He holds me close, sheltered in his arms where I feel cherished and protected.Deep within my soul, I recognize this man is my soulmate.There is no denying the moment we met, with our very first kiss, my heart and soul knew the truth.He’s mine.I’ve heard people talk about meeting their one true love feeling like being hit by a bolt of lightning.
This isn’t a single strike, the desire we share is a raging thunderstorm.
I press my lips against his neck.Spending the day in bed with him is just what I need.We can talk about last night, the people shooting at us, the tattoos.
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.Right now, I just want to be with him.Hold him.Enjoy our quiet, private bliss.
My phone rings.I recognize the ring tone.The store is calling.
Damn it.Perfect fucking timing.Everyone at the bakery knows not to bother me on my honeymoon unless it’s an emergency.
Which means there must be an emergency.Something bad happened.The only question is, how bad is it?
With a groan I feel deep in my bones, I leave the comfort of Rygar’s arms.“I need to grab my phone.It’s down on the kitchen counter.”
Rygar rolls toward me.“I’ll go with you.”
I don’t waste time responding.I hop out of bed and race down the stairs.I avoid the crumbs and food scattered everywhere.I grab my phone and press the answer button, putting it on speaker.“Hello.”
“Um, hi, Madison?This is Julia down atTriple Treats.So, sooooo sorry to bother you, but I haven’t been able to get ahold of Hannah or Emily and we have a massive problem.”
Fourteen
B.I.L.L.: The third critical mistake… Never mind.At this point, I should just stop counting.
Lake Tahoe Cabin, Sunday 12:30 pm
“What happened,Julia?What do you need?”I’m relieved she doesn’t sound panicked, like the store burned to the ground.But she did call me, so there must be a significant problem.“Just a sec.”
What happened to my besties after I left the bar last night?Why aren’t Hannah and Emily answering their phones?I check my text messages.Neither of them has responded this morning.
“Okay.Go ahead.”
“Sometime last night one of the refrigerators went out,” Julia explains.
Shit.
“Which one?”I cross my fingers hoping that it’s not as bad as I’m assuming.
“It’s the one reserved for the festival supplies.You know?The one with all the premade sugar cookie dough for your flying saucer cookies.”
Oh god!It’s worse.Making all that dough took me two full days.“And the other supplies?The decorations and icing?”
“None of it’s salvageable.The fridge must have short-circuited right after we closed yesterday.By the time I arrived this morning, everything inside was bad.I know you might need some time… with the wedding and everything.”Her voice trails off.Of course, she’s heard about me running out of the church.I’m sure the entire town knows.“But it’s your recipe.I know how particular you are.The whole town loves those cookies.I hate bothering you, but if you don’t come in, we will never be ready for the festival in time.”
Julia doesn’t need to tell me that Stargazer Village’s internationally knownAstronomy Festival & Area 51 Cook-Offis on Thursday.We’re one of the only places in the world equally popular with scientists in the astronomy community and UFO chasers.The festival is why Nicholas and I were taking an abbreviated, weekend only, honeymoon at the cabin instead of booking a much longer trip to somewhere exotic, like the Caribbean.Tahoe Triple Treatshas a booth at the festival.My flying saucer shaped sugar cookies are the star of the show.The publicity is huge, and we always end up with thousands of dollars in bakery orders.Those extra sales mean I can live in my happy place, covered in flour, in the bakery, forweeks.
We have the first order for Riley’s local grocery store due this week as well.It’s why I reserved an entire fridge for all the supplies.That way I could head in on Tuesday afternoon and start baking.Now…gah!This could impact our bottom line in irrevocable ways.
“I’m on my way.”I hang up and shoot Rygar an apologetic glance.“I need to run to my café.There’s a problem.I’m going to have to work the rest of the day.And tomorrow.I’m sorry.”
“I will go with you.”
“Not necessary.Our refrigerator went out and ruined all my cookie dough.I have to remake everything.It’s going to take hours.”That’s if I have help, but I don’t tell him that.I’m going to have to call my mother.I don’t do it often but she’s the one who taught me how to bake in the first place.Thank goodness she still loves to be in the kitchen.
I text my mother as Rygar watches.Relief floods me at her immediate response and offer to help.Okay.Maybe I can salvage this mess.It’s not just my ass on the line.Emily, Hannah and I all invested in the shop together.TheTriple Treatstheme was Hannah’s idea, based on three things she loves with undying devotion: coffee, cookies and books.
“I will not let you go alone.It’s not safe.”
