Page 36 of Hers to Marry
Which was exactly the stubborn Drew she remembered.
“You think Drew’s unhappy?” Kat asked dubiously.
“Unhappy enough to kiss you at his own wedding cake tasting?” Susie quirked her eyebrows and chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He’srealunhappy.”
Kat rested her back against the counter and covered her face with her hands. “I’m so embarrassed.”
Susie rubbed Kat’s arms. “Yeah, well, it’s not the end of the world.”
Kat dropped her hands to look at Susie. “But I lost a client for you. I have three new flavors and I was really looking forward to some feedback.”
“I told you they were amazing.”
“Feedback from clients,” Kat said dryly.
“Well, they’re being sampled now, so you’ll get compliments soon enough, don’t worry.”
Kat wanted some good news now more than anything. She had potentially ruined two friendships, and a wedding cake was big money for Susie’s shop. Susie had talked about expanding the shop to the empty unit next door, but she couldn’t do that without more funds. They were already limited on the number of wedding cake orders they could fill due to the small size of the kitchen staff, and Susie had already raised Kat’s salary to help her out with her bank loan.
If Kat were to apologize to Parker—which she had to do anyway—then maybe she could convince her friend to reconsider canceling the order. Susie could bake the cake; Kat didn’t have to be involved.
And any other devious thing Parker had in mind for Kat to do to make up for everything. Kat didn’t put it past her friend to follow through on her threat and let everyone in town know what a homewrecker Kat was.
“I’m going to apologize. Get her back in here and order that cake.”
“Like I said, Drew did put in an order for a few dozen cupcakes earlier before you met him for your tête-à-tête. Not exactly wedding cake money.”
“Susie! It was not…wait, what did he order?”
“A few dozen cupcakes and…” Susie picked up the laptop and scrolled to the order page. “Yup, a few dozen cupcakes and some specialty bread. Then another order of your famous donuts—have you entered them into the statewide contest yet? You need to get more eyes and tongues on them.”
Kat cringed. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Susie rolled her eyes. “We’re talking major publicity, Kat. Your creations are incredible! You have a real talent for creating unique flavors. Get your entry in, STAT. If you want feedback, you need to get yourself out there.”
Get herself out there. Kat nodded. She had to do it again. Even if she failed over and over. Kat groaned. Being in Susie’s kitchen was safer, but her boss gave an order and she’d do it. “Okay, I’ll get that entry in today. What else?”
“Yep, the donuts were the last thing. Drew told me he has several working crews he wants to feed for the next several months, so it looks like a standing order. That’s going to bea lotof money.”
Kat snatched the tablet out of Susie’s hands, and her eyes widened at the dollar amount.
Susie grinned. “Oh, yeah. See that? With the profits we’ll be making the next few months, I think we’ll have enough money to expand the shop. Now you can’t go and start your own business because we’ll be competing. That wouldn’t be fair, would it?”
Kat curled in on herself at Susie’s pointed look. “No?”
Susie laughed and wrapped an arm around Kat’s shoulders. “I’m just messing with you. Of course you have to start your own place! This city can support the two of us, especially on this side of town. And with all the recipes I see you making, there’s enough variety to go around.”
Kat gave Susie a sly look. “Have you been peeking into my recipe journal?”
“Guilty as charged. I’ve been curious about what you’ve been cooking up.”
“Well…Drew did mention helping me get the empty unit I saw over on Twenty-Second Street.”
“Ooh! Fancy part of town. You’ll have clientele lining up around the block.”
“I hope so. I don’t know though.”
Susie’s brows angled up. “Why not? Other than cheating on his girlfriend, what’s not to like?”
