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Chapter eleven

Naomi

“You’re all set. Everything should be in working order,” I tell Carl from sales as I slide his desk chair back for him.

“Thanks, Naomi,” he says gratefully. “You’d think I’d be able to figure out the error message at this point—I’ve only had it pop up about a hundred times.”

“It’s not the easiest system to work with.” I smile sympathetically. “Besides, that’s what I’m here for, right?”

“I suppose,” he says. His gaze shifts behind me, and instead of sliding back down into his chair, he follows me briskly out of his office.

“Ah, there’s a potential customer. I’ve gotta be quick on my feet before Sharon grabs him.

She’s charmed her way into nabbing the last several walk-in sales.

There’s no way I’m letting her get this one too. ”

“Good luck.” I laugh, waving him off while I catch sight of the gentleman who just walked through the door.

I can’t help but notice two things. One, how handsome he is.

And two, that he’s all by himself. A brief vision of a whirlwind romance flashes through my mind, perhaps one where this gentleman is a famous movie star seeking refuge from the hardships of fame in our quiet central-Minnesotan town.

We could fall madly in love and find the perfect balance between home life and the bright lights of Hollywood.

Our weekends are spent under flashing lights on the red carpet, meeting adoring fans and eating Michelin-star meals, all to be back to our quaint cabin in the woods by Monday morning.

It’s a great life and an exhilarating image, but the next one that pops into my mind is what happened at the airport—the last time I let myself daydream about a stranger.

Pre-robbery me would have taken the long route back to my office passing right next to said gentleman, in hopes that he would say something to kick start our passionate love story.

But post-robbery, defeated-spirit me decides to skip it altogether and venture in the opposite direction back to my office.

“Good morning, Naomi,” Fran calls from the welcome desk as I pass by.

“Morning, Fran. Is the printer still working alright?” I stop to lean an elbow over the desk.

“It is! Hey, listen, I’m working on the guest list for the grand opening. I’m assuming you’re coming, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” I would actually love to miss it, but I know without asking, that’s not an option.

“Should I put you down for one ticket or will you be bringing a guest?”

“Hm, good question.” I’m sure Robbie would insist on coming along, but I’m not sure if he’ll be in town or not. I suppose I’ll need to ask him about that later. “Better put me down for two, please. Just to be safe.”

“Robbie is his name, right?” The twinkle in her eye gleams. “I had cards last night with Iris and Opal. They filled me in on your budding romance—very exciting.”

“Oh, yeah.” I smile, for once not really minding the attention on Robbie and me. There are worse things than being paired up with him. Although, how the town will react when we inevitably break up still makes me nervous.

“He’s a handsome fella.”

“I think so too.” Worried my facial expression doesn’t exactly convey a romantic vibe and might give me away, I step back from the desk. “Alright, we’ll chat later.”

“Oh!” She stops me. “Dear, could you drop this folder onto Roger’s desk for me please?”

It takes substantial effort to stop my hand from automatically reaching out to grab it. Nerves start bubbling in my stomach, and my heart rate ticks up. This is it. The perfect opportunity to test what we’ve been working on.

I take a second to assess how I’m feeling. Excitement or dread? I definitely wouldn’t say I’m excited about doing this favor, especially since it’s on the other side of the building. Could I? Absolutely. But should I, is the real question.

“Oh, um.” The words feel thick in my throat, but I force them out. “Actually, I’m not going that way. I have a conference call in ten minutes, so I really need to get back to my office.”

She blanches, clearly not expecting me to say no. Guilt starts squeezing my chest, and I hesitate. Maybe I should just do it. It really is no problem—I made the meeting up as an excuse. I’m mere seconds away from ceasing when she finally jumps in.

“Okay, no problem.” She blinks.

“I’m sorry,” I say with a cringe.

She shakes her head emphatically. “No, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. We’ll talk later.”

Her genuine smile starts to put me at ease. “Alright. See you later.”

I walk back to my office, feeling a growing sense of pride blossoming in my core. That felt really good—better than I anticipated it would.

When I get to my office desk, I’m still riding the high when I see a missed call from Robbie. I immediately call him back, still sporting a grin as I sink into my chair.

“How’s my favorite girlfriend?” he answers, his voice low in my ear. The hum of a motor is faint in the background.

“Your favorite girlfriend just stood up to Fran,” I say proudly. “I did it, Robbie. I told her no.”

“No way!” His enthusiasm further fuels my excitement. “Do you feel like a badass?”

“I actually do.” I wonder if he can hear my smile through my voice.

