Page 28 of Sweets and Sycamores

IMPERFECT THINGS HAVE A BEAUTY OF THEIR OWN

Allie had agreed to Dominic’s terms last night. She hoped to manage the fire on her own now that the seal was broken, but it made more sense to ask someone with Dom’s experience wielding elemental magic rather than reading about it in a book.

Throughout the rest of dinner, Allie had told him about Pearls Fields and a bit about Petra. They spent a nice evening together, with her doing most of the talking and him doing most of the grunting.

This morning, she woke up feeling free and refreshed, that newly discovered light humming in her chest. Being in control, knowing that her fire wouldn’t act without her permission anymore, made Allie’s heart somersault with joy.

With this newfound confidence and the fuel of two cups of coffee on an empty stomach, Allie entered the kitchen, hands on her hips, and made a loud demand.

“Let me help you.”

“I thought that was decided last night,” Dominic mumbled. He bent over the table, piping bag in his hands, decorating apple cider cupcakes.

“Not that. Here.” She waved her hands around, but his attention was on the buttercream swirls.

“I want more responsibility at the bakery, especially with the wedding coming up. I’m less of a fire risk now, and I promise to let you know if I feel something is off.

” That made him stop with the decorating pipe midair.

“It’s not even me helping you, it’s me doing my job,” she insisted.

Dominic straightened and focused his green gaze on her. His bun was in perfect morning condition, and he wore a black T-shirt under his apron that allowed Allie to gawk at his tattoo. He looked between her and the table a couple of times before he spoke.

“Come here.”

Allie held back the urge to skip across the kitchen. Dominic wordlessly taught her how to hold the bag by positioning his hands on it and pointing the thing at her.

“Squeeze lightly until you learn the pressure.” In a swift move that Allie might have missed if she blinked, he drew a perfect swirl on top of a cupcake. “Try it.”

She took the piping bag and held it over a fresh cupcake. Her first attempt was a failure, as she hadn’t moved fast enough, and the buttercream dripped in a big splotch.

“Quicker,” Dominic told her as he stuffed the pitiful cupcake in his mouth.

The cream didn’t drip the second time, but the swirl was tilted and uneven.

“You eat this one.” He replaced it with another cupcake, then came to stand next to her, taking hold of the bag over Allie’s hands as if he did this every morning. Dominic’s skin was warm over her fingers, and his leathery cedarwood scent filled her senses.

Allie stared at his profile, but his attention was dedicated to the pastry, positioning the icing bag in the correct spot to start the buttercream swirl.

Was she jealous of a cupcake?

Allie forced her eyes away from Dominic’s handsome face. They decorated this cupcake together, and she tried to memorize every move and the pressure he held over the piping bag. An impossible task, given her attention to said pressure was not about the bag.

“Try again,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. She wished she had his poise. But then again, he was just teaching her to decorate cupcakes. That was it.

This time, the swirl of frosting stood on top of the cupcake, more symmetrical than before. It wasn’t as perfect as Dominic’s, but it was better than the other ones.

“Keep going. I’m going to start on the croissants,” he said and rounded the table.

“But it doesn’t look like yours.”

“Yet.” Dominic turned to her, empty bowls in his hands.

“And I’m not running a bakery for the queen, Allie.

Imperfect things have a beauty of their own.

” His words echoed into her heart, making her chest feel stuffed with feathers.

Dominic was probably just talking about cupcakes, but his words meant so much to her.

“Finish those.” He jerked his head toward the five trays of cupcakes waiting on the counter.

Allie got to work. Each cupcake was less wonky than the one before, and after she decorated about thirty of them, she managed to do one that looked almost like her boss’s.

In the time it took her to finish all the cupcakes, Dominic had finished everything else needed for today.

Multiple types of bread, croissants, pies, five flavors of macarons, and two cakes of the day.

Part of them were already out cooling, while the others were still in the oven, filling the space with a savory smell that left her mouth watering.

Allie surveyed the cupcake trays, noticing how each row looked a bit better than the previous one. She sprinkled them proudly with the pumpkin spice mix Dominic had left out for her. Then she took each tray and arranged them one by one in the display case and the tiered serving tray in the front.

Their first customer was Brandon, who came to get his weekly bread order. He flashed his signature warm, wide smile, walking in with that cheery air about him.

“What’s up with the cupcakes?” he said, tilting his head to the tiered tray on the counter. Allie pouted for a moment, but Brandon’s look was kind and playful. Teasing.

“I decorated them.”

“The door’s right behind you, Brandon.” Dominic’s voice carried from the kitchen.

Brandon snickered then said, “I’ll take two.” Allie packed the two ugliest cupcakes she could find and brought his bread order from the back.

“Are you all set for the wedding this weekend?” she asked him.

“I want to say yes, but last time I did, I got a call from Harper asking me to position the chairs the other way around. For the third time. So I’m going to say, maybe.

” He shook his head, still with a smile.

“How about you? I heard they had a lot of special requests for the cake and the other sweets. Do you need a hand?”

“We’re fine, Brandon,” Dominic yelled from the back again. Allie smothered a laugh.

“Everything’s under control,” she assured him, handing over his order and putting the money in the register.

“You’re staying for the wedding, right, Allie? As a guest, after you’re done setting up for the bakery.”

Allie nodded. The girls had officially invited her yesterday during lunch, when they had mentioned that everyone working for the wedding was their guest. “Sycamore Falls is just one big family,” Tina had said, and while Allie yearned for a thread of this feeling, her time here was limited.

Not enough to become part of their family.

