Christmas Sugar Rush

by Sophie Stern

  I found Kinsley standing beside the stage talking to one of the judges.

  “What do you mean?” Kinsley asked nervously. She was wringing her hands together, and I could tell exactly what she was feeling.

  Anxious.

  Afraid.

  Scared.

  I moved slowly until I was standing beside her, and then I stood here. She glanced over at me for just a second, smiled, and then turned back to the judge.

  “It’s all here,” the judge tapped the book. “You’ll be on stage against Lollipop. Tony will be baking his new cupcakes.”

  “But he doesn’t bake cupcakes,” Kinsley frowned.

  “He does now,” the judge shrugged. “I’m sorry, honey. I know it’s a little awkward, given your past relationship.”

  “Relationship?” I asked. The judge seemed to realize she’d said too much because she blushed and walked away. Then everything hit me at once. “He was the guy you dated,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Kinsley nodded. “We were together for a few years. I practically ran that candy shop.” She kicked at a little pebble on the ground. “He’s never made cupcakes before in his life. He’s only doing this to beat me.”

  “So, don’t let him beat you,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t let him. Kinsley, you’re fantastic. You’ve got this.”

  I smiled at her and nodded. I wanted her to know that I thought she was amazing, and that she was brave, and that facing our pasts was never easy, but that she could do it. There wasn’t enough time before she was supposed to go on stage. I didn’t have long enough to tell her all of the things I wanted to, so I reached for her and tugged her close to me.

  “Gregory?”

  “I believe in you,” I whispered.

  Then I kissed her.

  Soft, sweet, and delicate, Kinsley melted beneath my lips as I kissed her right there in front of the gathering crowd. She was wonderful and sweet, and she tasted just the slightest bit like sugar. Apparently, my sweet baker had sneaked a few treats before the competition.

  “Gregory,” she whispered when I pulled away. “That was…”

  I pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her.

  “You can do this,” I told her. “I’ll be in the front row watching and cheering for you. You can do this.”

  “I can do it,” she repeated.

  She turned and walked onto stage where the baking area had already been prepared. The judges announced Kinsley, and then Tony from Lollipop was announced, as well. Tony sprang up on the other end of the stage. He and Kinsley approached one another, shook hands, and then started baking.

  They only had a few minutes to whip up the batter and then start baking the cupcakes. Everything was timed precisely by the judges, and points would be given for speed, accuracy, flavor, taste, and presentation. Both Kinsley and Tony would be judged on the quality of the actual cupcake, as well as on the frosting and design. I knew that Kinsley was planning to do with her snowman design, which would be wonderful.

  I also knew that Tony was not exactly pleased with how comfortable Kinsley looked at she worked.

  The crowd was silent, watching as they both moved around the stage. Kinsley worked quickly and precisely. It was obvious to anyone watching that she wasn’t only skilled, but experienced. Tony, however, was sloppy. His movements were confused and choppy. He didn’t seem to know where different ingredients were, and I wondered if he even knew the recipe for the cupcakes he was making. Kinsley, on the other hand, had everything memorized.

  Once everything was in the ovens, the judges announced how long everything had to bake, and the bakers were given a short break. Kinsley came rushing down to me and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Thank you for being here,” she said. “It means so much to me.”

  “How are you doing?” I asked, pushing back a strand of her hair that had fallen out of her loose bun.

  “Nervous, but good,” she said.

  “You’re doing great.”

  “I didn’t know he was going to be cooking on the same stage as me,” she admitted. “I knew he’d probably be here, but I didn’t think we’d be direct competitors.”

  “It’s okay,” I assured Kinsley. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

  “Thanks,” she nodded.

  Somehow, it seemed as though that gave her the strength, and maybe the courage, to go on. When it was time to get back on stage, she walked proudly, obviously happy with herself, and she continued the process of creating her snowman cupcakes.

  I could tell that Tony was growing more and more frustrated. He cursed under his breath a few times. It was loud enough that I could hear, but the judges didn’t seem to notice.

  “He’s a piece of work,” the woman seating next to me muttered.

  “You can say that again.”

  “He’s always been that way,” she confided, lowering her voice. “Ever since he was a little boy.”

  “You know Tony?” I asked. The woman was older than me with greying hair and a nice, comforting smile. She nodded.

  “I was his teacher many years ago,” she said. “Unfortunately, it seems as though some people never change.”

  “Five minutes,” one of the judges called out.

  Tony and Kinsley moved quickly to finish frosting their cupcakes. They were both hurrying, scooting around their halves of the stage. I was impressed with Kinsley for staying so focused. She didn’t seem to mind the fact that Tony was there anymore. In fact, I didn’t get the impression that she was giving him any mind at all.

  “One minute.”

  Kinsley was startled by this announcement, and she dropped a spoon. When she reached down to pick it up, Tony grabbed a handful of salt and tossed it over Kinsley’s cupcakes. The judges, who were talking amongst themselves, didn’t seem to notice, but I did.

  The woman beside me did, too.

  When Kinsley stood back up and dropped her spoon in the sink in front of her, the judges prepared to call time. Tony looked pleased with himself: smug, even. I couldn’t let that go.

