Chapter 1
Dakota Webb stood back, hand to his chin as he studied the cake on the counter, chewing on the inside of his bottom lip. It was three tiers; did it need a fourth or would that be one too many? Was the blue of the frosting the right shade or would it look better a little bit darker? And what accent color would really make it pop? All of this ran through his head, but no immediate answers presented themselves.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
Baking was his forte, the thing he dedicated his life to, by all rights, one simple birthday cake should have been a no brainer. But for some reason it seemed to be stumping him this time, the quality somehow off. Dakota resisted the urge to throw his hands up in frustration, thinking if he stepped back he might get a different perspective.
Pale, early morning light began to spill through the windows, causing the dust motes to twinkle like unwanted glitter. Soon he’d have to open the shop and he hadn’t yet finished the order; which needed to be delivered by noon, per request.
Dakota picked up the frosting bag, only to immediately set it back down, already backtracking on his earlier thought. If he wasn’t satisfied with the results, then it wasn’t right. The whole thing was wrong. There was plenty of time to whip up an entirely new cake so he turned to the sink, twisting the handle, waiting for the water to get hot so he could clean his pans. While he waited, Dakota went to the boxes he’d left sitting on the display case.
First he dug out the leftover baked goods from the previous day, putting them off to the side under discounted prices. Once Dakota was pleased with that he got around to looking over the treats he made last night, happy to finally be able to break out his favorite spices and flavors, perfect matches for the transition into autumn. He was putting the leaf shaped sugar cookies, each one artfully decorated in vibrant reds and oranges and yellows, in the case when his watch beeped.
Time to unlock the door and flip the sign.
Dakota heard the splashing of water and turned to find the sink had overflowed, water streaming over the side and pooling on the floor.
“Crap,” he swore, racing over to shut off the tap, mindful not to slip.
Dakota sighed, looking at the newly-created mess that he just did not have time for that morning. Muttering under his breath, he reached into the full sink, sloshing about more water, to find a pan sitting squarely over the drain. He shifted it, watching as the sink began to empty. There were puddles on the counter and an accompanying one on the floor. Dakota grabbed for a towel.
Someone knocked on the door.
It was still locked. Sidestepping the mess, Dakota went to flip the lock, pulling open the door to be greeted by the concerned face of Scott Marsh, the postman.
Scott arched an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
“Let’s just say this morning has gone off with a bang.” Dakota left the door open, strolling back over to his waiting tasks. “You can leave the mail on the counter, and help yourself to a muffin. Sorry to say that I haven’t gotten the coffee started yet.”
“Where’s Ren?” Scott asked, mentioning the young lady Dakota hired a few months back.
“Family commitment. She’ll be in later.”
There came the sound of envelopes being slapped down. “Then how can I help?”
Dakota paused in swiping water into the drained sink, stealing a glance over his shoulder. Scott stood with hands on his hips, the mail bag he carried ditched in a nearby chair.
“What about your rounds?”
He shrugged. “I’m always early, gives me more time to visit with my favorite people. So…?”
Dakota thought it over, running through the mental list of things he needed to get done. The display wasn’t set up for the day and the morning regulars could arrive at any moment, wanting their Danish and muffins, and the donut holes he made, not to mention the cups of coffee. There was the rest of the mess to clean up before he slipped and fell, cracking his head open as he rushed around helping people. Plus the cake pans still needed to be washed so he could redo the birthday cake that he was quickly running out of time to finish. As much as he hated the idea of imposing on his friend, Dakota was beyond grateful for the offer of a helping hand.
“If I clean up this, do you think you can handle doling out the goods?”
Scott’s gaze flickered to the glass case with its clearly marked prices. He gave a firm nod. “I think I’ll be fine. Just let me start the coffee.”
Dakota smiled. “Thank you.” 2
As he placed the last of the heavenly smelling goodies on the shelf, Scott smiled faintly, pleased to have been of use to the man he’d been crushing on for the last six months. Sure, he had known Dakota for three years, having met the baker the first day Heavenly Delights opened, both excited at the prospect of freshly baked deliciousness and worried about his waistline—good thing he did a walking route. And though they struck up a quick friendship, it took Scott some time before he realized there was more to his morning stops at the bakery than coffee and friendly chatter.