Within a few days, Cal was back to his old self. A relief since his orientation at Cornell started in less than two weeks. Not that he seemed to feel any sense of urgency on that front. Getting him to pack felt like pulling teeth, so much so that Amanda started to worry he didn’t want to go.
When she finally asked him as gently and with as little judgment as possible, he rolled his eyes. “Come on, Mom. You know I want to go.”
She tried to read his face, whatever it was he wasn’t saying. “It’s not like you to drag your feet on something so important.”
He shrugged. “I mean, the college part is. But I’m not going far. Not even as far as Rochester. You can bring me whatever I forget.”
If she weren’t so relieved, she’d lay into him for assuming she’d be at his disposal. “Forty-five minutes or not, once the bakery opens, you know better than to think I’m going to play chauffeur for you.”
He grinned. “But you’re going to be coming to Ithaca to see Quinn, so you’ll already be close by.”
He had a point. And more importantly, he wasn’t getting cold feet about college. “I’m still not doing an emergency run to campus because you run out of clean underwear.”
“Mom.”
“What?” She was mostly teasing him at this point, but still.
“I have to wear my underwear between now and then.”
She laughed, not only because he was right, but because his delivery was so matter-of-fact, it made her feel silly for worrying in the first place. “Fine.”
“Besides, I need to get in all the Fortnight I can because I obviously won’t have time for games when classes start.”
“Well played, Cal. Well played. Carry on.”
She’d just left him to his own devices when her phone rang. Quinn’s face appeared on the screen, making her smile. “Hi.”
“Hello, beautiful.”
It shouldn’t make her heart flip every time Quinn called her that, but it did. “What are you up to today?”
“Calling you with good news.”
“Good news? Bakery good news? Is it done?” Amanda chuckled at the disbelief in her own voice.
“It will be. Two more days. But that’s not an estimate. I’m saying it with confidence.”
She wiggled her shoulders and hips to a nonexistent beat. “It’s a good thing we’re on the phone because I’m doing a happy dance and it isn’t pretty.”
“I think I’d prefer to be the judge of that myself. I have a feeling it’s a pretty sexy thing to behold.”
“You’re sweet. Completely wrong, but sweet.”
“I could argue with you, but I’d rather celebrate. I also wanted to give you as much notice as possible since I know you’re itching to reopen.”
She had been. She’d also been going back and forth on whether to do a party or grand reopening or anything like that. This timing was better than she’d hoped for, especially after the flooring debacle. She didn’t have major wedding or other event cakes for another two weeks.
“What? Are you really that self-conscious about your dancing?”
She laughed. “Maybe I should be, but no. My mind was racing ahead. Sorry.”
“You? Thinking twenty steps ahead? No way.”
“Okay, okay. There’s no need to poke fun.” Although, really, she didn’t mind the way Quinn teased.
“You’d rather I make fun of your dancing?”
“At least I don’t have any illusions on that front.”
“Ah. Well, in that case, I’m totally going to give you a couple of glasses of wine and try to get you to dance with me. But first, we have a bakery to reveal.”
She closed her eyes for a second and let herself be nothing but excited. “When can I see it?”
“Well, technically it’s your building. You have the keys and can go anytime.”
True. Unexpectedly deflating, but true.
“But I’d love to be there with you. How do you feel about staying away for the next couple of days and letting me pick you up for an official reveal?”
Deflation gave way to a bubble of joy. “I’d love that.”
“Oh, good. I know I didn’t do the work myself, but I feel almost as attached as you do.”
The flutter her heart did had nothing to do with the prospect of seeing the bakery, all done and put back together. “I’m really excited.”
“I hope I get an invite if there’s a party.”
Quinn couldn’t see her face, but she grinned nonetheless. “You’re at the top of the list.”
“Fantastic. I won’t keep you, but I’ll look forward to it.”
“Can’t wait.”
After ending the call, she grabbed a notebook. She didn’t start with potential party guests, but she did have about a dozen other lists to get started. At the very top of all of them? Bringing Tanya up to speed and getting her back on the clock as quickly as possible.
Not only did Tanya answer on the first ring, she was at Amanda’s doorstep in under an hour. She offered a shrug and a laugh. “What can I say? I’ve missed the place.”
Amanda pulled her into a hug. “Same.”
“I’ve missed you more, for the record, but I’ve really missed being there.”
Over the years, Tanya had become as much a fixture of Bake My Day as Amanda. Maybe more so to the average customer, since Amanda spent so much of her time in the kitchen. “Again, same.”
“All right, enough of the mushy stuff. Let’s get to work.”
