Chapter 19
Reina
I'd met Cooper and Aspen at a local store to go over what I wanted for the kitchen. This store didn't have baker's grade options in stock, but we could look at the online catalogue and order them.
Aspen scrolled through the options.
"This is like Christmas morning," I said with a smile.
"I thought it was going to be more fun than this. I thought we'd have paint colors to pick or seating. But Morgan didn't mention that we were choosing appliances, and not just any appliances but commercial grade," Aspen grumbled.
I shrugged. "This is so much more fun than when I did it the first time."
"Morgan said you need to get exactly what you want. No holding back this time. He wants this to be your dream kitchen," Cooper reminded me.
Aspen shook her head. "Shouldn't your dream kitchen be in your house, not a store?"
I laughed. "Not when you own a bakery. This is the most important kitchen in my life."
"I'm not sure I can help. All I see is a lot of stainless steel. There're no real choices."
Cooper moved between us. "This is what Morgan was thinking will fit best in your space."
He took over for Aspen, showing us each appliance. I trusted Morgan to get the dimensions right, and I knew what I needed. "I'm excited to finally cook in this new kitchen."
Cooper placed the order with the worker, and then said, "We have to pick furniture next. We can do that at my office."
"Can you help with that part? I want to know what kind of seating people would want in a bakery," I asked Aspen. She was good at giving her opinion about that kind of stuff, and she'd worked in a lot of businesses.
She grinned. "I'd love to."
Cooper sighed, and I wondered if they weren't close or if she annoyed him. Either way, I valued Aspen's opinion. She was fun to be around, and she had an eye for design.
She truly fit in anywhere. That's why I couldn't understand why Cooper didn't seem to like her being around.
We drove to the office. I'd never been there before, but it was professional. We filed into Cooper's office, which was the biggest one. He set up his computer screen so that we could both see it from our seats.
"You said you wanted comfortable wooden tables and chairs inside and possibly upholstered chairs too. What color scheme were you thinking?"
I chewed my lip. "I'm not sure."
Aspen pulled out a tablet. "Let me show you a few color schemes for the bakery I came up with. You don't have to stick with pink because that's what everyone expects."
"I hadn't even thought about anything else. But I'm intrigued. Show me what you're thinking."
Aspen tilted her screen so that I could see a collage of different color schemes. There were turquoise and white, baby blue and white, different shades of pink, light and hot, and even black and pink.
They were all pretty, but I couldn't pick just one. "I almost feel like it's too many options."
"You don't have to pick paint colors today. It's easy to grab paint from the store. We need more time to order furniture," Cooper said.
"If you choose white tables and chairs, they will go with anything. And then I was thinking about a soft leather for your upholstered chairs. Giving it a coffeehouse feel. You have that fireplace in your seating area that you don't use. Does it work?" Aspen asked.
"It does.” I just never bothered to deal with it. I was so busy with everything else.
"You could arrange the leather chairs around the fireplace, creating a lovely gathering area. The tables and chairs could be closer to the windows." Aspen showed me a design she'd made of the space.
"I love this."
Cooper showed us options for the tables and chairs, and then he found several possibilities for the leather chairs. We placed an order, and on the way out, Cooper stopped Aspen. "I didn't realize you were into design."
Aspen waved a dismissive hand. "I'm not really. Morgan asked me to help Reina, so I looked at a few options. It's not a big deal."
I exchanged a look with Cooper. She'd created various designs and color schemes. It was more than a little thing. She seemed to have some experience with it. I wondered if she didn't recognize when she was good at something, believing she was flighty or inattentive when she was anything but.
"Either way, you came prepared with great options. It was really helpful."
Aspen seemed surprised by his praise. "It was fun."
Why was she working the front counter at different businesses and not running one herself? Was it a confidence thing? Or something else?
Had someone made her think that she was just flighty or her ideas silly? When she was actually smart and thoughtful. Either way, I enjoyed having her as my friend. I hooked an arm through her elbow. "You saved me. I'm not good at that kind of stuff."
Aspen smiled. "You needed help."
"I'll call you if there's an issue getting anything in stock," Cooper called after us.
"Let's hope that's not a problem." I didn't want to deal with any setbacks. I loved the options we'd picked, but if they didn't come in on time, I'd have to make alternative choices. But opening the bakery on time was my priority.
