Page 6 of Tasting Sin

Nellie

“What about a car wash?” Ava asked, using the nearly empty glass in her hand to gesture to the bartender for another round of Manhattans. When she tossed the last of her drink into her mouth and swallowed, I looked at the half-full glass still in front of me.

It had been three days since Stu started the eviction process. There were only twenty-seven days left for me to get the money needed to keep Sugar & Spice. It felt less possible as days went on.

I scrunched my nose, swirling my own Manhattan around the glass and sniffing the whiskey and sweet vermouth before I took a sip. “Just the two of us?” I imagined Ava and I on the corner next to a gas station with a sign offering a car wash, and then I thought about the type of people who might stop. It was a bad porn video set-up just waiting to happen. I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“It was just an idea.” She grabbed the new drink the bartender handed her and tapped it to my still-unfinished drink. Ava hummed when she took another sip, and I groaned.

It was going to be a long night. I took my last gulp, pulling the straw from my empty glass and putting it in the new one. “Okay, what other ideas do you have?” I took a long drink. “I know you have more floating around up there.”

“What about a raffle?” Ava’s face lit up. She was loving this a lot more than I was, but I didn’t want to lose the bakery either.

“What would we give away?” I was skeptical when she pursed her lips to fight back a grin. What could she possibly have in mind?

“Free cupcakes?” she asked, and when I scowled, she waved her hand in the air like she was erasing the words. “Oh, oh, oh! Better idea. A date with one of us. Or both of us!”

“I am not that desperate.” I held my fingers in front of me in the form of a cross, and Ava scowled at me. “Next?”

She paused to take another drink, swallowing almost half the glass. “What about BOGO coupons?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” I said, rocking my head side-to-side. “Only one problem: we would have to get enough people into the shop.”

She shrugged. “We can give the coupons away at bars and libraries and stuff. Maybe we could figure out how to mail them to anyone who lives in the area?”

“That sounds expensive.” I nodded at the bartender when he pointed to the glasses in a silent offer for another round. “Now we’re going to need a fundraiser for our fundraiser.”

Ava gasped, throwing her hands in the air. “I’ve got it!” she squealed. “A bake sale!”

“You’re kidding, right?” My mouth dropped open in disbelief, and based on the sudden disappointment on Ava’s face, I was wearing disapproval all over mine.

“What?” she asked. “Bake sales always work!”

I blinked at her slowly, suddenly thinking I shouldn’t have taken the bartender up on yet another round. He sat the glasses down anyways, and I pressed my fingers to my temple. “We’re a bakery. Every day is a bake sale!”

“Oh. Good point.” Ava took a long drink of the cocktail, thinking for a moment before she shrugged slightly. Then, she turned serious. “Well, we tried. What are you going to do?”

“I am starting to wonder if I should give up.” I rested my elbows on the counters and dropped my head into my hands, closing my eyes and pressing into my palms to fight back the tears welling against my eyelids.

I loved Sugar & Spice. It had been my dream for so long, and when my parents died, I used part of the inheritance to open it. It had become my whole life. What was I supposed to do now?

“You can’t be serious.” Ava grabbed my wrist and tugged lightly, forcing me to look up and drawing my attention to her. “You have put your everything into the bakery. There’s no way you’re just giving up now!”

I sighed. “Ava…”

“No, Nellie. We’re not just giving up. Sugar & Spice is your dream, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep it open. We don’t give up.” She signaled to the bartender to get our check before she stood, grabbing both of my shoulders. “I won’t let you.”

“Then we won’t give up.” I felt a small glimmer of hope when Ava grinned. Her body relaxed when she pulled me against her for a hug.

“Thank you, Ava,” I said when she squeezed. She let go, winking when she stepped back.

I watched her pay our tab, buttoning my coat. Outside, the cold fall air cut through the coat anyways, and when a gust of wind went by, it whipped my hair in front of my face. I turned in the direction it blew, brushing it back so I could see. Once I could, I wished I could hide.

Getting into the dark Mercedes at the end of the block was Ronan Moretti. I cringed, hoping he wouldn’t look up. When he did, I groaned. He smirked, closing the door and turning to walk my way. I could see his smirk and the clear look of intent on his face from the distance. Shit.

“Is that the same guy who was at the bakery the other day? The one who wanted to lease it?” Ava asked, slightly slurring her words.

I nodded, debating turning and running in the opposite direction or ducking back into the bar. “Yep.”

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