“Attagirl. And only one practice session under our belts too.” The pride is obvious in his voice.

“I guess I did need this, huh?”

“Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with you. We’re just…fine-tuning some things.”

I smile lazily, once again appreciating all he’s done for me so far.

“Anyway, what are you up to? I think this is the first time you’ve ever called me from the road,” I point out. Normally when he’s gone, he’s unreachable. I don’t hear from him until he rolls back into town, so this is a first for us.

“We just hopped on the tour bus and have a bit of a drive to our next stop. I was thinking about you, so I figured I’d check in.” The rustling of a plastic bag crinkles in the background.

“What’s that noise?”

“Oh, just clearing some candy wrappers off my bed so I can lie down.”

I chuckle, wondering what his space looks like on the bus. If my house gets chaotic and messy when he’s here, I can’t imagine the bus is any different.

“How was your show last night?”

“Electric.” His voice beams with an adrenaline that spikes jealousy in my gut. What I wouldn’t give to do the things he does, to see the things he sees out on the road.

“Where are you heading next?”

“Austin, Texas, I’m told. My favorite city to play in.”

“Well, it’s a good time for you to not be here.

I’ve barely had any spare time outside of work and baking for anything else.

I’m slammed with orders. Did I tell you I’m making a custom birthday cake for Millie’s kid this week?

She requested a double-layer cake in the shape of the number six with a full-on race car track on top of it. ”

“Right on.” He chuckles low. “That sounds like my kind of cake.”

“It will be cool. Time consuming, but cool.”

“You’re saying no to any orders you can’t realistically do, right?”

“Yes,” I say, hoping the confidence in my tone will cover up any uneasiness from the lie that so easily rolled off my tongue.

I’ve been doing my best, but truthfully, I haven’t been great at turning orders away this week.

My eagerness to give this business a successful start has admittedly overridden the few logistical conflicts that have come up.

“Perfect.” He yawns through the phone. “I think I might take a nap.”

“Dude. It’s midday.”

“And?”

“No comment.” I laugh again. “I should probably get back to work anyway.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

When we hang up, I dive back into my workday, the hours passing relatively quickly. As I’m wrapping things up for the day, anxious to get home to do my evening baking, my cell phone rings with an incoming call from an unknown number.

“This is Naomi,” I answer.

“Hi, Naomi. My name is Cheryl,” says the voice on the other end. “I live in Crosslake and got your name from Opal. We’re in the same book club, and she was telling me about your new baking business. I was hoping you might be able to help me out with an order?”

My stomach drops, a rush of anxiety hitting me. I try to hold onto the confidence I had earlier with Fran and from talking with Robbie. “Hi, Cheryl. What do you need?”

“Well, you see, I’m hosting a very last-minute bridal shower at my house this weekend, and I’m afraid the bride is being a bit of a bridezilla. She’s expecting vanilla buttercream cupcakes in the shape of a ring plus a three-tiered German chocolate cake as well.”

In my head, I run through the amount of time and ingredients it would take to fulfill the order. Excitement or dread? Excitement or dread? I repeat the question in my mind.

“I’ve been calling around, and nobody seems to have the availability for such an order on short notice. Opal thought that maybe you might be able to squeeze me in. She just raves about your orange sherbet cupcakes, by the way.”

“That’s so sweet of her, and thank you for reaching out. When would you need them done by?” Excitement or dread? If I’m honest, the feelings are fairly mixed at this point.

“Two days?”

Definitely dread.

But…branching out of Pine Falls is an absolute dream. This order could get the ball rolling with expanding outside of the city. More orders means more income, which means I’m one step closer to a full-fledged business.

“Let me double-check my calendar quickly.” I scan my phone, knowing full well the number of orders I’m already slammed with.

Then my mind starts to wander. What if I tell her no, and she tells everyone she knows that I’m rude or hard to work with?

What if nobody outside of Pine Falls ever calls me again?

What if my dream is over before it ever really begins?

“I think I can make that work,” I say quietly, any confidence I had completely disintegrating.

“Really? Oh my gosh, you’re an angel. Are you sure?”

Nope.

“Yes.” I muster up as much conviction as I can, although the anxiety that buzzes under the surface of my skin continues to get worse. “I’ll email you an official order form. The sooner you fill that out, the better, so I can get started as soon as possible.”

“Perfect. Thanks again.”

When we disconnect, I toss my belongings in my purse and frantically rush out the door. I try to push down the almost overwhelming panic. Maybe I haven’t made as much progress as I thought.