by Sophie Stern
Christmas Sugar Rush
Sophie Stern
Copyright © 2020 by Sophie Stern
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
When Kinsley gets a job at Savored, the cutest bakery in Ashton, she's not hoping for much. She's down on her luck and on the wrong side of 40. There's not much for her to look forward to.
Then Gregory Williams walks through the doors of the bakery, and everything changes.
The sweet cowboy is everything Kinsley could ever dream of in a man, but she's got a secret.
So does he.
Join Kinsley and Gregory as they discover that sometimes, Christmas miracles do happen.
**This sweet, quick read takes place in the same world as SAVORED, which is a standalone steamy romance by Sophie Stern.**
Author’s Note:
Christmas Sugar Rush takes place in the same world as SAVORED. For a more in-depth look at Ashton and how Savored came to be what it is, please check out this book. You may get a copy wherever eBooks are sold.
1
Kinsley
Flour.
Salt.
Eggs.
Mix.
I stirred the bowl in front of me, staring at the mixture as it shifted from being a collection of ordinary ingredients into something more. Savored was the best – and only – bakery in town, and it was designed to be a place where dreams came true. At least, that was the impression I’d gotten.
During a year like this one, I could use some good dreams coming true.
Now that I was working at the bakery, I was thrilled to be learning from someone as talented as Cordelia. She was the owner, and she knew everything there was to know about making delicious treats. So far, I’d made cakes and cupcakes and even a couple of pastries.
I just hoped this was going to be enough to heal my heart.
I stirred, staring at the mixture. Would it be enough to make me forget? Would working here be enough to make me stop caring about all of the hurts I’d suffered during the past year? I hoped so.
I added a few drops of food coloring to give the batter a different hue. Purple was a good color on the worst of days, and today felt pretty darn bad. Stirring again, I watched the white batter turn a deep shade of violet.
“Hey, how’s it coming along?” Cordelia walked into the kitchen, grinning. She was a beautiful woman: young and full of happiness. She was probably about ten years younger than me, but I was 42 going on 82, so the age gap seemed bigger. Most of the time, I tried not to let that get to me.
“Not too bad,” I told her. I held out the bowl so she could take a look. Cordelia leaned forward, peering into the mixing bowl. I’d been working on learning how to stir correctly. Apparently, there was a “right” way and a “wrong” way to stir batter. According to Cordelia, mixing something incorrectly could make a big difference in a bad way.
“Seems perfect,” she smiled at me and nodded. I liked that Cordelia was so encouraging. No matter what I was doing or how the day was going, she always seemed to have something nice to say. It was a great change from the boss I’d had previously. Tony Marcus had been a jerk in more ways than I cared to count.
“Thanks.”
“The baking pans are all set up for you,” Cordelia said. She walked over to a fridge and started pulling ingredients out and setting them on the counter. “Whenever you’re ready, you can fill them and start baking. I’d suggest starting on the icing as soon as the cupcakes are in the oven. They’ll bake fast, and you’ll want to give yourself some time with the icing.”
“Okay,” I nodded, trying to keep up. Cordelia smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Hey, you’re doing great.”
“That’s really nice of you to say.”
“Nice has nothing to do with it. When I took over Savored, I didn’t know what I was doing.” Cordelia lowered her voice conspiratorially when she said this, as though she was sharing a secret with me. “That’s the best thing about being a grownup.”
“Not knowing what you’re doing?”
“Faking it,” she smiled. “Everyone thinks we all know what we’re doing, but at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to get by.”
I nodded, and Cordelia took off. I thought about what she said, and I considered her words. Was she right? Were we really all just faking it? I started pouring the batter and I focused on what I was doing.
“One step at a time,” I told myself.
I could do this.
*
When my shift at the bakery ended, I slipped into my winter coat and headed for the front door. I waved to Beatrix, who was working the register, and pushed the door open. As I was leaving, I passed a man heading inside of the bakery. He had a cowboy hat on and muddy boots, and his jeans looked worn. There were quite a few farms and ranches surrounding Ashton, so it wasn’t a surprise that a cowboy might come into the bakery.
He smiled at me as we passed one another. He was cute. It was impossible not to notice. What would a guy like that see in a girl like me, though? I wasn’t exactly ugly, but I was worn down by the weight of the world. When I’d left Tony’s candy shop, I hadn’t just quit my job. I’d left the biggest relationship of my life. We’d been dating for the last five years, and I’d thought that if I just held on a little bit more that we’d get married.
Well, we hadn’t.
He hadn’t wanted to get married. Apparently, what he’d wanted was to sleep with the cashiers and the candymakers he hired. The girls he cheated on me with were younger, prettier, and more irresponsible than me. They didn’t demand that he act a certain way or behave in a certain way. They didn’t require Tony to do things like show up on time. They didn’t make him come to Christmas dinner at their mom’s.
Those were things I’d wanted, though.
When I’d caught him with his newest hire, I’d realized that our relationship was over, and I’d left. That was six months ago, but I was still reeling. I’d had enough savings to spend a few months nursing my wounds, but I’d finally decided to re-enter the workforce. What better way than by baking cupcakes? It was nearly impossible to mess up cupcakes.
