I’m so sorry.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you really sorry?”
“Yes, I know how much this meant to you and I know you’re feeling sad.”
“Sterling!” One of his assistants called out from behind the counter. It looked like some sort of crises was going on. She was disturbing him at work. She probably should have waited until he got home tonight.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
Sterling eyed the counter. “I’ll be there in a minute, Eddie.” He focused on her again. “Look, I really need to talk to you. Do you think Adrian could keep Jennifer after church tomorrow? I wanted to take you to the beach. I think we have a lot to talk about…” he glanced down at the floor before focusing on her again. “Well, I have a lot to say to you.”
She nodded. Maybe there was hope for them after all.
*
Misty settled onto the huge beach blanket, feasted her eyes on Sterling while he set up their picnic lunch. A warm breeze blew over the crystal blue water and the sand sparkled beneath the hot sun. She briefly closed her eyes, tilted her head toward the sky, relished the splash of warm Florida sunshine. Thank God they’d had wonderful weather that day. She’d been in Miami for months and this was the first time she’d visited the beach. With longing, she recalled when she’d first met Sterling. He’d asked her if she’d ever been to the beach and she’d mentioned that she didn’t know how to swim.
She opened her eyes. Sterling dug into the sand to set up their large beach umbrella. The muscles in his back flexed as he did the chore. Oh, how she loved looking at him! After she’d visited his bakery the previous day, and they’d made their date for today, she’d looked forward to it all night. She’d had a strange night. On the one hand, she’d fretted about Jennifer not getting the scholarship. On the other hand, she thought about Sterling, eagerly anticipating their beach date. She’d even had a hard time listening to the sermon at church that morning. Sterling had occupied the seat beside her and she’d caught him openly staring at her during the service. It looked like he’d been having a hard time concentrating on the sermon, too.
After he’d picked her up at Adrian’s for their beach date, he’d insisted he didn’t want her doing any work with setting up their picnic. He’d packed their lunch in the cooler and brought along all of the beach supplies. Once he’d set up their umbrella, he dropped onto the blanket beside her, took her hand, closed his eyes. Misty bowed her head, paid attention to the words that Sterling spoke to the Lord. “Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. Thanks also for giving me the opportunity to spend time with Misty. Please be with her as she continues to search for a school for Jennifer. Lord, please continue to be with me as I work through problems with my brother. Amen.”
“Amen.” Misty raised her head, opened her eyes.
Sterling popped the top off of the cooler and removed two plastic containers. “I figured we could talk after we eat.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
He handed her one of the containers and he also gave her a napkin and a plastic fork. Misty opened the container, surprised to see shrimp salad. She popped a bite into her mouth. It was delicious! The flavorings were both sweet and tangy and the pasta tasted just right. The tender shrimp melted in her mouth. She enjoyed bite after bite, savored each flavor. She’d been disappointed to discover that she’d finished her dish. She wanted more of the savory salad.
She eyed Sterling. He’d finished his shrimp salad as well. He popped the cork of a bottle of sparkling cider, poured it into two plastic champagne glasses. “To new beginnings.”
That sounded nice. �
�New beginnings.” She smiled and they clinked their glasses together. He then presented a large bowl to her, removed the plastic wrap. The scents of spices filled her nose. The roasted nuts looked delicious.
“These are spiced almonds.”
“They smell good.” Misty sampled one and loved the salty, spicy taste of the seasoning. She munched on the nuts, sipped her cider. “What did you use to season these nuts?” She popped another few into her mouth.
He grinned, his sexy dimples winking in the bright sunshine. “I can’t give away all my cooking secrets.” He softened his words with a quick wink.
Once they’d consumed the nuts, Misty was stuffed. Surprisingly their picnic dining experience was still not over. Sterling had brought along dessert, of course. “I’m not sure if you’ve ever tasted my tangerine cookies.”
Intrigued, Misty bit into the sweet, sugary confection. Oh, what a way to end their perfect meal! The fresh sweet taste of tangerines exploded into her mouth, as if beckoning her to sample another bite. “These are delicious.”
