15. Sarah
Chapter 15
Sarah
If a person could float on a cloud without falling through to their early demise, that’s what I was doing. Floating.
Two nights had passed since my date with Ranger and I couldn’t stop the euphoric feeling that filled my chest. If this was the beginning of what love felt like, I was mad at myself for not pursuing it earlier in life.
It didn’t matter that my mom had blown up my phone yesterday, sending me text message after text message saying she had something important she wanted to talk to me about. I ignored every single one of them, not wanting anything to take away from the high I was riding.
For so long, I’d hidden myself away in my work, letting it be the only thing I focused on because I couldn’t afford not to. Failure wasn’t an option. Because failure meant I would have to crawl back home to my mother and father and let them claim victory. Even more than that, it would mean they were right and that pursuing something of my own wasn’t a viable option.
There wasn’t any time to focus on the idea of falling in love. Of giving part of myself to another person. That was until I saw Ranger at Deacon’s bonfire two summers ago and a seed was planted. The man I’d had my eye on since I was a teenager had come back to town. More handsome than I could even remember. But it was more than that. Like kindred spirits, I was drawn to his presence and Saturday had confirmed that.
The seed was growing, giving space for a new way of life. Maybe I didn’t have to go at this all alone. Maybe there was a chance for me to have it all, just like Willow and Johnny did.
I couldn’t let myself think too much about it though. If I did, I’d probably talk myself out of how I was feeling and I didn’t want to do that.
“Willow and Johnny are ready for you,” Stephanie popped her head through the door of my bakery’s kitchen. It was the day of their cake tasting and I wanted everything to be perfect for them.
“Give me just a minute and I’ll be right out to get them.”
“Okay, I’ll let them know.”
The door swung shut as I quickly placed two forks next to each miniature cake, making sure they were aligned with precision and there weren’t any drops of extra frosting on the plates.
This was the first time I was hired for a wedding and even though it was for my two best friends, I still had a reputation to uphold. While I loved having my bakery, it was only the first step in my long-term plan. Weddings and private events were where my heart was at and this was the first chance I had to showcase my talent with not only wedding cake design but taste.
“Alright you two! If you’re ready, we can head on back,” I said to them as I opened the door, excitement blossoming in my chest.
Willow clapped her hands together as she bounded toward me. “Eek! I’m so excited!” She gave me a big hug and Johnny placed a hand on my shoulder.
“This is the best part of the wedding planning in my opinion.” He grinned at me before he slid his arm around Willow’s waist and they followed me through the door.
Willow gasped as she caught sight of the six rows of miniature cakes. “Oh my gosh! They look so beautiful, Sarah.”
I couldn’t help but laugh because they were only ensconced in white or chocolate buttercream.
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I promise the actual cake will have a lot more details. I have a few sketches to show you both. Do you want to see them before or after the tasting?”
“Before,” Willow said at the same time Johnny said, “After.”
I threw my hands up and giggled. “I’m leaving this one between you two.”
Willow turned to Johnny and I for sure thought she was going to try talking him into seeing the sketches before they tried the flavors. But she surprised me. “I know you’ve been really excited to taste the cake, so we can do that first.”
He snaked his arm around her shoulders and kissed her neck. “This is why I love you.”
“Because I let you eat before I torture you with design choices?”
“Exactly,” he hummed.
We spent the next hour moving our way through all the cake flavors until Johnny finally decided on the vanilla with strawberry jam filling and Willow chose the chocolate cake with my cookies and cream icing. It was precisely how I thought the appointment was going to go, both of them compromising on the alternate cake tiers so they could both have what they wanted on their special day.
“Okay, so I have three design choices for you to look over. We can make any changes you want to them, they’re just an idea of some different directions we can go in.” I spread the three pages in front of them.
