Page 5 of Rebel Heart
Shaking my head, gratitude seeping in, I sighed, “It doesn’t feel like quite enough just yet.”
And it didn’t.
Though I’d been baking for as long as I could remember, I’d only been doing it professionally for about five years. It was only in the last year or so that I’d finally hired someone to help full time. Initially, I’d hired part-time, seasonal help for the busier months in the spring and summer. It worked for a while at the start, but iteventually became too much to handle on my own, even in the slower season. Even when the weather turned, and it got cooler in the late fall and throughout winter, which ultimately shut down the amusement park and kept the larger crowds away, I was still busier at The Mixing Bowl than I ever imagined I’d be.
And while I had Serena, who still worked here now on a part-time, year-round basis, Bernadette had alleviated so much of the stress that had come along with needing to find that extra help at the start of every spring.
As she worked on rounding up the empty trays in the display cases, Birdie said, “I promise it is. Besides, even if you didn’t tell me all the time, I always get some love with a sweet treat I can take home every night.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “Fair enough. So, do you have anything special planned for this weekend?”
I stepped out from behind the counter and wiped down the tables immediately in front of my bakery. We weren’t closed yet, but things were beginning to wind down for us.
“Well…” There was a chipper edge in her tone. Enough that I stopped what I was doing and looked over at her. “I’m going out on a second date on Saturday night.”
“Second? With whom? When was the first?” My head was spinning with the news she’d just delivered.
Grinning, Birdie revealed, “The first was last Sunday afternoon with a lovely guy named Fisher. We met at the Farmer’s Market the day before.”
“Are you serious?”
She nodded.
Even though a wave of longing and jealousy washed over me, I was happy for Birdie. She was one of the sweetest women I knew. So, I smiled and said, “That’s wonderful news. Tell me about him.”
For the next little while, as we worked on some of our end-of-day tasks, Birdie told me all about Fisher. From what she’d shared, he sounded wonderful, and I was beyond thrilled for her.
I could only hope that my opportunity to find such happiness was coming soon. Or, perhaps, considering there had only been one day, it wasn’t true happiness like so many of my siblings had recently found. But there was excitement for Birdie, and that was more than I could say I had when it came to my love life. I was about to tell her as much when I heard the familiar squeal of delight, followed by quickened footsteps behind me.
I spun around, saw who had caused the commotion, and felt something swell in my chest.
“Auntie Jules!”
“Rosie!” Crouching, I opened my arms wide. My niece, now just a few months away from her third birthday, came barreling toward me. Her little body collided with mine, and I immediately hugged her as tight as I could. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much. What are you doing here?”
“I want cookies.”
I laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek and keeping her in my hold as I stood. “Of course, you do.”
“Auntie Jules always has the best treats.” I lookedbeyond my niece to find that those words had been spoken by my sister-in-law, Skye. “You know that I try to keep the sweets to a minimum at home, but stepping foot on the Westwood’s campus is synonymous with cookies for Rosie. And I figure that if I’m going to allow it, I might as well let her have the best there is.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at Skye, showing my appreciation for the compliment before returning my attention to my niece. “Let’s go pick out the best cookie for you.”
She squirmed in my arms, enough that I set her down on her feet and took her by the hand to lead her behind the counter. We spent a few moments looking at the variety of flavors left, but I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she made her choice and selected the double chocolate chip. Her father would have chosen the same.
“Should we get one for Mommy, too?” I asked her.
Wanting variety, Rosie said, “That one.”
“Okay.”
I snatched up the cookie, and the two of us rounded the counter again to find Skye had already settled herself in a chair at one of the tables. Holding the cookie out to her, I said, “Rosie deemed traditional chocolate chip best for you.”
Skye laughed. “At least she was willing to say it was for me this time.”
As if on cue, Rosie decided to set the record straight as she climbed into her chair. “That cookie is for baby sister.”
My lips curved into a smile, and I shrugged. “Hey, at least she’s going to be a great big sister.”
