Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Emelia looked around Lilypad Confections and smiled.
She’d had a soft opening two weeks ago.
The grand opening was this past weekend, and the bakery had been full of customers since then. It didn’t hurt that it was an uncommonly cool September day with a robin’s-egg-blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds and lots of people walking about.
Everything that she loved about bakery spaces she incorporated here. It made her heart sing to take in the pale pink walls against the light wooden tile floors and white woodwork, clear glass display cabinets, the comfortable deep forest green and white rattan bistro chairs surrounding small round white tables, with lots of green plants separating spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in light. The bakery was light and airy and, if she said so herself, enchantingly ethereal. In her mind, a bakery was where sweet treat dreams came true.
It was in stark contrast to the décor of her old bakery, which Wyatt preferred and convinced her to do.
No more dark tables and chairs, wire shelves and unappealing display cases.
No more formality.
No more Wyatt.
Her lawsuit against him was moot. She couldn’t recover any losses. Her lawyer’s best advice was to let it go. She did.
“Emelia, where do you want the Funfetti cupcakes?” Josie O’Dare, one of her first hires and best employee, held a tray of pink, green, and blue pastel-colored frosted cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles on top. They had a velvety colorful crumb and were one of her best sellers.
“Oh.” Emelia looked at the display case. “How about next to the sugar cookies?”
“Perfect. Those animal shapes are adorable,” said Josie.
“Thanks. Making something small for kids seemed like a good idea.”
Emelia glanced at the cookies. Early this morning, she’d had a ball frosting white rabbits with little pink heart noses, chocolate cat faces with green eyes, blue elephants perched on pink balls, and colorful chickens with eggs.
Everything was going well in the bakery.
Initially, there were a couple of glitches—the contractor had a family emergency, and orders for shelving and display cases took longer than normal.
Her neighbors in the alleyway, who were originally annoyed about the banging and hammering, started welcoming her. Except for the hunky gym owner who dismissed her when she said hello—his loss. She could deal with that. It was the baking supplies that kept disappearing that worried her.
As far as Emelia could tell, it wasn’t any of her employees.
The ten employees alternated shifts. She had vetted each one and could swear they were honest.
But then again, she’d never stolen anything in her life, so Emelia had no idea how or why the supplies were disappearing or who would even steal. While it wasn’t a significant amount of any one thing, it was still money in her pocket she couldn’t count on.
The shop was getting busy.
Bah. There was no more time to ponder about missing supplies, hunky men who were ignoring her, or any other problem. She had to make money fast.
Her apartment above the bakery was in dire need of repairs. She could live without a TV or fridge, but not having them was getting old.
Wyatt was just a bad memory—she hoped. Although she couldn’t forget his threat to ruin any new ventures she started. At least her parents stopped calling her to come home.
She was making friends.
The women she first saw at the Red Rooster met there regularly, and Margie hooked her up. Joy Maddox was a schoolteacher in town and helped get the word out about her bakery. She’d met up with her; Joy’s sister-in-law Naomi; Mallory Chapman, who owned a yoga studio; and a few other women. They were a hoot. Next Saturday night, they were all going to Lucky’s Bar to drink and have fun.
So, it was all good—for now.