7. Mariana #2
I taste-tested everything, of course…strictly for quality control. Not because I couldn’t resist. Obviously.
And they taste amazing. I grin, but the moment I take in my surroundings, my smile falters. Oh. My. God. The kitchen is a disaster!
There’s flour on the counter, on the floor, and in my hair. A smear of pink frosting streaks across my forearm, and somehow, there’s even chocolate on the fridge handle. It looks like a bakery exploded in here.
And I’m not any better; I’m covered in it, too. My shirt has a powdered sugar handprint, my fingers are sticky with melted marshmallow, and my feet ache from standing for hours.
I stretch my arms above my head, rolling out my shoulders, but it does little to ease the soreness. I’m so tired. The sun is long gone now, and all I want is a hot shower, clean pajamas, a glass of wine, and a scary movie. That sounds like heaven.
But first? I need to clean up this disaster of a kitchen. I sigh, grabbing a dish towel and tossing it over my shoulder.
Tomorrow is going to be an early day, but I can’t wait.
For the first time in months, I woke up before my alarm. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning, excited to get to the school and drop off these goodies. It’s nice to have something to look forward to.
I rush inside, several packages of cupcakes teetering in my arms. I can’t see over them, and honestly? I’m just praying I make it to Anna without tripping and sending 200 cupcakes flying across the hallway.
I tighten my grip, balancing the weight of the boxes as I carefully navigate through the school. My arms burn, my fingers dig into the cardboard, and I can feel the faintest tremble in my wrists. Just a few more steps. Keep it together, Mariana.
Someone brushes past me, and I nearly lose my footing. I suck in a sharp breath, adjusting my hold at the last second. Crisis averted.
Somewhere up ahead, I hear Anna’s voice. Found her. Relief floods through me as I follow the sound, carefully weaving around backpacks, lunch boxes, and tiny humans who seem completely oblivious to the life-or-death cupcake mission happening above their heads.
I finally spot her, standing by a classroom door, deep in conversation with another teacher.
I shift the weight of the boxes, clearing my throat. "Anna—help me before I become a cautionary tale!"
Anna turns, her eyes lighting up when she sees me. “Mari! My hero.”
She gestures toward the other teacher. “Analyse, do you remember Mari? The perfect angel blessing us with these incredible cupcakes?”
I laugh. “You know, I could get used to all these compliments. Keep 'em coming.”
Analyse grins, and leans in for a hug.
“Of course, I remember Mari. My almost sister-in-law!”
Anna pinches Analyse’s arm. “You can’t say things like that, Lyse!”
“It’s fine, really,” I say quickly, forcing a small smile.
Anna distracts herself by peeking into the cupcake boxes.
“Oh my God, these look so freaking good. I want to shove my face in them.”
I snort. “Okay, let’s not do that.”
Anna pouts dramatically before sighing. “Fine, let’s get them unpacked and onto the tables before I completely lose my self-control.”
A little voice echoes through the hallway, growing closer. “Mama! Mami!”
I turn my head just in time to see Maya barreling toward Analyse.
Analyse catches her effortlessly, kissing her cheek. “Hi, sweet baby girl. Where’s Tío?”
Maya points behind her. “Right there, Mami!”
I follow her finger, my eyes landing on him. And just like that, my pulse stutters. Shit. I wasn’t expecting to see him today. I look down at myself and grimace.
My hair is in a messy top knot, and I’m wearing leggings and an oversized flannel.
Not exactly my best look. If I had known there was a possibility of running into Sebastian Garcia today, I would have at least put on mascara.
Not sure why that thought just crossed my mind, and I’m not about to unpack it. Damn, he looks good.
I glance back at Maya, who is now chatting away with Analyse. She has his smile. That same dimple on the left side of her face. My eyes flick back to Sebastian, noticing the two guys standing beside him.
"Who’s that with Seb?" I ask.
Anna follows my gaze. "That’s Andres and Mateo. They’re also firefighters."
I take a second longer than necessary to look at them. "Jesus. Is it like a prerequisite to be ridiculously hot before you can join the academy?"
Anna bursts out laughing. "Right? Like, before they let you in, you have to pass the Hotness Test—“Ooooh, you’re a ten. Congratulations, you’re now a firefighter!'"
We’re both still laughing when Sebastian, Andres, and Mateo walk up to the table. Maya tugs on Seb’s hand, bouncing on her feet.
“Tío, look!! SO many cupcakes!” She skids to a stop in front of the table, staring at the rows like she can’t decide which one she wants.
“Omg, there are pink ones! And chocolate ones!” She bounces on her toes, clutching Sebastian’s hands. “Pleeeease, can I have one, Tío?? Pretty pleeeease?”
Seb rubs the top of her head. “You know your Mami is going to kill me if I give you too many cupcakes. We’re still recovering from the six types of ice cream.”
Analyse chimes in, arms crossed. “Yeah, princesa, your Tío is still in trouble for giving you all that sugar and handing you back to me.”
Maya’s face drops.
