Page 70 of The Last Love Song
“I’ve got a lot of baking to do to prep for the weekend.” Nina pulled a small cooler from the back of the pickup. “In fact, I’ve got a new cupcake flavor and I need your opinion.”
“Yes.” Heather clapped her hands in anticipation. Nina’s baking skills were legendary, especially where cupcakes were concerned. “You see why I always like helping you with projects? Bethany, come look what Nina made.”
“Do not start without me!” Bethany dropped the banner sign she’d been hanging, letting the cream-colored canvas flap in the breeze as she hurried over. “I’ve been waiting to hear the wordcupcakeever since I picked her up this morning.”
Nina rolled her eyes, her charm bracelets jangling as she opened the lid on the small insulated box.
“You saw me come out of the house carrying the cooler.” Nina laughed. “You probably had a good guess what was inside.”
“Maybe, but I never take cupcakes for granted these days.” Bethany and Heather bumped heads as they jostled to peerinside. “I’m so glad I got my appetite back once I got my marriage on track. I gotallmy appetites back.”
Heather winked at her, grateful Bethany looked so much healthier.
“Those look amazing,” Heather squealed as she caught sight of white frosting drizzled with caramel and dark chocolate.
“They’re mocha coconut frappuccino.” Nina produced one for Heather and handed her a napkin. “Mack called it overkill. I call it bliss.”
“I’m drooling,” Bethany announced, helping herself to a napkin before taking her cupcake.
“Men don’t have the right palate for chocolate,” Heather insisted, taking her cupcake and settling on one of the hay bales. “Don’t listen to him.” Peeling off the wrapper, she took her time admiring Nina’s creation. As she made eye contact with Bethany—wanting to be sure they were ready for a bite at the same time—it occurred to her how much she was going to miss moments like this. Days like this.
Sisters like this.
Her online friends were no substitute for family.
“Ready?” Bethany asked, taking a seat beside her on the hay.
With a nod, Heather gave the cue so they could try the treat together.
“You won’t hurt my feelings if you think it’s too sweet,” Nina assured them, leaning a hip into the side of the pickup. “I can’t decide.”
“It’s amazing,” Bethany mumbled through a mouthful of frosting. “You’re a genius.”
Heather gave a thumbs-up, unwilling to allow extra air between her taste buds and mocha coconut frappuccino goodness.
“I brought some water.” Nina reached into the cooler again, pulling out minibottles for each of them. “And maybe it couldn’thurt if I do another taste test myself.” She joined them on the hay bales, settling onto one closer to the ground.
“Chocolate is meant to be consumed with girlfriends.” Bethany tucked her feet under her as she ate. “Ally is going to be so jealous when I tell her about this.”
“It’s my favorite ever,” Heather said once she’d finished savoring the first bite. “The coconut is so perfect in there and it keeps the cupcake from being too rich.”
“There’s no such thing as too rich,” Bethany argued around another bite.
Nina licked the frosting, taking the tiniest of nibbles, as if to make it last longer.
“Nina, can I ask you a question?” Heather tested the frosting, too, mimicking the taste-test expert. Yum.
“No, you can’t have the recipe. But you can have a free one after you sing at the restaurant.” Nina grinned.
Heather rolled her eyes. “I know better than to ask for recipes.” A new truck pulled into their row, the trailer painted with the name of a bike repair shop in Franklin. “What I wanted to ask is, what made you decide to open the restaurant instead of another cupcake shop?”
Nina had had a successful boutique business in New York City before she’d returned to Heartache the year before. Cupcake Romance had catered specialty baked goods for weddings and showers, carving out a niche with decadent sweets.
Nina tipped back her water, her lips pursed as she thought about the question.
“It was your dream to have the cupcake bakery, right?” Heather didn’t think about how that sounded, as she was genuinely curious about the way dreams and ambitions could morph. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest?—”
“No.” Nina waved off her unease. “Itwasmy dream. But once I moved to Heartache and got back together with Mack,my dreams changed. Staying here, being near Gram and being with Mack became my highest priorities. I couldn’t see a small town supporting a cupcake business, but I did think about maybe opening a catering company where I’d ship them.” She shrugged. “But when I saw what Mack was doing at his bar in Nashville, I realized we were both working similar businesses and wouldn’t it be fun to see what we could do if we combined our skills.”