Amanda chuckled, but didn’t argue. She led the way into the kitchen and poured coffee. A minute later, they sat at the table with matching notebooks, pencils poised. “Okay. You first.”
“How grand are we talking?” Tanya asked.
“Not very. I mean, we’re throwing it together in a week.”
Tanya raised a brow. “We can throw a lot together in a week.”
Amanda grinned. “Good point.”
“So, grand?”
She did love the idea of something big and loud and celebratory, with people spilling out of the bakery onto the sidewalk. Since they couldn’t serve alcohol, the cost wouldn’t be anything more than the product they gave away. And given how long she’d had her hands out of the kitchen, she had an itch to bake up a storm. “Grand.”
“Where do we start?”
“Invitations, I think. We should get something up on social media and email our existing client list.” Given the number of wedding cakes and larger orders she did in an average year, it was a big list.
“Do you want me to,” Tanya paused and made a face, “design something?”
Tanya had a pretty solid hate-hate relationship with technology. Even though she teased Tanya about it, she did her best not to inflict it on her. “I’ll enlist Julia’s help for that.”
Tanya’s eyes lit up. “Oh, she’s fantastic at that stuff.”
She was. Her artistic eye and penchant for detail had made the grand opening of Rustic Refined a smashing success. And since she’d helped with the catering for that event, she had no doubt she could rope Julia in. “How do you feel about starting on the menu?”
“Now you’re speaking my language.”
In under an hour, they’d sketched out a full menu. The sweets came easy—a smattering of their most popular items scaled down in size. The savory fare took a bit longer. Amanda had been brainstorming the lunch menu, but she couldn’t get past the feeling she was missing something. Tanya huffed. She shifted in her chair and sighed. And then she rattled off half a dozen ideas Amanda would have paid a chef to come up with.
“You’ve been holding out on me.”
Tanya sniffed. “I’ve had too much time on my hands.”
They settled on three items to be part of the party menu, but she had plans to incorporate them all into the rotating offerings. They spent a few minutes strategizing drinks and setup, then theorized how many people might actually come. With a four-hour window and an open house format, she hoped several hundred would work their way through. That might be wishful thinking since school was starting, but she’d rather over plan than under.
* * *
“Close your eyes.” Quinn didn’t expect Amanda to obey, but thought it would be cute. When she did, without hesitation or a word of protest, Quinn’s breath caught in her throat. Did Amanda have any idea the power she held?
“How long are you going to make me wait?”
Her tone was playful and her eyes remained closed, but it yanked Quinn back to the moment. “Sorry.”
Amanda chuckled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit eager.”
Amanda’s eagerness—about her bakery, when she was trying something new, in bed—was one of Quinn’s absolute favorite things about her. “You have every right to be.”
She took Amanda’s hands and led her slowly forward. “Okay, I’m going to take you up the new ramp.”
Even with her eyes closed, Amanda beamed. “I love that you made this happen.”
“I love that it was important to you.” Enough to take on the expense even though the building was old enough to qualify for an exemption.
“It will allow for strollers and walkers as much as wheelchairs. It’s a win all around.”
They moved up the ramp and to the new entrance. They’d been able to salvage both original doors and set them in a single frame to create French doors. Not only did they look great, it would make it easier for customers to come and go at the same time. Of course, Amanda had seen those already.
She stepped to the side and placed one of Amanda’s hands on the handle. “I’ll let you do the honors.”
Amanda turned the handle but didn’t immediately open her eyes. She pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold. “Now?”
“Now.” Quinn smiled and maybe held her breath.
Amanda gasped, then let out an, “Oh.”
The cases stood empty and nothing hung on the wall except the massive chalkboard Amanda wanted for the menu. Still, the new counter gleamed and the furniture had been arranged. It looked, not wholly unlike the original, but significantly different.
Amanda stepped farther inside. Her hands went to her heart, and she turned a slow circle. On the second time around, she stopped so they were face-to-face. “Quinn.”
“Do you like it?” She didn’t really need to ask. Amanda had been deeply involved in the decisions and had seen much of the work in progress. But for some reason, Quinn needed to hear the words.
Amanda did another sweep of the space. This time, when she looked back at Quinn, her eyes glistened with tears. “I love it.”
A strange mix of relief and pride spread through her. Not unheard of when she got to unveil a completed project, but this feeling was unlike anything else. Because it wasn’t the project making her heart beat erratically and her head almost dizzy. This particular feeling had nothing to do with the project and everything to do with the woman standing in front of her. “I love that you love it.”
Maybe part of her wanted to say I love you, but the timing wasn’t right. That shouldn’t get caught up and potentially confused with the emotional intensity of the day. Soon, though. The thought of it might terrify her, but she wanted—needed—Amanda to know how she felt. And, if she was being honest, she needed to know if Amanda felt the same.
