Chapter 18
Paige drove her car slowly along the streets of Providence, Rhode Island, her eyes wide with delight. She was charmed by the city. It was bustling and exciting, but also still had a quaint, sincere vibe to it. She felt as though it had captured her heart from the first moment.
She had the day off from Tidal Wave Coffee, and she had told Josie that she wanted to run some errands in Providence, as well as do a little sight-seeing. All of that was true, but she still felt a little skittish about what her sister didn’t know—that her real reason for wanting to go to Providence on her day off was to visit Flourish Baking School.
She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Sometimes she even dreamed that she was a student there and woke up feeling disappointed when she realized it wasn’t true. She’d looked at the school’s website over and over again, studying the pictures and reading the positive words the graduates had said about going there. At last, she’d decided that she simply had to go and see it for herself.
She located the school—a charming red brick building set back a little ways from the road—and parked her car in one of the visitor spots in the parking lot. She slung her purse over her shoulder and got out of her car, feeling her heart beat faster as she walked toward the front door of the school.
I should have called ahead,she thought as she walked up to the building, her stomach flopping at the thought.
But she’d been torn about her visit all the way up until that morning, and she hadn’t wanted to commit to something like a tour. Somehow, going to check out the baking school when she had a full-ride scholarship somewhere else felt like doing something wrong. She kept having to remind herself that she was completely free to go there and just get a feel for the place, and she wasn’t doing anything she shouldn’t be.
Once she’d stepped through the front doors of the school, she found herself in a long, cool hallway that smelled slightly of cinnamon. She smiled, immediately feeling that she had found herself somewhere wonderful. Her eyes roamed over the walls of the hallway, noticing that there were photographs of bakery hanging there—really beautiful photographs, taken with an especially artistic touch.
Tingling with excitement, she noticed a door that had an “Office” sign above it. She walked over to it, feeling her heart flutter with butterflies.
“Hi, can I help you?” A smiling secretary wearing bright red glasses greeted her as soon as she stepped into the office.
“Yes, I hope so.” Paige felt herself blushing a little. She felt shy and was hesitant to ask for a tour since she knew she should have arranged something like that ahead of time. “Is there a way—well, I’d like some information about enrollment, and if possible, I’d love it if—”
“Paige?”
She turned and saw Rita Lawson standing in the doorway behind her.
“Rita!” she exclaimed, thrilled.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so excited you’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Uh, spur of the moment decision.”
“Well, I’m glad it worked out. Could I give you a tour or something while you’re here?”
“Yes!” Paige couldn’t say the words fast enough. “That would be perfect. Do you have the time?”
“I do! Isn’t it fun how well that worked out? I’ll take care of her, Anita,” she said to the secretary, who smiled, nodded, and turned back to typing away at her computer. “Where would you like to go first?” she asked Paige as they stepped out of the office.
“Uh, everywhere?” Paige laughed. “Whatever you think. I’d love to see the whole school. In the most logical order.” She beamed at Rita.
“You got it.” The older woman beamed back at her as they continued to walk along the hallway. “I’m really glad you’re here, Paige. Really glad.”
Paige felt her stomach swirl with something that was like a mixture of gratitude and happiness. “Thanks,” she stammered. “I’m excited to check out the school.”
“You should be! We really have a great program here. Actually, if you want, I can take you inside some of the classes that are in progress right now. That way, you can really see what it would be like to go here.”
“Yes, I’d love that.” Paige was thrilled by the idea. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of getting to observe a live class, but now she couldn’t wait to.
A few minutes later, they stepped inside a long, cheerful-looking classroom. The walls were painted yellow, and one wall was lined with large windows that let in bright sunlight. Various students were placed around the room at baking stations, and an instructor was walking around from station to station, giving the students advice and checking on their progress. Each student wore a crisp white apron, and had a countertop fully equipped with bowls and mixers and measuring cups made of vibrant colors. Paige inhaled, delighted by what she saw.
Oh, I would love to work in a classroom like this,she thought. It wouldn’t even feel like work. I would be getting to do what I love with an expert on hand to help me out.
The students in the classroom all seemed kind and friendly—several of them smiled and waved at Paige, seeing that she was a prospective student.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Rita asked, smiling at the teenager and seeming to notice how excited she looked. “I love that smell.” She sniffed the air, and Paige did the same.
The room smelled of sugar and flour, and the warm smell of baked goods permeated the air. Paige smiled, feeling her heart rise up. She wanted to go to school there. She wanted to be one of the students in that room, getting to use the baking supplies, creating exciting new recipes that would fill the air with incredible smells…
After observing that classroom for a while, they walked through more of the campus, and then visited a second class, where an instructor was lecturing on how to make a flaky pastry crust. The teenager listened intently to what was said, taking mental notes and feeling like she couldn’t wait to put the advice to use. By the time she and Rita started walking back toward the front of the school, Paige was all smiles.
“What do you think?” Rita asked. “Are you interested in going here?”
“I love it,” Paige said. She didn’t want to tell Rita about her scholarship, which was making her conflicted, but she knew what question she wanted to ask next. “What about the business side of things? Does Flourish Baking School offer any business classes?”
“We don’t,” Rita said, and for a moment Paige’s heart sank, but then she added, “but we have a partnership with one of the colleges here in the city, and many of our students take business classes there while pursuing their studies in baking.”
“Really? That’s awesome!”
“You’re planning on opening your own bakery at some point, right?”
“I am,” Paige told her, encouraged that Rita had remembered that. “So taking business classes is important to me.”
Rita nodded. “Understandable. It’s a smart move. Our most successful graduates are the ones who took business classes while they were going here.”
Paige felt her heart beating faster with excitement. Everything she’d seen and learned that day felt too good to be true.
She thanked Rita for the tour at the main doors.
“Please reach out if you have any questions at all,” Rita told her. “I’d love for you to apply here.”
“I want to,” the teenager answered honestly. Rita beamed at her and waved goodbye cheerfully, seeming to think that “I want to” was the same as “I will.”
Once back in her car, Paige sat quietly and stared straight ahead for a while. Her imagination had been captivated by Flourish Baking School.
It’s perfect, she thought. I want to go there so much. But I can’t just pass up this scholarship, can I? What would Josie say?