Screwed
Page 25
“I’ve never seen her so happy,” Joshua continued. He turned to face his daughter, and Callie’s hand tightened on his. “You did impress me with your business plan, cupcake. And you’re right. I was surprised. I apologize for underestimating your abilities.”
Callie’s hand trembled, and Cash squeezed it gently. “I’m a Sutherland,” she said, lifting her chin.
“Yes, you are. The way you stood up to me and Beau also impressed me.” He paused. “I respect that.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Cash saw Callie’s jaw drop. Christ. All her life she’d tried to please her father, when maybe what she’d really needed to do was stand up for herself. Cash’s heart nearly burst out of his chest with pride.
“Grandma and Grandpa Sutherland apparently paid you a visit,” Joshua continued.
“Yes. They did.”
“They were mighty impressed, too. And they had a few words for me when I told them I hadn’t seen your shop.” He shook his head. “Your grandmother is a spitfire. You may have a little of that in you.”
Cash bit his lip while Callie grinned.
“If baking cakes makes you happy, then that’s what you should do,” he continued. “And Cash apparently also makes you happy.” Joshua fastened a stern glare on Cash, and Cash’s shoulders went back.
“Yes, Daddy. He does. I love him.”
“You’re a smart young man.” Joshua lifted his chin at Cash. “You’ve done remarkably well with your business.”
Cash ignored the implied surprise at the use of the word “remarkable” and said, “Thank you, sir.”
“I only hear good things about you in the business community. You’re building a great reputation.”
Cash smiled and nodded.
“So Audrey and I are happy for you both.”
Cash stole a glance at Audrey, saw her blink, give her husband a long look, then smile.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Callie said softly.
“Of course we are,” Audrey added.
Cash wasn’t sure if he believed her. Only time would tell. It seemed Joshua was beginning to accept that Callie was going to make her own life. And Cash intended to make good on his promise. Making Callie happy was his most important goal. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, meeting her eyes. And from the glow in them, he knew she understood that and felt the same.
…
Three weeks later
Callie finished up the marshmallow macarons sandwiched with marshmallow fluff and carried the tray out front to slide it into the display case, ready to open Saturday morning.
Cash and Ginnie were spending the afternoon with their dad and half brother, who’d driven to Houston for the weekend to meet them. Kristy was helping her in the store since Ginnie had taken the day off. Later that night, Cash and Callie were going out for dinner to celebrate Talmadge Hale Consulting being awarded the project to design the Sutherland Industries refinery substation.
“How was your date with Tyler last night?” she asked Kristy.
They’d exchanged numbers at the Crab Festival that weekend and had gone out a few times.
“It was fantastic.” Kristy smiled, happiness lighting up her eyes. “I really like him.”
Callie beamed. “He seems like a great guy.” She selected a few macarons to set on the marble counter and quickly snapped several pictures with her phone. She tapped the image she liked best and shared it to various social media sites. Whoa. She had a lot of notifications. She scrolled through them. Wow.
At first she couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing. Then she realized she’d been tagged in a post…by Martha Stewart.
She gave her head a hard shake. Holy crap.
She read the post again, which named the top ten bakeries to follow on Instagram.
Top ten…holy crap.
Caked was there at number five. Martha Stewart was complimenting her cakes. Her cupcakes. Her macarons. Her photographs.
HOLY CRAP!
She did a little run in place in excitement. “Kristy!”
Kristy popped out from the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“Look at this!” Callie’s hands were shaking so much, Kristy had to grab and steady them so she could read the post.
“Oh my God! Is this for real?”
“Yes! I think so.” She shoved a hand into her hair. “Yes, it has to be. Holy, holy shit!”
Kristy laughed. “Wow. That’s amazing. Congratulations, Callie!”
“Thank you. I know. Wow.” She turned in a circle. “I don’t even know what to do. Oh my God.”
Kristy handed her cell phone back with a smile. “Here. Call Cash.”
She found his number and hit the call button. “Go on Instagram!” she cried into the phone when he answered.
“Uh, what?”
She laughed again, a little hysterically. “Instagram. Martha Stewart. Oh my God, Cash!”
“Darlin’, slow down. What is going on?”
She managed to string some words into a sentence, then bounced up and down again.
Kristy called from the front of the store. “Holy shit, Callie. There’s a line all the way down the block waiting for you to open.”
Callie zipped out front and looked over Kristy’s shoulder. “Oh my God. We are so going to run out of macarons.”
She heard Cash’s low laugh. “Congratulations, baby. I knew you could do this.”
“Yes. You did.” She drew in a breath and fought back tears. “You believed in me.”
“I did, too,” Kristy said.
Callie laughed and high-fived her friend.
“I’m so proud of you, Callie,” Cash said.
“Thank you.” She took another deep breath. “So am I.”
And she was. In finally doing what she really wanted to do, in being the person she wanted to be, she’d come to love herself and be proud of herself, and she’d found love…Cash’s love.
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About the Author
Kelly Jamieson is a USA Today bestselling author of over fifty romance novels and novellas. Her writing has been described as “emotionally complex,” “sweet and satisfying,” and “blisteringly sexy.” She likes her coffee black, her wine white (mostly!), and her heels high! She also enjoys cheering on her Winnipeg Jets during hockey season. Kelly loves to hear from readers, so contact her at info@kellyjamieson.com, and stay up to date with all her news by subscribing to her newsletter at https://www.kellyjamieson.com/newsletter
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