Besides, even if you did, you had a delicious mistake to comfort you.
When I got to my car, I reached into my pocket for my keys only to realize they weren’t there. Apparently, I’d left in a bit of a rush. It had been silly to leave something so simple behind. I sighed and headed right back into the bakery. Luckily, it was still open, so it wasn’t like I’d have to do anything crazy like walk home.
“Back so soon?” Beatrix asked. She was leaning against the wall while the cowboy looked at the display to find the perfect treat. He had plenty of options to choose from. There were cookies and cupcakes and even some muffins. Savored was known for offering the best assortment of treats in town. Today’s selection was no exception. I should know: I’d designed the ensemble.
Cordelia hadn’t held back from giving me responsibilities. She’d wanted me to get comfortable with the business right away, so she’d encouraged me to start planning, creating, and designing different types of treats. I’d worked hard so far, and I was proud of the things I’d created. Hopefully, Mr. Cowboy would find something he liked.
“I forgot my keys,” I shrugged. I was embarrassed, but I tried not to let it show. The last thing I needed was for Beatrix or Cordelia to think that I was a clueless employee. I was older than both of them, yet I was the newest employee at the bakery. Sometimes I felt like I needed to prove myself. Maybe that was a silly way to feel, but it was my reality.
“I hate wh
en that happens,” Mr. Cowboy looked up at me and flashed me a dangerously handsome smile. Oh, I liked this guy. He was cute in all the best ways, and he had a sweet little dimple that let me know he was trouble.
You know, but in a good way.
It had been far too long since I’d even felt curious about a man. Tony had stolen a lot from me. At first, I’d be hurt about our breakup because I’d felt like he’d taken my time. That had been precious to me. As months passed, though, I realized he’d stolen a lot more than that. He’d taken my hope, and he’d taken my curiosity. With Tony, everything had been normal, mundane, and boring. The world had felt like a chore. Since I started working at Savored, I finally felt like the world was becoming brighter again.
“You have a lot of experience forgetting your keys?” I asked, offering him a shy smile. I reached into the hallway that led to the kitchen. There was a set of hooks there for our keys, and sure enough, mine were right there. I grabbed them and headed back toward the front door. It was quickly getting cold, and I wanted to hurry back home to nurse my wounds and have a pity party. The cowboy had something to say, though. He chuckled.
“You might be surprised what I have experience forgetting.”
“Like what?” I laughed, pausing at the front door.
“I’d forget my own name if I wasn’t careful,” he said.
“Funny.” He was, too. He was cute and he had a nice voice. Beatrix raised an eyebrow, as though she could tell I was interested in the cowboy. I blushed, embarrassed. Beatrix was young – like, recently graduated from high school young – and the idea of her knowing I was flirting with a customer was a little bit awkward for me.
“I’ll take three cupcakes,” he finally looked toward Beatrix. “One vanilla, one chocolate, and one strawberry, please.”
So, the man liked variety. That was interesting. You could tell a lot about someone by the type of cupcakes they ordered. A lot of people were only about the chocolate or only about the vanilla. When someone ordered a lot of different things, it let me know that they weren’t afraid to get out of their comfort zone.
“Coming right up,” Beatrix said. She grabbed a couple of cupcake carriers and started loading them. I gave them both a little wave and headed out to the car. As I left the shop, I made my way back to the car.
Today had been a long day, but it had also held a lot of surprises. For one thing, I’d learned a few new recipes. For another, I’d also spotted a very handsome, very charming man. He was delightful, I thought, and he was the kind of guy I’d love to spend more time with.
My problem was that I wasn’t busy, but I was a wreck. I didn’t want to jump into a relationship too quickly, so I just didn’t jump into anything. It had been months since Tony and I had broken up. In fact, it had been nearly six months. Why was I still waiting to start dating? I wasn’t saving myself for him or anyone else. I was just frozen in time, it seemed, waiting for someone to come along and thaw me.
“Lock frozen over?” I glanced over my shoulder to see Cowboy standing right there. I hadn’t even heard him approach.
“Oh, um, no,” I shook my head. “It’s not.” Apparently, I’d been standing beside my car just daydreaming about him instead of actually getting into the car and leaving. That was a dangerous thing, wasn’t it? It wasn’t a good idea to sit and dream about people you’d just met, especially not when you were still awake.
“What’s wrong?” The cowboy’s eyes were soft and gentle, and in that moment, I was tempted to grab him, hug him, give him a cup of cocoa, and tell him all of my sorrows. That wasn’t how this kind of thing was going to go, though.
“Nothing,” I lied, shaking my head. “I just spaced off for a moment.”
His eyes narrowed, and he frowned at me. Oh, I hated being the reason for that furrowed brow. This was the kind of guy I wanted to please. I didn’t want to make him worry or feel concerned, and I definitely didn’t want him to look at me like I was disappointing to him.
“Try again,” he said. “I’ve got a daughter, love, so I know that when a woman says nothing is wrong, there’s usually something very wrong.”