“This first one is called a semi-naked cake. It’s very simple and rustic looking. The icing will be a thin layer on the outside so you can still see parts of the cake sponge beneath it.” I pointed to the next page. “This one is a more traditional style with a cascading floral effect. We can use whatever flowers or objects you want for the cascade, it doesn’t have to be what’s in the picture here. And the final one is a little funkier. The sheen you see on the outside is a metallic edible glitter. I’m not sure that it’s the best fit for you guys, but I wanted you to see the full spectrum of what we can do. ”
Willow looked up at me with glassy eyes and my heart sank.
“What? Do you not like any of them? I can work on some other sketches if you?—”
“No, Sarah. They are all perfect . I knew you were talented. But I had no idea you could do something like this. These designs are more than I could have ever hoped for.”
“Willow’s right, Sarah. They’re amazing,” Johnny echoed.
The tension in my stomach lessened as butterflies began to soar. “Thank you for trusting me with such a special order. I know I’m just starting with wedding cakes, but I appreciate you both taking a chance on me.”
Willow wiped under her eyes. “There’s no taking a chance when the mockups look this good.” She shifted toward Johnny. “What’re you thinking, babe?”
He considered each design carefully, taking the papers into his hands and switching back and forth between them all. Then he turned to Willow and said, “Since we’re getting married at the cabin I think the semi-naked one would look best with the color palette you picked out and the rustic nature around the cabin.”
Willow could have stopped the world from spinning with the smile she gave him. “I think so too.”
My heart ached as I watched two of my best friends fall deeper in love while planning out the details of their wedding. It made me long for Ranger and the way he made me feel when I was near him.
I cleared my throat, trying to ward the emotions away. It wasn’t my moment, it was Johnny and Willow’s and I didn’t want my feelings getting in their way. “Okay. I’m going to have you two take this mockup and give you a week to think about the flowers you might want on it. Let me know by the end of the week so I can get a final sketch over to you to approve so there’s plenty of time to have the florist order them.”
“Will do,” Willow mused as she took the mockup and headed toward the door. “Oh! And don’t forget, I made a reservation to go apple picking in two weeks for your birthday.”
“Right!” I started clearing the remaining miniature cakes from the island. “Is it okay if I bring a plus one?”
“Of course it’s okay, it’s your birthday.”
I blushed. I was still brand spanking new to the dating world and wasn’t sure what the etiquette was when it came to bringing a man around my friends.
“Plus”—Willow winked at me—“ that will finally give me a chance to vet Ranger and make sure he’s up to snuff.”
“Easy there tiger,” Johnny rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Sarah’s got a good head on her shoulders. I’m sure if she’s bringing him around, she’s already done the vetting herself.”
Willow stuck out her bottom lip. “Fine. But if he hurts her, I’ll hurt him.”
Johnny laughed before pressing a kiss to Willow’s cheek. “Noted. Now let’s get out of here so Sarah can get back to work.”
“Bye, y’all. I’ll see you both soon. ”
They both tossed me a smile before heading through the doors and without a second to breathe or take in the fact that my first wedding cake tasting had gone incredibly well, Stephanie barrelled through the doors with a stricken look on her face.
I immediately stood upright, ready for whatever pastry catastrophe was likely waiting for me out front. “What is it?”
She swallowed. “It’s your mom. She’s here.”
Well, I definitely wasn’t ready for this . I couldn’t recall the last time my mother had been inside my bakery. Honestly, I wasn’t completely sure she’d ever come to see what I’d made of myself.
The sigh that blew past my lips revealed the exhaustion I already felt and I hadn’t even spoken to her yet.
“Can you send her back here? I really don’t want the patrons seeing an HBO special of Daughters with Overbearing Narcissistic Mothers.”
Stephanie nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
The door closed and I stole a few deep breaths, trying to steel my nerves. It was one thing to talk to my mother over the phone. There was power in that bright red button that could end a call. Not that I’d ever hung up on her before, but knowing I could made me feel a lot better than being trapped in the small space of my work kitchen with only one exit. I also hadn’t responded to her messages over the weekend, so she was likely going to come in with guns blazing.
The moment I saw her face when she came through the doors, I knew I was in deep trouble.
