I knew Maura figured I was just salty because I didn't have a potential groom of my own. In fact, she and my friend Parker had sat me down in the back room and had a little intervention, when Parker had been home visiting his parents at Christmas.Apparently, I had to get out and date more, stop being a hermit now that Gran had moved to Florida and I was living alone above the bakery.Apparently, I was reminding Maura of the old man from that Disney movie, the one with the house and the balloons.Apparently, Parker thought I needed to learn to smile again, which was totalbullshit.
Ismiled.
Of course Idid.
"You excited for tomorrow night?" Maura asked, like she was reading my mind. I turned around to see her leaning back against the counter, arms folded over her chest and watching mesteadily.
"Thrilled," I said blandly. "Why did I let you and Park talk me into this dating app thingagain?"
"Uh, because it's free dinner and a guaranteedmatch?"
"Uhhuh."
"You never turn down a free dinner,Cal."
I snorted. "That's the truth." I was a shitty cook. Ironic, maybe since I was such a good baker, but neon-orange mac and cheese was pretty much my staple food now that Gran was sunning herself down south. "I suppose I can sit through a date for thatalone."
"You're approaching this all wrong," Maura informed me. When she nodded, her brown corkscrew curls bobbed along. "Yeah, you've had a bunch of dates that didn't pan out in the past. But this is different. This is your date withdestiny,Cal."
"Mmmm,no.It's my date with a man who calls himselfFrogman626," I reminded her. I couldn't help but picture a little dude with big eyes, and that was so not mytype.
"Oh my God. Shade from the man who picked the usernameHotCrossBuns?" She lifted one impeccableeyebrow.
"It's a baking thing! It's...cute."
She rolled her eyes. "Glass houses, Cal. That's all I'm saying. And you know, maybe you have to kiss afrogto find truelove."
"I knew it. Iknewit!" I crowed. "I was betting with myself on how long it would take you to make that joke once I told you the guy’s username. And I won. But, spoiler: You kiss the frogbeforeyou find your truelove."
"Wait, I thought the frogwasthe true love? I need to Googlethis."
"It doesn't fucking matter," I told her impatiently. "You can't tell me you really believe I'm going to meet myone true lovetomorrow night." I shook my head at her naivety. "True love doesn't happen instantly. Frankly I'm amazed that they found a man who matched my top-threecriteria."
Someone commitment-oriented, kink-friendly, and located within five miles of O'Leary? Where had this unicorn beenhiding?
"Hmmm," she said, looking at me with that superior,I know something you don't knowlook that had driven me crazy since Gran had hired her eight years ago. "I have the feeling your luck is about to change! And you would too, if you'd text the guyback."
I opened my mouth to defend myself, to tell her that if my date had never read a book, hated musicals, and was allergic to refined sugar, I'd rather deal with my disappointmentin the moment,than be disappointed in advance and forced to keep the dateanyway.
But before I could say any of that, the bell above the front door jangled and a tall, lithe blonde strolled in, cell phone pressed to her ear and voice raised so the whole world could hearher.
"I don't care about your sister's broken ankle, Veronica! Let her hobble! This ismywedding week, dammit, and Icannotdeal with your issues or I'm going tobreak outfor my photographs! It's bad enough that my groom's stupid friends took him to Vegas for his bachelor party, and–. What? I cansoblame them! They took his ass across the country and got him lap dancers after I told them Iforbid it. I'm hisfiancée.They need to fuckingrespectme!"
"Who the hell isthat?" I demanded under mybreath.
"Karen Mitchener," Maura whined in a low voice. "Oh, Jesus. And only an hour before closingtime."
"Who?"
"KarenMitchener. Remember? From the Mitchener-Martin wedding up at the Scarlet Maple Inn this weekend? I handled her tasting last fall, when you were down in Boca with your Gran, and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. You don't remember mebitching?"
I did, vaguely. Unlike me, Maura was accommodating and friendly, almost to a fault. The brides and grooms loved her. For Maura to have an issue with a customer spokevolumes.
"No, Vee! You listen tome!" Karen wassaying.
"The woman sucks up all the air in the room," Mauragrumbled.
"Still feel like my luck ischanging?"
