Hot Baker
HOT BAKER
CAM
Since I met Rachel, I couldn’t sleep anymore. ‘Early to bed, early to rise’ was always my motto. I loved the promise of the sunrise and a hot cup of coffee. At least six to seven hours of solid sleep or I was a monster – and now, I was down to only three or four, what with Rachel invading my dreams.
My life had just settled back down, and things had gotten really boring for me, which was exactly what I wanted. Sure, I hadn’t gotten laid in a really long time, but I had also saved myself the trouble of fussing over a woman and worrying about whether she only loved me for my money or if she would eventually leave me for my brother.
Now, this cyclone with amazing legs had blown into my world. My body still felt jittery from her lips barely touching mine that day at Sugar & Spice. That brief close contact had melted me from within.
How dare she.
I flung my covers off and decided that even though it was 2 a.m., I needed to get rid of this pent-up energy. One hundred mountain climbers, fifty sit-ups, thirty pull-ups, seventy-five push-ups, and a cold shower later, my eyes finally felt heavy. At last, I fell asleep around 5 a.m., which was usually the time I woke up for my workday.
My phone buzzed at 8:30
It was Shay. “You better get down here, now.”
When I tried to call her on the way in to Sugar & Spice, she didn’t answer. As the bakery came into view, I almost ran a stop sign while craning my neck to see what was going on. While the bakery was steadily busy most mornings, this morning, there was a line out the door that stretched around the block.
“What’s going on?” I half-yelled when I ran in through the back door.
Shay pulled a sheet of cookies out of the oven. Jenn and her boyfriend Nick, who also helped out at the bakery part time, were mixing up a batch of choux pastry dough.
“Chocolate éclairs sold out in the first two minutes we were open. We had to call in some extra bodies to help run the POS.”
My brows drew together. “What?”
“Has he not read the review?” Jenn asked.
“What review?” As soon as the words floated out of my mouth, I knew.
I made the mistake of running out to the front counter. A collective gasp from the many women who filled the main dining area almost shook the building.
Horrified, I backed up into the safety of the kitchen. “What the hell is happening out there?”
Shay laughed and handed me her phone.
There it was.
Rachel’s review.
Treats abound at the pastry utopia that is Sugar & Spice. My favorite pastry so far is the chocolate eclair—firm dough, wet frosting, and with a creamy center that bursts in your mouth at just the right moment. The collection of expertly done sweets pales in comparison to the hot baker behind the scenes kneading balls of sweet, sexy dough, which I can assure you will keep your home fires burning. One visit to this bakery, and you’ll be yearning for sugar, spice, and everything your naughty heart desires .
My jaw hit the floor. “Two hundred and thirty-two people found this helpful? What the fuck?”
Shay and Jenn cackled.
“I’m not complaining,” Nick said. “It’s only May 2 and we already shattered this month’s sales goals. That lady needs to write like twenty more reviews.”
“I’m thinking we could use this for cross-promotion,” Shay said, moving the cookies to a cooling rack. “ T-shirts, hot mitts. No wait!” She paused, throwing her hands in the air. “ wall calendar.”
“Cam eating pastries with sexy face,” Nick said. “I’d buy one.”
This time, everyone laughed.
“This isn’t funny,” I said.
“Sure, it is,” Shay said. “We’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.”
“I’m going to do the weekly food order and then get the deposit ready,” I said, feeling like my back office was the only safe place for me right now. My chair creaked when I deflated into it. Thank goodness I deleted my Tinder profile and was not active on social media. I was going to have to invest in a disguise to come and go from the bakery.
On one hand, I was grateful for the boom in business, and on the other, I wanted to call Rachel and shout at her for turning me into the town thirst trap with one Google review.
But that would be too easy.
I had no other option than to sit here and craft a review of my own.