  “Foul!” I yelled, standing up.

  The entire crowd silenced and turned to look at me.

  “He threw salt on her cupcakes,” I called, pointing to Tony.

  “What?” Kinsley looked devastated. She looked down at the cupcakes and then over at Tony. “You tried to sabotage me?”

  “What? No, I didn’t,” he said, shaking his heads.

  The judges seemed confused, as though they hadn’t seen what had happened. Wasn’t it kind of their job to be paying attention?

  “You’re just saying that because you’re her boyfriend,” Tony pointed out.

  “That’s true, I did see them kissing,” one of the judges said.

  “I saw it, too,” the woman beside me said. “Tony threw something on her cupcakes when her back was turned.”

  Tony’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman.

  “Mrs. March?”

  “Tony, you ought to be ashamed of yourself,” she shook her finger at him. “You didn’t think you could win fair-and-square, so you tossed salt on her cupcakes? That’s low, even for you.”

  “Mrs. March, what are you doing here?”

  “I came to support Kinsley,” the woman said, smiling.

  “Did anyone who isn’t friends with the baker in question see this happen?” One of the judges asked. Unfortunately, nobody else saw.

  “We’re going to continue with the competition as planned,” said one of the judges. “However, in consideration that something may, in fact, have happened, we’ll add a minute to the time.”

  Kinsley looked devastated as the clock started once more, and Mrs. March and I sat back down, defeated. This wasn’t fair. Poor, sweet Kinsley had worked so very hard to do her best during this competition, and it seemed as though she was being punished for it.

  “Not fair at all,” Mrs. March muttered.

  I was watching, though. I looked at Kinsley and as our eyes met,
I nodded. She could do this. She was a clever girl. She was crafty and clever, and she could do this. I knew the exact moment she came up with a plan because she grinned, started scraping off her frosting, and then refrosted the cupcakes that Tony had destroyed.

  He seemed curious about this because he kept looking over at her to check on her progress. My mom always said, “Worry about yourself,” and I could see now how that was good advice. Tony wasn’t worrying about himself. He was caught up in what was happening elsewhere, and I had a feeling that was going to cost him.

  The bell rang and the bakers put their tools down. Then it was time for the judges to taste what they’d produced. I had no doubt that Kinsley had done an incredible job. She was sweet and patient and talented.

  “She’s got this,” a voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Cordelia, the owner of Savored, sitting there grinning.

  “She’s definitely got it,” I agreed.

  We all waited as the judges tried Tony’s cupcakes first. I knew they weren’t going to taste very well. Baking cupcakes was very different from making candy, and it seemed as though he’d depended on sabotaging Kinsley and not on actually doing a good job.

  “Interesting concept,” one of the judges said.

  “Too much sugar,” coughed another.

  “I like the idea,” the third judge said, “but the execution is a bit rough around the edges.”

  Overall, the judges rated Tony’s cupcakes at a 7.3. As long as Kinsley did better than that, she’d be okay. She was nervous, though, and sweating. Had she gotten all of the salt off of her cupcakes? I wasn’t sure.

  “Tell us about your cupcakes,” one of the judges said to Kinsley.

  “Well, my original plan was to create snowman cupcakes,” Kinsley said. “That didn’t quite happen, though,” she gave Tony a frowny-sort of look.

  “So, what did you decide?”

  “I went with a simple buttercream frosting topping,” she said. “It’s sprinkled with powdered sugar to represent snow. I’ve found during my time baking that sometimes, less is more. A concept doesn’t have to be extravagant in order to be delicious.”

  It was true.

  There were many times in life when something that was simple could end up being something incredible. She’d shown me that. She’d shown all of us that. Now, Kinsley was showing the judges how that applied to her cupcakes.

  The first judge took a bite and nodded.

  “Delicious,” he said. He gave her a 10.

  The second judge tried the cupcakes.

  “I like it,” she agreed. She rated the cupcakes an 8.

  The last judge took her time eating the entire cupcake. Everyone held their breath. As long as the judge like it and didn’t end up with a mouth full of salt, Kinsley would win the competition.

  “Interesting texture,” the final judge said. “The concept is quite nice, as well. I like that you went for simple. Sometimes, cupcakes tend to be overwhelming when it comes to sugar.”

  The judge finished the entire cupcake and then smiled.

  “Well?” One of the others asked. “What’s your rating?”

  “10,” the woman said. “Hands down. It’s the best cupcake I’ve ever had.”

  Kinsley jumped up and down, and I hurried over to grab her and hug her.

  “No!” Tony yelled, throwing his baking hat down. “That’s not fair. She cheated.”

  “The only cheater here is you,” I said to him.

  Tony glared, but didn’t make a fuss. He just stormed off into the crowd, vanishing through the swarm of people who had gathered to congratulate Kinsley.

  “You did a great job,” I told her, hugging her.

  “Thanks for catching that,” she said. “I never would have expected that Tony, of all people, would try to cheat.” She shivered, as though it was the most horrifying idea to her.