Seb bends down and whispers conspiratorially. “But if we eat them together, we can say Mateo forced us into it. What do you say? Be my partner in cupcake crime?”
“You know I can hear you, right?” Analyse says flatly.
Seb ignores her and grins at Maya, who giggles. I laugh, and Seb glances up at me—then winks. A small part of me swoons. Okay, a big part. But, I mean, come on. A man who’s good with kids? That’s always a turn-on.
I started packing up a few cupcakes for Maya. “Which ones do you want, bebecita?”
She stares at them, eyes wide, like she’s making the hardest decision of her life. Eventually, she nods decisively. One of each.
My kind of girl. I smile and hand her the small box. “And you, Seb? Can’t leave your cupcake crime partner hanging.”
Seb grins. “You’re right, I can’t. I think I’ll take the strawberry one.”
“Good choice. That’s one of my favorites. Do you want me to put it in a box?”
Seb reaches out, gently taking the cupcake from my hand. “Nah, I think I’ll eat it now.”
I watch as he takes a large bite, remnants of frosting sticking to his lips. I don’t think I’ve ever been so captivated by a man eating a cupcake, but here we are. I quickly look away, pretending to wipe down the table.
Mateo wipes his mouth. “Damn, those were amazing. I need ten more immediately. Oh, and I’m Mateo, by the way, since this jerk didn’t introduce us before shoving cupcakes in our mouths.”
I chuckle. "Hi Mateo. If you want more cupcakes, throw some cash in that lockbox. We’re raising money for the kids."
Andres grins. "I like you."
He gestures at Sebastián. "We’ve heard a lot about you."
My stomach dips. Wait. What? Before I can say a word, Andres elbows Mateo and shoves him forward.
Seb rolls his eyes. "Sorry about that. It was good seeing you again, Mariana." He grabs Maya’s hand and walks away, leaving me feeling a little breathless.
After a long day of selling cupcakes, watching kids bounce off the walls from a sugar high, and then spending the rest of the afternoon with my mom, I am completely drained.
The kind of bone-deep exhaustion that makes my limbs heavy and my mind sluggish. But despite that, my thoughts won’t shut off.
Anna and I are sitting at my kitchen table, glasses of wine in our hands, playing bingo, a tradition started by our parents that somehow never died.
I absently twirl the stem of my wine glass between my fingers, distracted by the thought that’s been eating away at me all day.
Today reminded me of something. Something I haven’t felt in a long time.
I love baking, I love making people happy with food, I love creating something from scratch and watching people’s faces light up when they take that first bite.
And when I told my mom my wild idea, the way her eyes lit up… I just knew. I have to do this.
A voice cuts through my thoughts.
“Uh, Mari?”
I blink, snapping my head up to find Anna staring at me. She gestures to my bingo card. “Pretty sure you have bingo and you’ve just been sitting there staring at nothing.”
I don’t even hesitate. “What if I spoke to Ruth and asked to take over the bakery?”
Anna’s face goes blank. “What?”
I sit up straighter, heat rushing to my face. “She hasn’t sold it yet, right? It’s just sitting there?”
Anna doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, she just stares at me. A curious look on her face, like she’s processing the weight of what I just said.
The silence stretches, and suddenly, my brain decides to betray me. Shit. Maybe this is a stupid idea.
What was I even thinking? I never went to culinary school.
I don’t have a business degree. What do I even know about running a bakery?
I mean, sure, I’ve spent hours learning from Ruth, but does that actually mean anything?
I’m a damn event coordinator. I can plan a hell of an event, but that’s not the same thing as owning a business.
I start to backpedal, opening my mouth to say forget it, when suddenly…Anna jumps out of her seat and practically tackles me in a hug.
“So you’re staying? Like forever? She asks, eyes wide with excitement.
I hesitate for only a second before nodding, “Yeah. I think I am.” The words feel strange on my tongue, like I’m still getting used to them. But as soon as I say them out loud, something in my chest settles.
Her face lights up, and before I can say anything else, she throws her arms around me. “You have no idea how happy that makes me! That’s an incredible idea, Mari!” she screams into my ear.
I let out a startled gasp, flailing. “Anna—breathing! I need to breathe!”
She loosens her grip slightly but still doesn’t let go. “Right, right. Sorry.” She leans back, eyes shining, cheeks flushed. “I just—Mari, this is huge! I’m so excited for you!”
Wait. So… it’s not a stupid idea? I bite my lip. “You really think so?”
Anna pulls back just enough to look me straight in the eyes. “Of course. She’s basically been prepping you for this since we were kids. There is literally no one better for this than you.”
Her confidence in me hits me like a tidal wave. I didn’t even realize how much I needed to hear that. I swallow, my heart expanding with something warm and unfamiliar. Hope. Excitement. Maybe even a little bit of belief in myself. I nod, gripping my wine glass tighter.
“Okay,” I whisper. I take a deep breath, steadying myself.
First step? Talk to Ruth. If this works out the way I’m hoping… I’ll be owning the local bakery. And finally, for the very first time since I was a teenager, the idea of staying in my small town doesn’t terrify me—it excites me. It feels right.