He had a daughter? That was nice. So, this cowboy wasn’t just stopping in the shop to get cupcakes for himself. He was probably going to share them with his kid. That was kind of him. When I was growing up, my dad and I hadn’t really had that sort of relationship. We hadn’t really been the family that stopped off and picked up cupcakes or donuts on the way home. We’d been the polite, cold, not-very-huggy type of family.
“I had a long day,” I explained. More like a long year. “And unfortunately, that’s made me a bit absent minded.” That was putting it lightly, but that was okay. I didn’t know this guy, I reasoned. I didn’t need to be overly honest with him.
“I know how you’re feeling,” he said. “Things have been a bit rough for me, too. You know what I think is going to make my day a little better?”
“What?”
“Eating these,” he lifted the little bag he’d gotten in the bakery. I knew that Beatrix had packaged his cupcakes up nicely for him. She was always very thoughtful and sweet. She wanted to make sure the cupcakes looked just as good when they were being eaten as they did when they were being packaged.
“Cupcakes always make me feel better,” I smiled.
“You know what else will make you feel better?”
“What?”
“Having dinner with me tomorrow night.”
I stood staring at the cowboy. Was he for real? Had he really just invited me to dinner? Alarm bells went off in my head. The timing was all wrong. I was just getting out of a bad relationship. I was busy. I had a cat to take care of. I…
Only, I hadn’t just gotten out of a relationship, had I? It had been six months, and Tony certainly hadn’t waited to try dating someone. It was okay for me to date someone, too. This guy was a stranger to me. He was a total, complete stranger, but he was handsome, and he was kind, and he liked cupcakes. That had to be good enough, right?
“Okay,” I found myself nodding, agreeing to dinner. I smiled, and it wasn’t fake or forced. It was natural. When was the last time I smiled for real at someone brand new like this? “Okay, I’ll have dinner with you.”
“Good,” the cowboy smiled and tipped his hat at me. “That makes me happy.”
“Um, where do you want to meet?”
“My place,” he said.
“Your place?”
“I’m a fine cook.”
“What do you like to cook?”
“That will be a surprise,” he said. Usually, I didn’t like surprises, but I could get on board with this. I could handle a guy who wanted to cook for me. After all, it was just dinner. There was no pressure. He wasn’t inviting me to an expensive restaurant where we would have to argue over the check or where I’d feel awkward if I didn’t have anything to wear. Nope. This was just dinner at his house. It was simple and easy. Hopefully, it would also be fun.
“I’m allergic to shellfish,” I blurted out. The worst thing I could imagine was that he might make shrimp pasta or something that sounded equally delicious, but that was deadly to me.
“That’s okay. I won’t cook anything with shellfish,” he seemed amused. “I’m Gregory Williams, by the way.”
“Kinsley,” I said, shaking his hand. “Adams. Kinsley Adams. That’s me.”
“Well, Kinsley Adams, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
His eyes twinkled. I’d only ever read about things like that in books, but the cowboy’s eyes actually twinkled as he looked at me, and I realized, in that moment, that I was in terrible trouble. We hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers yet, and already I was thinking about this guy’s twinkling eyes.
Dinner was going to be…
Incredible.
2
Gregory
Asking the little lady to come for dinner had been out of the ordinary for me. I wasn’t exactly the dating type. I was a busy man, and I was trying to raise Bailey all on my own, bu
t something had come over me when I’d seen her standing there looking so forlorn. I’d wanted to save her in that moment. I’d wanted to give her something to smile about. It was ironic, perhaps, since I myself was such a bundle of nerves. There was just something about seeing another person in trouble, though. I really wanted to be the kind of guy who made her smile.
“Mmm, something smells good! What are you cooking?” My 13-year-old daughter bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She moved her nose around in the air, dramatically sniffing to see what I was making.
“Pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, and a salad.”
“Wait a minute…” Bailey’s eyes narrowed, and she looked at me suspiciously. I could see the wheels turning in her head. I knew I probably should have told her we were having company, but I hadn’t. Having a woman over for dinner when my daughter would be present was unconditional and a little weird, but I hadn’t tried dating someone since Ashley died. I wasn’t really sure what the rules were for dating a widower, so I figured it was best to just get everything out in the open all at once. “You’re cooking something fancy. Why?”
“We have a guest coming,” I said.
“Who? The Browns?”
“No, I didn’t invite our neighbors for dinner.”
“Janet?”
“No, I didn’t invite the other neighbor for dinner.”
“Someone who helps you with the animals?”
“No, I didn’t invite any employees for dinner.”
“Then who?” Bailey shook her head, exasperated. “Dad, I’ve guessed everyone I know!”
“A woman,” I winked at Bailey and turned back to the spaghetti. I didn’t know whether this was an appropriate first-date dinner or not. I hadn’t been on a date since I was 19 and I’d asked Ashley out. We’d gotten married shortly after. Our entire relationship had been a whirlwind of happiness and contentment. Bailey had joined us, and then Ashley had left us. For a long time, it had just been me and my daughter. Ashley had passed away nearly a year ago. Sometimes it felt like an eternity. Other times, it felt like the blink of an eye.
