SNEAK PEEK at Marrying Hope
ZACH
My cell phone rings with my sister-in-law, Rose’s face flashing on the screen. I close the door to my office before flopping down on the leather chair.
“Hey, sis.”
“Hi, Zach. Where are you?”
“I’m just wrapping up a meeting.”
“Can I ask you for a favor?” Her voice is hesitant as always. She’s still shy when asking for favors.
“Anything, unless you’re asking me to stay hungry at your dinner party tonight.” My stomach twists in hunger just at the thought of food, and I grab a chocolate bar from my table. Rose giggles and my words work as intended.
“Don’t worry, we all love and are amazed by your eating habits.” She chuckles before adding, “There’s a bakery just as you take the highway for Cherrywood. It’s called Cakes for All. They sell these very cute cupcakes with cartoon and superhero faces on them. Can you get a few?”
“Of course. But why is your husband not making them? He’s the king of baking.”
“He is.” She snickers. “Um, but we kind of…had an accident.”
Sensing the shyness in her voice, I can already guess the reason for their accident . My brother can’t keep his hands off her.
“No worries. I’ll get them.”
“Thank you. We’ll be waiting.”
A few hours later, I’m standing in a queue—a fucking queue to buy cupcakes. There is a swarm of kids in all sizes. Some are enjoying their dessert as others wait in anticipation for the treat. I can’t fucking believe they’re really selling cupcakes with animal faces. There are cats, dogs, and even dolphins, but my eyes furiously search for some superhero ones.
When it’s my turn, I ask the young blonde at the counter, with a name tag saying Holly, “Can I get some superhero cupcakes, maybe with X-men faces?” Rose’s Wolverine fascination is no secret in our family.
“Umm…” Holly looks up as I grin wolfishly. I can’t wait to show these amazing creations to my family. My mouth salivates just looking at them.
“Sorry, sir, the action figure batch is usually sold out by noon. But we still have cute cat faces.”
What? No. No.
I look up at Holly and her eyes gleam as she points to the glass display case, unaware of my misery.
Fuck! I promised Rose.
I twist the knot of my tie before glancing back at Holly. Think, Zach. “Surely they aren’t all gone, you might have some extras. Maybe set aside in the back or something. Please.” I try to play my charm on her, hoping she can help me out.
But the smile on her face drops. “I’m really sorry, sir. We’re totally out of them.”
“Fuck!” This time I curse out loud, getting dirty stares from parents and hearty giggles from kids around me. “Do you know any other place where I can get them?”
“I’m afraid there is no other place selling them. It’s a secret recipe of one of our bakers.” Holly then looks around before whispering in a hushed tone, “There are also rumors that the bakery has a copyright on the design.”
“Copyright?” I scratch my forehead, thinking of all my possible options. “Okay, Holly. Do you have a picture of this legendary cupcake?” Maybe William, my butler, can whip up something similar.
“Of course.” She bounces on her feet while flipping through various images on her phone.
Meanwhile, the line behind me is getting impatient and people are scowling at me. But I am a man on a mission, with a single aim of getting those superhero cupcakes for my sister-in-law and of course me too.
The rising loud whispers around us draw the attention of another bakery staff, who takes over manning the counter while Holly and I move to the side closer to the kitchen.
“This is a Batman cupcake.” She flips her phone toward me.
“Wow.” It’s an exact replica of the superhero. I take her phone in my hands. “This is really cool.” As I say the words, I know this isn’t something William can make, at least not in such a short time. My gaze flicks around, as my brain goes a thousand miles a minute trying to find a solution, but I can’t fucking think of anything.
I hand the phone back. “Holly, you really need to help me here. I have people waiting for these cupcakes. I can’t leave empty-handed.”
At that very moment, a woman, who isn’t dressed in the usual white T-shirt as the other staff, bustles into the kitchen from the back door. “I swear, this hasn’t happened to me in six years.”
Holly excuses herself and rushes to help the new woman. My vision of them is partially blocked by the huge racks holding several cake cooling trays.
“What happened for the first time?” I hear Holly’s peppy voice.
