38. Epilogue
Epilogue
Marcy
The familiar blue clock above the counter ticked closer to eight p.m. After a mildly stressful but fun evening, the bakery's soft launch was wrapping up. Tomorrow, Baking Liberties would officially open to the public.
With Patrick now serving as the deputy mayor of Birchwood Hills, he continued his mission to do right by the town and help local businesses thrive. It felt fitting to honor both our efforts in bringing this baking operation to life.
The past six months had been a whirlwind of planning, paperwork, credit card freak-outs (on my newly minted business card), and plain old excitement. Because as stressful as it was to open a business, I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else.
I could pay those credit card bills thanks to the money from Nonna. I wasn’t sure I could ever fully thank her for the support, but I tried in a few ways. A framed photo of her and Pop-pop hung near the entrance with a placard telling the story of their bakery and mine. I set up a doggie biscuits section in the bakery named Biscotti’s Corner, with a small mural of her terrier on the wall beside it .
And I’d hired staff from the start so I wouldn’t work myself to the bone. I mean, I would anyway, but I’d have other people to rely on.
“Can I take these home with me?” Robby held up a plastic container. He eyed the remaining cinnamon rolls.
“They’re yours to keep.” Tomorrow meant more baking. Every day meant more baking. And I wasn’t mad about it one bit.
“Let’s get a few more photos.” Mamá had been snapping pics all night. “Eliza, did we get you and Marcy together?”
Eliza Rodriguez, owner of Take the Cake, had been instrumental in getting my operation off the ground with her insight and connections in the community. I’d already contracted with a local restaurant and a catering company to supply breads, biscuits, and other baked products. Also, Eliza fit seamlessly into my friend group, like a dollop of clotted cream on top of a freshly baked scone.
She squeezed next to me for the picture, smiling. “I can’t thank you enough,” I told her for the zillionth time.
“You’ve already sent business my way, so I’m equally thankful.”
“We’re so lucky we found you,” Jillian said to Eliza, popping in as she put on her jacket. “One month to go for the big day!”
I’d been enjoying the lead-up to Jillian and Adam’s wedding, getting to play the bridesmaid, helping with the bridal shower, and a quick getaway up north in the rental cabin Adam’s family owned.
“I’ve got your card,” Hudson said to Eliza. She held a finger to her lips in a shh motion. “Don’t tell Lucas.” She looked over her shoulder to where he stood on the other side of the bakery with my brothers and Patrick. “I think he’s waiting for our one-year anniversary to propose.”
“Can I just order a cake for kicks?” Noah asked. “I’m not planning to get married. Ever. Just for the record.”
“I’ll make a happy hour cake for you every Friday if you want,” Eliza responded. “Just put in your order and I’ll make it happen. ”
“Never say never, Noah,” Hudson sing-songed.
Noah looked her dead in the eyes. “NEVER.”
She huffed. “Why are you so difficult.”
We snapped one last photo of us girls before they called it a night. I needed to hit the sack soon since I’d be up early tomorrow.
Nonna came around to hug me again. Her lunch ladies and the great aunts had stopped in earlier in the evening. “I’ll be here tomorrow to buy my first of many loaves,” she promised.
Papá patted me on the back. “My girl has all grown up. Just look what you’ve done here.”
I leaned into him, noting how much stronger he’d become since his health setbacks last year. “I made it all night without tearing up and you had to ruin it.”
They all trickled out the door and onto Main street.
Matteo and Robby lingered with Patrick, laughing all loud and obnoxious.
I spread my arms wide to hug my brothers. “Get lost, fools.”
They tried to crush me with their own hugs.
“Naw, we’re cleaning up.” Robby nudged me toward Patrick. “You two get lost.”
I snorted, but Patrick took my hand. “They’re serious. I didn’t even have to pay them to say that. They’re taking out the trash and sweeping up. I’m getting you back home.”
This might have been the worst thing to ever happen to me. I was going to cry in front of my brothers because of something nice they were doing for me. A tear leaked out. I couldn’t speak.
“Don’t cry!” Matteo shouted. “Just go and we’ll clean up. We know the drill.”
Robby nodded at me. “We got you, sis.”
They did. They so did.
Patrick held the front door open for me. I walked with him down Main Street toward his house. A walk we’d done so many times.
“Nonna asked again about a wedding date,” he said.
I groaned. “She must think she held on long enough waiting for the bakery opening. What did you tell her?”
“I hinted at a winter wedding. Just mentioned that with Jillian and Adam marrying this summer, and Lucas planning to pop the question not long after, we wouldn’t want to overshadow them. Then with Matteo getting serious with Carmen, I told her maybe it would be better to just hold off until next year.”
I snickered. “I bet she hated that.”
“She pretended to be cool with it, but I could tell she was thinking of those wedding planning binders.”
Little did Nonna know, like bread dough in a proving drawer prepping to rise, we had a plan. A surprise wedding, only this time, we would be the ones hatching the surprise. Labor Day, at the end of summer, the date of their annual party and the least obvious date they’d expect.
A backyard BBQ wedding sounded perfect. First, Nonna wouldn’t let the family gown anywhere near barbecue sauce, so the old frock was out. Okay, I’d still do the photo shoot. But I wanted a flirty, vintage dress and bare feet in the grass.
Matteo had been the one to come up with the idea to offer to run the Labor Day party ourselves. We’d tell them they deserved a break from planning and send our parents and Nonna on a weekend trip to get them out of the house. When they returned, we’d have the party set up. And would have already obtained a shiny new marriage license.
Our walk ended at Patrick’s duplex, a sweet little house that would be great for us to get started in just a few months. Not to mention, the commute to work would be fantastic.
Patrick moved his fingers into my hair and to the back of my neck. He cradled my head and kissed me. Every thought and worry left. I wanted this every day. I wanted to come home to him, just like this .
He pulled back. “I know we said Labor Day, but maybe Memorial Day would be better.”
“That’s in two weeks!”
“We could get the jump on Jillian and Adam. Surprise everyone.”
The idea thrilled me. But could we pull it off? “I would want to check with Jillian first. It’s really close to her wedding. I wouldn’t want to upset her.”
Patrick gaped at me. “You’re actually considering it?”
“You weren’t?”
“I think about marrying you every single day. I’ll marry you right now. Call in a favor and abuse my deputy mayoral power.” He grinned. “Honestly, I would at least wait until tomorrow during business hours.”
He would. He totally would.
He kissed me again. I welcomed the shiver across my skin as he held me closer.
I looked up at him. “Maybe we could throw our own backyard party. We’ve never done that before.”
He looked me over in a long, very Patrick moment. Gazing at me. Which was quite romantic, despite his earlier mention of business hours. “Want to go out tomorrow for lunch? No, it’s your first day on the job. Maybe Friday. How about Friday?”
I giggled. “Okay. What’s on Friday?”
“A little date with a courthouse clerk and some ugly burgundy carpet. I’ll even chip in the extra few bucks to get the license same day.”
It was a terrible idea and I loved it. “Sounds like a date.”
Thank you for reading A Day in the Loaf!
In the mood for more sweet romance? Find out what happens in the holiday-obsessed town of Crystal Cove when city girls meet their opposites in OMG Christmas Tree and Miss Humbug .