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1
ALEXIS
The little bell above the door jingles constantly, never getting a moment’s rest as customer after customer pushes through. The sweet smells of freshly baked bread and sugar glazes hang heavily in the air, whetting every appetite that passes by the bakery’s windows.
Today was Half Off a Dozen Donuts Day, so the line snaked from the front counter, around the glass display case, and out the door. I watch as customers clamor by the display case, thrusting their fingers toward the remaining donuts.
Behind the counter, there’s organized chaos. Store employees in their pink and white striped aprons and white hats pull tray after tray of golden donuts from the back, their enticing aroma wafting through the store.
“One dozen chocolate glazed donuts!” a customer barks at me, ignoring my polite ‘good morning’.
Okay, then.
My fingers fly across the register as I ring up the customer’s order while Julia, a co-worker, hurriedly stuffs the donuts into a pink and white box embossed with the bakery’s name, Cake My Day, in cursive font.
Even though the morning rush is hectic and the customers are rude, nothing can bring down my mood. Today marks five years since Mark and I started dating.
Five years. I can’t believe it.
I wonder what Mark has planned for us. When I saw him yesterday, he acted like he had no idea what today was, but I know he’s just teasing me. He’s probably planning a huge surprise. Maybe he’s going to take me to that new Italian restaurant that just opened up. I’ve been hinting about wanting to go there for weeks.
I can’t fight the grin on my face as I imagine how the food will taste and how romantic the evening will be. Even though Mark isn’t the romantic type, I just know he will be tonight. It’s not everyday you reach half a decade with someone!
The hours fly by, and before I know it, my shift is nearly at an end and the bakery isn’t as busy anymore.
“Are you excited, Alexis?” Julia asks me as we scrub the counters. “You’ve been staring at the clock all morning.”
“Of course she’s excited,” Daniela calls as she brings out another tray of warm croissants, her round face shiny from the heat of the ovens. “Her boyfriend is most likely going to propose. Our girl’s about to be engaged!”
Julia cheers, and my face warms as I continue to scrub the counter. It’s nice to be supported by my co-workers.
I really do hope Mark proposes. I mean, it’s been five years so it’s only natural that I expect it, right? Plus, it would finally give me a real family, and that’s been my one wish ever since my mom died when I was six years old. I don’t even remember my father, and the authorities were never able to find him, so I was placed in the foster care system.
After bouncing from house to house, Dennis and Suzanne Carter allowed me into their home when I was eight, and I stayed in their house for the rest of my time in foster care. When I turned eighteen, I was terrified they would kick me out, but Dennis and Suzanne (they never allowed me to call them Mom and Dad) allowed me to stay in their home, as long as I cooked and cleaned for them.
“You don’t know how to take care of yourself, Alexis,” Suzanne would tell me. “Besides, we’re the only people who can keep you safe. Do you want the bad men to come and get you again?”
I shiver as I scrub the already clean counter harder. When I was eight years old, I ran away from a particularly horrible foster family. After a few days on the streets, I was nearly kidnapped by a group of men. As they dragged me kicking and screaming to their van, Dennis Carter saved me after he witnessed the event.
I’ve been with the Carters ever since. Although they aren’t the best, they keep a roof over my head and allow me to eat their food, so I’m grateful.
Besides, I owe them. Dennis and Suzanne frequently remind me how much it has cost them to raise and house me, so I won’t leave their house until I’ve paid off my debt. By my calculations, that won’t be for another five to six years if I decide to start giving them my entire paycheck. Ten years if I continue giving them half.
“You trying to scrub a hole into that counter?”
Gasping, I look up into the face of the most handsome customer I’ve ever seen.
His thick, tousled black hair frames an intensely chiseled face with high cheekbones, and a strong jawline dusted with stubble draws admiring glances. But it is his smoldering dark eyes that truly captivate, their brooding depths hinting at passions beneath his composed exterior.
He smirks at me, a dimple appearing in his right cheek, and I feel my knees weaken. Even standing still, an aura of powerful charisma seems to emanate from him.
“Oh! Uh.” My face reddens as I look down at the rag in my hands. “I have to make sure the surfaces are clean. Can’t be too careful with all the germs flying around. I don’t want this to be called ‘Cake My Day and Go To The Hospital Bakery’.”
Oh, God, that was so bad. I want to melt into the floor.
His chuckle is low and velvety, a seductive rumble that sends tingles down my spine.
“Well, I’m glad this bakery has you here to do the health inspector’s job,” he says. “But can I have a dozen glazed donuts and a coffee?”