“It’s so much better than I imagined. Is that silly to say, given I was here only a week ago?”
“Not at all. There’s nothing like seeing it all put together for the first time.”
Amanda took a step toward her. “It wouldn’t have happened without you.”
Despite having a healthy confidence in her work, her instinct was to deflect the compliment. To assure Amanda that the heart of the design came from her own wishes for the bakery. But the truth of the matter was the final design was so perfect because it had come from both of them. And maybe it was overkill to hang too much on that, but she didn’t care. “I could say the same about you. That’s why it’s so great. We did it together.”
Amanda nodded and smiled, even as a tear made its way down her cheek. “You’re right.”
Realizing how close she was to spilling her heart at Amanda’s feet, Quinn grabbed her hand. “Come on. I want you to see the rest.”
She led Amanda behind the counter and through the kitchen. In the new decorating space, Amanda clapped her hands in delight. They finished in the expanded eating area, complete with the hodgepodge of antique tables and the chairs they’d scouted together. “I have no words for how perfect it is.”
Quinn’s heart felt like it might not stay in the confines of her chest. “I got you a little something. A bakery warming of sorts.”
Amanda dropped her head to the side. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“But I wanted to.” She went over to where she’d tucked the package behind a table and pulled it out. “It’s nothing fancy.”
Amanda accepted the gift and gently tore the paper away. “Are these the plans?”
She didn’t usually frame project plans. It always seemed a bit egotistical. But these, complete with pencil marks and eraser smudges and Amanda’s handwritten notes, felt special. “You don’t have to hang them, but I loved how the design evolved and I thought you’d appreciate remembering the process.”
“Oh, I’m hanging it all right. I just have to decide whether to put it out here where the customers can enjoy it or in the decorating room so I can.”
Quinn’s heart melted at the statement. “I’m so glad I got to work on this with you. It’s been one of my favorite projects in a long time.”
“I’m glad, too. But I feel like I should confess something.”
“What’s that?” She tried to ignore the tiny hitch in her chest.
“The bakery isn’t my favorite part of this.” Amanda moved her hand back and forth to indicate the two of them.
“No?” She knew what Amanda meant, but like before, she wanted to hear her say it.
“No.” Amanda closed the distance between them. “You are my favorite part.”
She cleared her throat and reminded herself to keep things light. “Well, yeah, but I was afraid saying so would have been unprofessional.”
Amanda laughed. “I wouldn’t have minded.”
“Oh, good. Then you are absolutely my favorite part. Well, you, us, this whole thing.” She mimicked Amanda’s gesture.
“I’m glad we’re in agreement.”
“Total agreement.”
Amanda’s mouth came to hers. The kiss started playful but quickly turned into anything but.
“Are we running that kind of establishment now?” Tanya’s voice cut through the haze of Quinn’s thoughts.
Amanda took her time pulling away. “If you mean blissfully happy, then yes. That’s exactly the kind of establishment we’re running.”
She would have expected Amanda to be a bit more of a prude. Maybe she and Tanya were closer friends than she’d realized.
Amanda offered her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I forgot I told Tanya to come by.”
Quinn chuckled. “It’s fine. It’s your bakery after all.”
Amanda beamed. “It is. And it’s perfect.” She turned to Tanya. “What do you think?”
Tanya nodded slowly as she looked around, apparently unfazed by walking in on her boss making out with someone. “It’s so perfect. Like a whole new space, but with the same personality.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was going for.”
Tanya lifted her chin in Quinn’s direction. “Nice work.”
She got the feeling that was high praise in Tanya’s book. Even if it wasn’t, it was good enough for her. “I should probably leave you two. I hear there’s a party in a couple of days.”
Amanda winced. “We’re not going to regret that, right?”
Tanya shrugged. “When do supplies arrive?”
“Tomorrow.”
Tanya waved a hand dismissively. “We got this.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.” Since they’d already been caught making out, Quinn braved giving Amanda a kiss on the cheek before taking her leave. “Anything that doesn’t involve baking, of course.”
Tanya laughed. Quinn offered them a parting wave and let herself out. She was looking forward to the party, and to the bakery coming back to life. Even if it meant Amanda would be a hell of a lot busier. As fun as it had been to spend so much time together, she was in it for the long haul. And that meant making it work along with both their careers, family obligations, the whole nine yards. It might be weird to admit, but she was looking forward to the realness of that.
No, it wasn’t weird. It meant she was in love. And the realness managed to be both exhilarating and calming. And maybe just a tiny bit terrifying.