He grinned and fingered her cheek. “Thank you.”
She nibbled on her cookie, enjoyed the rest of the cider. After they’d consumed the cookies, Sterling put all of their trash away, leaned back, his beautiful face tilted toward the sky. Seagulls flew overhead and several landed on the beach, searching for crumbs. She was about to open her mouth and start the discussion, but, Sterling beat her to it. “Misty, I love you. I know you said you weren’t ready for a relationship yet, and if you’re not, then, that’s okay. I’ll continue to be your friend if that’s all you want for now.”
Wow. Talk about being open and honest. Her heart literally fluttered. Sterling was the most honest, good man she’d ever been involved with. Well, almost involved with. They never were officially a couple, were they? Well, she’d grown to love him, too. But, there were still things about him that bothered her. Okay, well, she needed to be honest, too. “What about my past? You seemed upset when you saw that I’d dated a drug dealer. I know you already apologized, but, I just need to be sure that you’re not still upset.”
He winced. “Yeah, that was wrong. Honey, I’ll be honest with you. I have a hard time with judgement.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Judgement.”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m judgmental. My brother Louis pointed that out to me. If I don’t agree with something I instantly judge. Yes, your past did bother me, but, you’ve changed. I know my life’s far from perfect. We’ve all made mistakes.” He paused, looked directly into her eyes. “It was wrong of me to react that way. Will you forgive me?”
She nodded. “Yes.” In spite of his judgment, Sterling was the only guy she’d ever been involved with who seemed to know her better than she knew herself. She took a deep breath, realized she needed to talk about his opinion of her wanting Jennifer to go to Juliette’s. “It’s time for me to be honest with you. I’ve been thinking about what you said that day when I came to your house. That day you were baking the bread.”
He looked at her, took her hand. “Go on.”
“You were right about what you said, about why I wanted Jennifer to get into Juliette’s so bad. If she were to go to that school, interacting with those kids, it would prove that we’re just as good as they are. I think it’d probably be like the final step to our being accepted, the final step to leaving my old life behind. ” She then told him about her being envious of the kids who’d attended the prestigious private school in Lehigh Acres. “I think my dream took root back then. I don’t need the approval of Juliette’s to prove that I’m just as good, just as worthy, as those who have more money than me.”
“What will you do now that she didn’t get the scholarship?”
“I was going to start searching for another pre-school. I’d had my heart set on that one, but, since the Lord has other plans, I need to learn to accept that. I’m still disappointed that she didn’t get the scholarship.”
“I’m sorry, too. I know how much you wanted her to go to that school.” He remained silent, continued holding her hand. His large fingers felt warm, nice, and comfortable. She could imagine sitting here on this beach for hours, enjoying his gentle touch. “How do you feel about me, Misty?”
“I love you, too, Sterling.”
He raised his eyebrows. She could tell her answer surprised him. “You do?”
“Yes. When I first met you, and all you wanted to do was help me…I didn’t want to accept your help. I’m used to doing everything on my own and I didn’t want to lean on a man only to be disappointed later.” She stared at their joined hands. “But, I found that leaning on you, being with you, felt nice, comfortable. I also loved how you cared for Jennifer. I’d never been with a nice, caring man, someone who really seemed concerned about me. I think…” This was so hard, being so honest. But since he was honest she could at least do the same. “I think I felt I wasn’t worthy of so much caring. I know this may sound awful but, I felt that it’d be better if I was on my own, completely alone.” She took a deep breath. “I felt that if any man really wanted me, it would be someone like Nate or Ace, someone who didn’t necessarily have my best interests at heart.”
“And now?”
“Now, I feel differently. I know it’ll take me awhile to get used to having someone there to help me.”
He nodded. “That goes both ways, Misty. You can help me too.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. But, I figured we could help each other, whenever we needed to.”
That sounded so wonderful. She needed to ask him about his brothers. “I wondered if you were able to get everything straightened out with your brothers.” She still had not met them, and wondered what they were like.