Outside, Aspen asked, "I heard that you were thinking about an outdoor area with a bench and a table and chairs?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to Eve about it." It wasn't at the top of my priority list. I just wanted the bakery open. Anything else was a bonus.
"I think it's a great idea. Perfect for events like Christmas in July."
"The additions at Belle's Bookshop are amazing. I can see how it could work for me too," I said.
Aspen paused at her car, a small red sedan. "I'm so excited for you. This is your opportunity to create something even better."
"I think so too." I loved her optimism.
"If you want to plan a grand-opening party, let me know. I'll help you."
"I haven't even thought about that." I was too preoccupied with keeping my business running in the meantime. The thought of everything I'd need to do between the renovation and the upcoming Christmas in July festival overwhelmed me.
"You have to do something to announce to everyone that you're open and better than ever."
I nodded. "I remember Belle doing two of them."
"It's a great way to get the word out."
"We'll see," I said, not quite ready to agree to another thing on my to-do list, even if Aspen was offering to assist.
Aspen touched my arm. "I can't wait until everything's done. It's going to be amazing."
I smiled as she got into her car.
"Don't forget; we have to go to that yoga class at the inn soon."
"As long as it's not in the morning, I can go."
"I'm holding you to it," Aspen said as she closed her door.
Despite her assistance, I felt the list of things I had to do churning in my gut. Would I get everything done? Would the bakery be what I wanted?
I got in my car and drove home, feeling stressed.
In the kitchen, I got out ingredients to make cookies and got to work. Baking never failed to make me forget about everything else. I focused on measurements and lost track of time.
When the front door opened, I had several racks of cookies cooling on the counter.
Morgan paused at the entryway. "I thought I smelled cookies."
"You can have some. I made way too many."
He looked around the room, taking everything in. "Is everything okay? You look a little frazzled."
"Yes. No. I don't know." I wiped the sweat from my brow, panicking about the mess I'd left in his kitchen. "I'll clean everything up."
"Don't worry about it."
"I made the mess. I can clean it," I said, reaching for a washcloth.
He studied me. "You haven't baked here in a while."
"Yeah, I get my fix in the other kitchen. When I come home, I just want to relax."
"What's different then today?" His voice was measured as if he was assessing my mood.
"I met with Cooper about the appliances and furniture. It was a lot." Now that I didn't have baking to distract me, tension crept between my shoulder blades.
"Did Aspen go with you?"
"Yeah, and she presented some great options. It's just a lot to decide. How do I know if I'm making the right choices?" I wanted to bake, and I wanted a nice place for customers to eat, but beyond that, the options were overwhelming. What if I got it wrong?
"Aspen had ideas?"
I grimaced. "It was nice to see the possibilities, but I thought I'd just do the same color scheme. But she had, like, four other options that were all great. How do I decide on just one? I won't get another chance like this again."
He moved closer to me. "I'm sure whatever you pick will be fine."
"I want everything to be perfect. You said yourself this is my chance to make it better than ever. What if it's not? What if customers hate the color scheme?"
He moved closer. "I think you're overthinking it."
"It seems like a big decision. How often do you get to renovate the entire store? Once?" I wiped the counter, my movements jerky.
He took the washcloth from me. "Why don't you take a bath in my room? I'll clean this up."
I frowned. "That doesn't seem right."
"I want you to relax."
I brushed my hair out of my face. "You don't even need all these cookies."
"So we'll box them up for friends and family. I'm sure people will love to get them."
"I feel like a mess right now." I didn't have a house or a business.
"I think you're just overwhelmed, and after a nice bath and some sleep, everything will seem easier." He moved closer to me.
"I hope you're right." Because right now, I felt panicky.
He pulled me into his arms.
Morgan said he never had a girlfriend that he was serious about, but he sure knew how to make a girl feel special and taken care of. "Thank you."
"That's what I'm here for." Then he let go of me and gently pushed me in the direction of the door. "Go."
The thought of taking a bath was too good to pass up. I felt guilty that I was leaving his kitchen a mess, but he was right; I needed to relax. I couldn't be in this heightened state of stress for long. I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. I needed to let go of the worries.