CHAPTER TWO
“Sara! Sara!” yelled Janie running into the cafeteria. “Sara, we got in! We got in for all categories!”
Sara hugged the other woman, staring at the letter in her hand. Celia, Taylor, Dylan and Casey all came running toward her as well. Each one read the letter just to be sure they’d read it correctly, laughing and smiling at one another.
“Oh, my gosh,” said Sara. “We have so much to do. We have to wow them. I mean, really, really wow them. We got into every category available. I can’t believe it.”
“I can,” smiled Mama Irene appearing before them. “Y’all are some of the best bakers in the world, if not the best. You’re gonna blow ‘em outta the water. And even if you don’t, I’ll be so dang proud of you.”
“Don’t make me cry, Irene,” sniffed Sara. “You’ve been my mentor since the moment I opened the diner in Virginia. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“Oh, honey. You ain’t gonna disappoint me. I’m proud of you all just like you are right now. We don’t need no blue ribbons to prove how amazing you really are. Just do what you do.”
“What’s all the excitement?” asked Wilson kissing his wife.
“We got in! In every category, we got in!” she laughed.
“Was there ever a doubt?” he said with a grin. “Babe, we all knew that you were going to get in. You’re the best. We should know, we eat it every day. Don’t worry, you’re all going to do great.”
“You don’t understand,” said Sara. “We have so much we need to prepare for. We’ve got to do things differently than anyone else. We need to create recipes that wow the whole world.”
“No, you don’t,” said Julia smiling at her mother. “Mom, the recipes that you serve to us every single day are more than good enough for the rest of the world. They’re perfect just the way they are, ask anyone here.
“Stick with what you know, what you do best. Get creative with the decorations on the cakes and the gingerbread but the recipes are perfection.”
Sara smiled at her youngest daughter, shaking her head.
“When did you get so wise,” she said tucking her daughter’s wayward curl behind her ear. “You’re right. We’ll stick to what we know and make it look like something completely unique. We’ve got this.”
Their husbands, Wilson, RJ, Elias, Tango, Gator and Rett smiled at the women. They’d never seen them happier or more nervous in their lives.
“I don’t get what a big deal it is?” frown Gator.
“It means the name of Crescent City Bakery is out there for the entire world to see,” said Wilson.
“Do we really want that?” frowned Elias.
“It’s definitely something we’re going to have to think about,” nodded Wilson. “Maybe we sell as usual in the café for our regulars, but we might have to build another facility more accessible to the general population down the road. All of that will be discussed based on how much they win.”
“You’re already counting on them to win it all,” smirked RJ.
“Aren’t you?” laughed Rett. “We all get the benefit of what these women put out every day. I’d put their creations against anyone in the world. I’m damn proud of them and for once in our lives, we need to support them. We need to be there for them and help where needed.”
“I agree,” said Wilson. “I’m damn sure not too old or too proud to wear an apron and get a little flour on my face.”
“Agreed,” nodded the other men.
“Elias? Elias?” called Celia. “We need some new baking sheets and pans. Can you and RJ take Celia and I to the restaurant supply store?”
“Of course, we can,” he said pulling her in for a big kiss. She leaned back laughing.
“What was that for?” she giggled.
“Because I’m so damn proud of you all. You’re doing what you love and it’s paying off for you, as it should.”
“It’s no different than all of you,” she grinned. “You’re all doing what you love and it pays off every time you’re able to help someone or save someone. We’re just baking yummy treats that make people happy. There’s a big difference.”
“There is no difference at all,” said Tango. “What you’re doing is every bit as important as what we do.” Celia smiled at the big men around her and nodded with a soft blush.
“Well, thank you for that. We’ll grab our purses and meet you by the car.
” She kissed her husband’s cheek one more time and walked away.
She and her twin married RJ and Elias on the same day.
They’d both wanted huge families but it wasn’t in the cards for them.
Instead, they poured themselves into being the best aunts and uncles you could possibly have.
They baked with the children, made treats for events at school, took them camping and to the movies, and in the end, they realized it was the roles they were destined for. By being just aunts and uncles, it left them all the time in the world to love one another.
“You heard the lady,” smirked RJ, “to the restaurant supply we go.”