Great .
“Hey, mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” She drew out the last word as she took in the mess of my work kitchen. If I’d known she was going to show up I would have scrubbed it from top to bottom if only to prevent the disdain that showed on her perfectly made-up face.
A quiet voice in my mind told me I was being ridiculous. It was the middle of my work day with three dozen cupcakes in the oven. Any bakery kitchen would look the way mine did right now with splotches of flour everywhere and drips of icing along the island counter. But that stronger voice—the one that had been ridiculed by the woman before me—was chastising. Telling me that I should be better.
I fidgeted with the tie of my apron, not knowing what to say. I was alone, cornered, and I didn’t have my big brother or anyone else to help defend me.
Thankfully she broke the silence. “I’m sure you remember my dear friend, Mrs. Campbell.”
I nodded, keeping my face pleasantly neutral. Where is she going with this?
“Well, her son Jones is moving to town. He’s going to be taking over his father’s real estate business. I think it would be good for the two of you to meet.”
I stifled the groan building in my throat. Southern propriety took the wind from my sails once again.
“I don’t k?—”
She held up a hand and my lips immediately zipped shut. With a small sigh and a flicker of her eyes, I knew I was already testing her patience and I’d barely gotten more than a few words out.
“You’ve been obstinant since you were a young child. Always chasing after frivolous dreams and leaving important traditions behind. Your father and I have tried our best to take a step back and let you sew your wild oats, but there has to come a time when you grow up and start making adult-like decisions, Sarah.”
Every inch of my body felt cold and hot all at once. I was frozen. Unable to move when my body was screaming to run away. To not allow her to drive me to that place of quiet darkness. And yet, I was flaming on the inside as anger flushed my cheeks.
I hated that she did this to me. I hated that I couldn’t have a normal relationship with my mother because she refused to give me freedom, even as a grown adult.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to calm myself down. Allowing her to frustrate me wouldn’t end well and I had too much to do today to get to that point.
“Mom, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but I’m perfectly fine on my own.” There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to tell her about Ranger right now. Not when she had an agenda.
Her long delicate fingers graced the side of her hips, her lips pursed and I swallowed hard. “I’ll throw in a little sweetener for you since you’ve clearly refused to shed even an ounce of your obstinance. If you go on a date with this young man and give him a fair shot, your father and I will endorse your bakery. ”
I crossed my arms. She took her shot and it hit me in the only weak spot I had. “You and dad would seriously do that?”
A subtle lift of her chin. “Yes. But I want to see a real effort from you, Sarah. Time is ticking and you won’t be this young forever.”
There it was. The truth behind her mission. Theo and I were getting older which meant her chances of having biological grandchildren were becoming less and less in her favor. It was just another thing for her to dictate. Another area of my life she wanted to control.
Little did she know that I had no intention of allowing her anywhere near my children—if and when I had them.
But knowing the influence my parents had in this town…it could be life changing for my career. Their support could mean the difference between me reaching my goals or not. I’d worked so damn hard. Since I was eighteen, I had a vision for what I wanted my life to be, but there was always an obstacle in my way, preventing me from reaching the next level.
This could be it. The opportunity I needed to start landing big accounts. To become a true wedding cake designer.
Ranger . His name clanged through my heart like a lightning strike. In such a short amount of time, he’d become someone important to me. More than just an adolescent crush. I felt things for him that I’d never felt before.
I bit the inside of my cheek, weighing the options in my mind. I knew there was no way she’d let me think about it. My mother had always been ruthless in her negotiations. This time was no different. If I let her walk out of my kitchen, the offer would no longer stand.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “I’ll meet him.”
“And give it a good effort?”
“Yes.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Wonderful.” The way her face lit up made my heart ache because I wished she would look like that from watching me pursue my dreams instead of doing her bidding.
“I will refer your number to him and we will talk soon, dear.”
I didn’t have the strength to say anything more and as I watched my mother walk out the door, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d just made a deal with the devil.