Epilogue

Bailey

Anaheim – Two Months Later

It’s been a whirlwind couple of months since the NHL draft, with our wedding, packing, and moving. We moved into our new condo last week, but there’s still stacks of boxes to unpack.

“Do you know which box the toaster is in?” Levi shouts from the kitchen.

“The one marked toaster?” I yell from my spot on the sofa. I’m taking a breather after unpacking our books and knickknacks, loading them onto the built-in bookshelves.

I hear him rummaging around, noises of boxes being moved and opened.

Thump!

Thud!

Ouch!

A few minutes later, my husband appears and plops down beside me. “No sign of it.”

“It’ll turn up eventually,” I say with a shrug, currently unconcerned about finding the toaster. “At least we found the coffeemaker,” I add with a giggle.

“Very important,” Levi says as he snuggles my neck, peppering kisses along my jaw. I forget about unpacked moving boxes and missing toasters, lost in my husband’s kisses. Unfortunately, my stomach protests loudly a few minutes later, the noise ruining the moment.

Levi chuckles, “What are we going to have for dinner? Sounds like we need to feed you,” he jokes.

Ding! Dong!

“Did you order takeout?” I turn surprised eyes to Levi, figuring he called in an order when he couldn’t locate the toaster.

“Nope.”

We exchange confused looks, then jog to the door. Levi flings it open to reveal a young woman wearing a DoorDash cap and holding a pink cardboard box.

“Delivery for Beverly Crumpet,” she says, holding out the box.

Beverly must never cook, because in the few days we’ve lived here, there’s been two other mixed-up deliveries for her that have come to our door.

“Beverly lives in unit 204A which is next door,” I say.

“What’s in the box?” Levi asks, craning his neck to get a peek. He grunts when I elbow him in the ribs at his nosiness.

The girl frowns. “They’re supposed to be cupcakes,” she says in an apologetic tone.

There’s a clear cellophane wrapper over the top of the box, so I lean closer and glance inside. Levi chuckles.

“They’re awful looking, aren’t they?” she squeaks.

“Um, well...” I hate to hurt her feelings, but those are the ugliest cupcakes I’ve ever seen. The icing is lopsided, half of them look like they could topple over, and the other half look like they don’t have enough frosting. Hopefully they’re edible, because they sure aren’t pretty.

Levi throws me a quizzical look, then slides around me to peer through the clear top himself. He smirks and barks out a laugh. “Did you drop the box on the way over?”

The girl looks crestfallen. “No, that’s the way they looked when I packed them. The woman who does all our frosting is rather, er, um—”

“Clumsy?” my husband suggests.

“Unsteady?” I add. A giggle slips from my lips, and I place my hand over my mouth. Within seconds, the three of us are bent over, peals of laughter float around us. “Sorry,” I say after a few beats, wiping tears from the corner of my eyes.

The girl shrugs. “Ever since Aunt Eleanor passed, we can’t recreate her cupcakes. She did all the decorating, and she had all the recipes memorized.”

Bing! A lightbulb goes on. With the fifty-nine other things I’ve had to do during the last couple months, I put finding a new job on the backburner. I figured that after we got settled in Anaheim, I could visit bakeries in person, and hopefully, land a job that way.

Motioning towards her DoorDash cap, I ask, “Do you also work at the bakery?”

The girl touches her head, as if she forgot she’s wearing the DoorDasher head piece. She knocks it off her head, frowns, then grumbles. “That darn hat!”

Levi bends and retrieves it for her, his movements fluid and graceful.

The girl accepts the cap, placing it back on her head and adjusting the Velcro strap. A strong sense of déjàvu hits. “I see how you’re confused. I work at the bakery and do deliveries.”

She pivots and starts to walk away.

“I used to work at a bakery,” I blurt before she disappears.

Swiveling back around, her face lights up. “You did?”

I nod.

“Would you consider working at Eleanor’s Cupcakes?” A tinge of excitement laces her voice.

“How about I come in tomorrow and talk to the owner?”

“Yes!” she shouts, holding up her hand for a high-five, which I return. “My mom owns the bakery. Stop in any time after ten, so we’ll be past the morning rush.”

“I will,” I say as she trots away.

Levi puts his arms around me, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “Did you just find a job?”

“Maybe, but I want to see the place and meet the owner before I commit.” After seeing those abysmal cakes, I want to confirm they have a professional, commercial bakery and not some hole-in-the-wall kitchen with questionable sanitation standards.

“Very wise,” Levi says. “How about we order a pizza?” He kisses my cheek and steers me back into the condo.