“I forgot two baking trays at home this morning. God, how do I tell Hank about it? He’s going to murder me.”
“You don’t have to tell him. Sue is still calculating morning sales. Oh my God.” I hear Holly’s excited cry.
“Hush! I know, I made a horrible mistake. There is no way Hank is going to miss the dip in today’s sales.”
Their discussion continues while I try hard to stop clenching my jaw at being ignored when I’m in a crisis mode. I’m about to call Holly when I hear her squeal.
“No! Wait a minute.” Holly takes a few flighty steps, returning to me.
“Sir, are you still interested in the action cupcakes?” Her eyes sparkle as she clutches her fist closer to her chest.
“Of course.” My chest inflates knowing that we are getting somewhere. It appears I won’t be leaving empty-handed.
She releases a bubbly laugh before asking, “And how many are you willing to buy?”
“How many do you have?” I raise an eyebrow.
She chuckles and turns around. “Hope, bring the tray.”
The woman, Hope, dressed in a peach oversized V-neck T-shirt and typical blue jeans, comes into view. I smile at the sight of the tray in her hands. Bright superhero cupcakes—Batman, Superman, and even Wolverine—look impressive and too…tempting. Rose is going to have a blast.
“I want to buy them all.”
Hope’s shoulders sag in relief. Some of the worry lines on her puckered forehead flatten, as if a giant burden is lifted from them.
“Thank you so much.” She folds her hands and bows a little before going inside.
“So, she’s the baker?” I jerk my head toward the door where Hope disappeared.
“Yes. She is amazing.” Holly glances up from where she’s meticulously packing the cupcakes in a box. “Will that be all?” She hands me a paper bag and I notice there is still one cake left on the tray, which she couldn’t squeeze with the rest.
“Give me that too.” I pick up a paper napkin from the counter and extend it forward, asking her to place the red Iron Man cupcake in my hand.
There is a hint of surprise in her eyes before she follows my instruction.
The soft, moist goodness melts in my mouth and I taste…cherry or maybe strawberry. One small cake was too little to judge.
I pay the final bill, adding an extra hundred dollars for Holly and the baker and leave the bakery with a spring in my step.
After arranging the bag in the passenger seat of my Porsche, I put on my aviators. I’m about to start the car when I notice in the side mirror someone running in my direction.
I lower the window as the baker halts before me. She bends forward, grabbing the car door and catches her breath. My gaze shifts from her ruddy face to her hands clutching the door. No nail polish, no accessory, not even a ring.
“Sorry…sir,” she says in between heavy breaths and waves the hundred-dollar bill in the air. “We cannot…accept it. Holly is new. She didn’t know.”
“It’s a tip. A thank-you.” I scratch my chin, confused by her action.
“We are really grateful, but it’s against the policy.” She raises her hand, wiping her forehead with the sleeves of her T-shirt.
“Policy of the bakery? Isn’t that a weird rule for a food business?”
“Yes, our manager kind of sucks.” She shrugs before handing me the money back. Her face stays as impassive as before and for a second she reminds me of Rose.
“Then, I thank you again. My sister-in-law is really looking forward to these cakes for her party. I can already tell you they’ll be the highlight of her evening.” I’m surprised by my words. I don’t talk about my family to strangers, especially to a woman.
Yes, I fuck many, but I never talk to them.
“Did I say something wrong?” Her worried voice makes me realize I’m staring at her even though my mind is someplace else.
“No. It’s just… I’m not usually this chatty.” I chuckle and she smiles.
The sadness leaves her face for a moment. I notice she looks much younger when she isn’t worrying. She can’t be older than twenty-three or twenty-four, but her face and body language have the maturity of a lifetime.
“I’ll not take you away from your work.” I motion toward the bakery. “Thank you once again for the copyrighted cupcakes.”
I don’t wink as I normally do when bidding adieu to other chicks. It doesn’t feel right with her.
When I pull my car out of the parking lot, I can see the fading figure of Hope as she lumbers toward the bakery. Something in my heart twists as I remember her dropped shoulders and tired lines of her face. My enthusiasm of getting the cupcakes dampens for some reason as I drive toward my brother’s house.