  “Anything for you.”

  “Hey, great job,” Beatrix from Savored came over and stole Kinsley away for a hug. “We all believed in you.”

  “You made us proud,” Cordelia agreed, sneaking over, too.

  “Thanks everyone,” she said. “I really appreciate that you were all here.” Then Kinsley’s eyes swung over to me. “Especially you,” she whispered.

  Kinsley was wonderful. I stayed with her as groups of people came over to congratulate her on her big wing. She was awarded a big blue ribbon, as well as a $10.00 gift card to a local shop, which she promptly gave to Bailey and Liam when they arrived. Bailey was thrilled and tugged at Liam’s hand, dragging him off to the store in question to start her shopping.

  Once everyone else had cleared away, it was just the two of us.

  “So,” she said, coming over to me.

  “So,” I agreed quietly.

  It wasn’t often that you had a second chance to find someone you connected with, but I’d found that with Kinsley. I’d been given a special opportunity by the world to love her, and I wasn’t about to blow that.

  “Can I ask you to dinner?” I said.

  “Why, Gregory, it sounds like you’re asking me on another date.”

  “I am.”

  “Sounds like things are getting pretty serious.”

  “They are.”

  “Sounds like you might have a little crush on me,” she whispered.

  “I do.”

  I kissed her again. This time, I took my time. There was no rush now. There was no place we had to be, no one we had to answer to. Right now, it was just me and Kinsley against the world, and I thought that was kind of sweet. That was how it was supposed to be. When you found someone you connected with, someone you thought was wonderful, you were supposed to shower them with affection and attention and love.

  You were supposed to claim them.

  Kinsley and I had been so wildly lucky to have found each other, and I didn’t want this moment to end. So I grabbed her and tugged her close, kissing her once more. As we held each other there in front of the stage, snow started to fall, swirling around us.

  “Merry Christmas,” she whispered, kissing me.

  “Merry Christmas, Kinsley.”

  It really was going to be a wonderful winter.

  Epilogue

  Gregory

  THREE MONTHS LATER

  I didn’t think I was going to find love again.

  Not after Ashley.

  Not after everything I’d lost.

  When you lose your partner, it’s like your heart stops beating and the whole world stops spinning. It’s like fire and ice and pain and torture. It’s like a never-ending journey of horror. I didn’t think I was ever going to stop hurting, and then Kinsley appeared in my life.

  Like a sweet fairytale princess who needed to hurry home before midnight, she was anxious. Nervous. She wasn’t sure what to do or what to say, but that was fine because I didn’t know, either. I didn’t know what moves I was supposed to make, and I didn’t know what rules I was supposed to break or follow, but in the end it didn’t matter because we figured it out together.

  Ashley and I had many wonderful years together before she passed away. When I lost her, I didn’t think my heart would ever be complete. Then Kinsley walked into my life and bandaged me up. Her love covered my scars, and she showed me that not only could I love again, but that I could feel whole again.

  She was precious. Wonderful. Sweet. Kinsley was a kind little baker who always looked out for other people, and I felt blessed to call her my darling. We hadn’t been together very long, but I already knew that I wanted an eternity with her. I wanted a lifetime. I needed a lifetime.

  Bailey went with me to pick out an engagement ring. Together, the two of us chose a ring we felt would be perfect for Kinsley. Then we went home and spent an afternoon baking cupcakes together with the hope that we could bring Kinsley half of the joy she’d brought us already.

  “It looks perfect, Dad,” Bailey eyed the cupcakes carefully. She assessed each individual one, making sure that the frosting was perfect and that
the toppings were neat and tidy.

  “Perfect,” I agreed. I found the best cupcake and carefully placed the ring on top. When Kinsley arrived for dinner, I’d suggest having dessert first as a fun way to start the evening, and I’d ask her to marry me. It was soon. It was fast. It was probably crazy, but it felt so damn right.

  Everything about her was wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to tell her just how much I really loved her.

  THE END

  Author

  Sophie Stern writes vampires, cowboys, werewolves, dragons, and fairy tales. Her books feature deliciously wonderful characters and deliciously naughty adventures. If you enjoyed Christmas Sugar Rush, you may like one of her other contemporary steamy romances, such as Dark Favors or The Feisty Librarian.

  This story takes place in the town of Ashton. You can read more about Ashton and its special little bakery in SAVORED, or in one of the other ASHTON SWEETS novels.

  Please make sure you subscribe to Sophie’s mailing list here.

  You can also follow her on Facebook for frequent updates.

  Sophie posts on Instagram here.

  Thank you so much for reading.

  Books

  Other books by Sophie Stern

  HONEYPOT DARLINGS

  HONEYPOT BABIES

  DRAGON ISLE

  THE FABLESTONE CLAN

  DON’T DATE DEMONS

  POLAR BEARS OF THE AIR FORCE

  DARK FAVORS

  SAVORED

  Sophie’s books are available wherever eBooks are sold.

  If you enjoyed this story, you might enjoy STARBOARD by Sophie Stern. Starboard is the first book in the Anchored series. Check out the description + chapter one here!