He told her about the surprise visit from his Aunt June.
Misty’s breath caught. She took a deep breath. “So, your twins had a different father? That explains a lot.”
He sighed. “Yeah. I wonder why I never figured it out myself.”
“Well, your father obviously didn’t want you to know, or he would’ve told you.”
“I’m hoping that now that we know, we can get past this and get along.”
He then told her about his last meeting with the twins and that he’d split the insurance money with them. “Hopefully, Leon will do as he says and get some help.”
“I hope so, too. I’m glad that you split the money with them.” Maybe now he wouldn’t worry about the twins and the life insurance money so much. She could tell from Sterling’s worrisome nature that he really loved his brothers. Seeing them reconciled would go a long way to alleviating his angst.
He leaned toward her, his beautiful face coming closer to hers. His chocolate brown skin literally glowed in the bright Florida sun. “I want us to be a couple. I want you to be my girlfriend. We love each other. Let’s see how things work from there.”
Misty’s heart thudded when his soft warm lips touched hers. Warmth glowed through her body like liquid fire. Her world felt as if it was literally spinning. When he ended the kiss, she opened her eyes. “I think that’s an excellent idea.” Her voice wavered as she leaned toward him, seeking another kiss.
Epilogue
“Jennifer Rae Richards.” Five-year-old Jennifer walked across the stage, her small white cap and gown flowed in the warm breeze. Misty blinked her teary eyes, her hands protective against her bulging stomach. Sterling stood, video-taped Jennifer graduating from Juliette’s preschool.
“I can’t believe how much our baby has grown.” Adrian sat on Misty’s other side, wiping tears from her sightless eyes.
“Neither can I, Adrian.”
As the graduation continued, Sterling plopped into the seat beside Misty, took her hand, and she leaned into his chest, took a huge whiff of her favorite aftershave. He smelled nice. He touched her stomach. “Are you okay?”
“For the one hundredth time, yes.” She was exasperated, but, in a good way. Since she’d gotten pregnant, Sterling had been extra c
areful, acting as if she were a fragile piece of china that would break any moment! She had to keep gently reminding him that this was not the first time she’d had a baby. Her words didn’t seem to appease his anxiety. Sterling would be a wonderful father to their child. He was already a doting father to Jennifer. Adrian had teased that they were spoiling Jennifer but, Sterling couldn’t seem to help it. Jennifer was his daughter, too, and he wanted the whole world to know about it.
She sighed, eyeing Louis and Leon, who sat on the row in front of them. Latisha sat beside the twins. Latisha continued to visit regularly and Misty cherished her friendship.
So much had happened since she’d shared that wonderful beach picnic with Sterling. They’d gotten engaged a few months after that picnic. Jennifer had initially lost her spot at Juliette’s since Misty had not been able to get the scholarship. Later, after the school year had started, the director called Misty – a spot had opened up because a family was relocating. Sterling had stepped in, generously offering to pay Jennifer’s tuition by using some of the funds he’d gotten from his father’s life insurance policy. Prior to Jennifer enrolling at Juliette’s, Misty had researched the educational value for all of the Miami pre-schools and Juliette’s offered the best education. Sterling finally agreed that Juliette’s was the best school in which to send their daughter.
Misty had initially struggled to accept Sterling’s offer to pay. It was still hard for her to accept help from others, but, she was learning that she was worthy of receiving help as well as giving help. At that time, they’d been planning their wedding and Sterling’s kind gesture was something he was doing for his daughter. After they’d married, Sterling had legally adopted Jennifer. Misty had been touched when he’d mentioned that he wanted to be Jennifer’s legal father.
The twins. Sterling’s relationship with his brother Leon wasn’t as smooth as he liked, but, they got along a lot better than they used to. Leon continued going to his AA meetings and he’d found a job and a place to live. He was no longer bunking at Louis’s home. Surprisingly, both of the twins bonded well with Jennifer. They’d proven to be proud uncles and it made her glad that when she visited their homes, they had Jennifer’s picture perched on their walls.
Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) Page 25
