I greet the two of them and Char leaps into my arms. The woman stands and introduces herself. My brain blows a fuse.
She’s absolutely gorgeous.
Her long blonde hair cascades over her shoulders in waves. Her blue eyes sparkle and remind me of the way the sun dances along the surface of the ocean. She’s short and curvy, her jeans highlight her wider hips and her orange sweater seems to accentuate her chest and waistline. Fashionable but relaxed, she must be here for the Valentine’s Day festivities.
When she speaks her accent confirms my thought about her being a fleeting tourist to the area. I won’t get closer if she’s here to find love. Best to squash it in the bud before anything could happen. My brain and my mouth don’t seem to be on the same page though.
Because I invite her to dinner.
And she agrees.
I have a date with Mallory. The curvy blonde with a French-tinged accent who probably has a ticket home in a few days. Oh well, it’s not like I’m going to date her. I won’t date anyone until Charlotte is older. I have chosen to put Char first. And most people, in my previous dating experience, don’t like that. They want to be first.
I grab a cake pop for Char and we head home. Thoughts of dating Mallory, and having her over for dinner, bounce around my head all day.
It’s just a thank you dinner. Nothing more.
After a restless nightand one too many snooze alarms, Char and I are finally dressed and ready to go. I’ll bring her to the bakery and after a quick breakfast we’ll head to her daycare. I made sure that she packed extra books since she’ll be there later than normal.
On a typical Friday I pick her up at four and we grab a pizza on the way home or we eat at the Italian restaurant in town. But, since I have the dinner date with Mallory she’ll be going to daycare for the afternoon, then spending a few hours with me before I take her over to the babysitter’s house. I make sure I have cash to pay the sitter and a pizza for them.
We get to the bakery at eight and it’s already hopping. I clock in and say hi to the guys working in the kitchen before checking in with Liam and Henry to go over the day’s deliveries. Those two run the bakery with such business acumen it’s easy to just go with the flow at work. If I have an idea then I don’t feel uneasysharing it with them. They have the big picture in their mind but are open to alternative ways of reaching it.
My pocket buzzes and it’s the sitter’s mom.
“Shit.” I curse as Char tells me I said a bad word. “I know honey, I owe you a quarter.”
“What’s up Jake?” Dylan, our cake decorator, comes over. He’s carrying a big stainless-steel bowl that’s filled with various containers of spices, sprinkles, and colored icing tubes.
“The babysitter is sick and I have no one to watch Charlotte tonight.”
“Big plans?” he wiggles his eyebrows and Char laughs at his silly face.
“I was supposed to have a date.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “I’ll have to cancel. Unless you have a sitter that you recommend?”
That’s one of the plus sides to the Spice Spice Baby Bakery, all the guys who work here have kids at home. They’re all dads who know exactly what I’m going through at all times. Despite our various backgrounds and careers, we’re all dads who love our kids.
“Last minute on a Friday night the weekend before Valentine’s Day? No way man. Everyone is booked.” He shrugs his shoulders, “if we were open later, I’d say leave Char with us. But I think we’re all in the same boat.”
“Yeah, I’ll go ahead and cancel. We’re way too busy for me to call around.” I’m bummed. I was looking forward to getting to know Mallory a little bit, even if she’s just in town for the festival. She seemed nice, especially if she had Char giggling like that. Char likes the guys at the bakery but she hasn’t really bonded with any girls outside of the women who watch her at daycare and the sitter.
Not like I bring a lot of women around though.
“Sorry man, maybe she’ll reschedule.” Dylan pats my shoulder before he leaves to go grab more decorating supplies.
I sigh and try to shove my apparent disappointment to the side.
Focus on Charlotte. Not a girl you barely know.
I ask Charlotte if she wants a ham and cheese croissant or a piece of quiche for breakfast. Once I have her settled at a table with her meal I check my phone. Mallory had sent me a short text last night that just had her name and a smiley face emoji and a Canadian flag.
Jake: I know it’s early. My babysitter is sick and I don’t have a backup. I need to cancel our dinner. I’m sorry.
I tuck my phone in my pocket and pour myself a mug of coffee. I start to prep for my first delivery run of the morning. I mark off boxes as I stack them in my insulated bag. I’ll make a few and then swing back for another round. The snow is all cleared off and the sun is already shining. My phone vibrates as I pack the last box I need.
Mallory: If you want to cancel you can, but I thought Charlotte was coming with us.
I stare at my screen as my stomach does summersaults. She expected Char to tag along? Even with my comment about a steak dinner? I’m even more intrigued by this mysterious out of towner.