But she had happily accepted the invitation, which reminded her that she didn’t have a dress to wear.

“Great! Do you have a date for the wedding then?” Brandon smirked.

A blaring, clattering noise of bowls and pans followed by a string of curses carried from the kitchen through the entire bakery. Allie motioned for Brandon to wait a second while she checked on Dominic.

“Is everything all right?” Allie asked, stepping into the kitchen.

She found Dominic kneeling among an array of bowls, pans, and trays scattered on the floor.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

Allie helped gather all the items and noticed a hint of fresh anger shadowing his features. She knew better than to pry, so Allie went back to the storefront only to find it empty.

Huh.

“Allie,” Dominic called from the hallway, and she turned to face him. “I’ll be upstairs going over everything we need for the wedding prep next week. Can you handle the front?” He muttered something else that sounded like he didn’t want to be bothered.

“Of course, leave it to me.”

Dominic settled into the hallway den upstairs that served as his office.

He could still hear everything going on in the bakery downstairs if he strained to listen, but he focused on the checklist for next week.

The orders he had placed were delivered on time, and nothing was missing from the ingredients list. All that was left was for him to schedule daily tasks to ensure everything was ready on time.

No, not him. Them.

Because Allie wanted more responsibility around the bakery.

Dominic had ignored the heat that had climbed up his neck in the morning when she came in and demanded to be given more work. He shouldn’t get used to having her around, as she would return to Pearls Fields soon.

He’d have to hang the “Help Wanted” sign back up. The thought of someone else doing Allie’s job filled his heart with dread, but he tried to ignore it, too, shoving it deep, somewhere under his lungs.

In the long list of things he was trying to ignore, he added Brandon’s audacity, and told himself the kitchen mess was because he was distracted by the timer on the oven.

No other reason.

“…unavailable.” The raised tone coming from downstairs had Dom stand up from the desk and take a few steps toward the stairs.

“What do you mean he’s unavailable?” He recognized Anna’s voice, getting louder with each word. Whatever the reason, she had no right to yell at Allie. Meaning, at his employee. He took two steps down before another female voice pierced the air.

“I mean, he is not available,” Allie said in a no-nonsense tone steeped in that Witch-like sneer she never displayed.

“You can either sit down and wait for him or come back later.” There was a moment of silence before he heard Allie’s voice again.

“If you’re not ordering anything, please step aside as there is a line behind you. ”

Dominic heard stomps followed by the doorbell. He couldn’t control the half-smile that ticked his cheek up at Allie’s display of fierce protectiveness.

Fool.

What protectiveness? She was just doing her job, doing what he asked her to do. As her boss.

But Dominic could count on her. He was learning that with every day, and the dread he’d tried to bury resurfaced with the thought that maybe he shouldn’t. He should not count on her as she would be leaving, but…

He did.

The week before the wedding, Dominic was laser-focused on having everything ready for Tina and Harper.

Allie didn’t want to risk jeopardizing anything for their special day, so she took up more tasks around the bakery.

She followed Dominic’s instructions to the dot and had him taste everything she made, but he was the one to tackle the more complicated doughs and pastries.

They were so busy that Dominic even allowed Ekko to help them.

The dragon was beyond excited to be out of the boring studio, and he executed each order with adorable pride and care, making sure to stay out of their way—mostly Dominic’s—when they didn’t need anything.

Every night after dinner, disregarding her exhaustion, Allie dragged herself to the secluded area in the forest to practice her magic.

She started by focusing on the source of power in her heart, and each time she found it ready, waiting for her to pull on its threads.

The first time Allie tried to summon a flame, only tiny, colorful sparks ignited at her fingertips.

The second night, she had summoned a flame so big she was lucky it floated and landed on the river, putting itself out.

Clearly, she had to learn how to calibrate the power, but even with all the mishaps, she felt much closer to her goal.

Soon, she would be ready to prove to Lydia and her coven sisters that she had her power under control.

They would feel safe around her, and she could go back to her life.

A thought that used to bring her more hope and joy than it did now.

Mia came by one evening, three days before the wedding, when the bakery was closed. She brought a pot roast, caramelized carrots, and mashed potatoes, and the three of them had dinner together.

Allie had told them a dozen times she didn’t want to intrude. She also wanted to eat quickly and sneak out to practice because every minute counted, but the siblings had none of it.

“Can I borrow your car tomorrow? Mine’s not back from the shop,” Mia asked Dominic over dessert.

He’d made dulce de leche again because it was Mia’s favorite, but Allie still couldn’t stomach the sweetness.

So Dominic had offered her a piece of pear and lemon tart, which she hopefully devoured with poise and restraint, and not like she had never tasted a fruit tart.

“Sure,” he answered around a mouthful of tart.

“I’m going to a shop in Rocky Hills to pick a dress for the wedding. You should come with me,” Mia said, looking at Allie over the clasped hands under her chin.

“Really?” She’d rather wear jeans than visit Anna’s store again anytime soon.

“Really.” Mia chuckled. A meaningful glance passed between brother and sister, leaving Dominic narrow-eyed and Mia grinning. “It’s a date,” Mia declared, and Dominic choked on his tart.

Allie smiled at Mia and pushed a water glass to her boss, which he gulped before getting up and rounding the table. He stopped behind Mia’s chair and faked gripping his arm around her neck, but leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head.

“Bye, menace.” Allie watched his retreating broad back as he headed toward the stairs. She and Mia got up and tidied the table.

“Sometimes I don’t know if I want to shake him or squeeze him into a hug, you know?”

You and me both.