~*~

The next morning, as I park my new car, (a wedding gift from my hubby), in front of Eleanor’s Cupcakes and Sweets, my heart soars. It’s located in a strip mall, sandwiched between an insurance agent and a nails place. The exterior is neat and tidy, sporting a professional-looking, cheery pink sign, with a white and pink striped awning. I catch a glimpse through the large front window of a glass bakery case filled with sweet treats.

The bells over the door jingle when I enter. A woman with salt and pepper hair standing behind the counter looks up. “Welcome to Eleanor’s” she says with a bright smile. Her pink and white striped apron matches the awning out front.

“I’m looking for the owner,” I say.

The woman’s smile broadens. “Did my daughter meet you yesterday on a DoorDash delivery?”

“Yes, that’s me. I’m Bailey Nyberg,” I say, extending my hand.

She pumps my arm excitedly. “Let’s go talk in the back. Josie can watch the front.”

I follow her around the bakery case, down a cramped hallway that opens into a bright and airy commercial kitchen filled with enticing aromas of vanilla and cinnamon, reminding me of Emma’s bakery. Ignoring the sudden stab of sadness, I enter the room.

The DoorDash girl looks up from behind a mixing bowl. “You came!” she shouts. There’s a rack of cupcakes cooling on the counter beside her. When I spot the pastry bag and the bowl of frosting, my fingers itch to ice the tiny cakes.

“Josie, can you watch the front while Bailey and I talk?”

Josie gives me a thumbs up and scampers away.

“I’m Elaine,” she says, motioning for me to sit at a small table in the corner. “I understand that Josie told you about our situation.”

“She mentioned that you need someone to help decorate cupcakes,” I say.

“Yes, we need that, along with someone who can create new cupcake recipes. When my sister passed, she left me the bakery, but all her recipes died with her.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Elaine blinks a few times, obviously holding back tears. “Thank you,” she says with a watery smile. “Eleanor was very special. Neither Josie nor I realized it until she was gone. Now we’re struggling to recreate all the things Eleanor’s was known for.” A tear slowly tracks its way down her cheek. “The beautiful icing...the delectable recipes...everything—” Her voice cracks as she trails off. Nodding towards the cooling cupcakes, she says, “Would you please frost a couple of those for me?”

“Like an audition?” I ask.

“I hate to ask—” Embarrassment leaks from her voice.

“No worries!” I say as I leap up and grab the filled pastry bag. Taking a calming breath, I do a sample squeeze on the counter. When I’m satisfied with the texture of the frosting, I proceed over to the cooling cupcakes. Squeeze, swirl...Squeeze, swirl...Squeeze, swirl...

Getting in the zone, I ice half the cakes in the time it takes for Elaine to join me at the counter. When I look up, tears flow unchecked down Elaine’s face.

“You look just like Eleanor,” she says, her words falter and her lips begin to wobble.

I feel like I’ve found my calling and my people. All those worries about my career and finding a new job fade away. I’ll always miss working for Emma, but I want to help Elaine and Josie bring Eleanor’s back to what it used to be. Reaching out my free hand, I squeeze her arm. “When do you want me to start?”

“How about tomorrow morning?” she says with a teary smile.

~*~

Levi greets me at the door the minute I get back home. He doesn’t have hockey practice until two, so he’s supposed to be unpacking boxes. “Well?”

I laugh and fling my arms around his neck. “You’re looking at the newest employee of Eleanor’s Cupcakes,” I say, then plant a kiss on his lips.

He kisses me back. When we come up for air after a few more kisses, he asks, “Did the place check out to your satisfaction?”

“Yes!” I ramble excitedly about the cute exterior, how friendly Elaine was, and the spotless professional kitchen. “But you know what’s the best thing?”

He tilts his head to the side. “No, what’s the best thing?”

“They need me!” I say, dancing around the living room, pumping my arms over my head.

My husband slips his arms around me, slowing my happy dance. “Looks like a job found you, rather than you having to find a job.”

Resting my head against his broad chest, I say, “It did.”

He leans in, gazing lovingly into my eyes. “Obviously, good things come from DoorDash deliveries,” he whispers, then plants a gentle kiss on my lips. “I found the love of my life.”

“Me, too,” I say, then proceed to show him how much I love him.

We’re quite an unlikely combination. The baker and the hockey star.

THE END

Want to read more about Levi and Bailey? Watch for Book 2 , Frosting and Face-offs , coming soon! I can’t wait for you to read Otto and Mia’s story, plus you’ll get updates about Levi and Bailey. Book 2 starts with Otto and Mia’s awkward encounter during the NHL Draft party. The fun and hilarity don’t stop until this seemingly incompatible pair figure out how they feel about each other.

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