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Chapter One
Bonny
I try to make sure my little sister is occupied until we're called back. She gives me serious, large green eyes that match my own when I pause in my reading to her. She’s so sweet and I love her so much. I was fourteen when mom had her so I just kind of slipped into little momma mode and never really got out of it. Mom works too hard to have to put up with every little thing so most of the time, I take Tandy to the doctor or the dentist or whatever she needs.
She’ll start big girl school next year and I won’t have as much time with her. It breaks my heart, but I know Tandy is going to do just fine. She’s so funny and personable. Unlike me. I am painfully shy and have an anxiety attack just thinking about the idea of meeting twenty or thirty new people.
It’s why baking is such a good career choice for me. I can stay in the back and make the things people love while my friends Candy and Lilly are out front peopling. I also get to make sure I will be home in time to pick Tandy up from school every day. This new bakery/candy shop has to work because I don’t want to have to leave my mom and Tandy and go to the city to find somewhere to work.
Technically I’m still in training. I have my Certified Pastry Culinarian certification for baking, but I want to certify for more. Thankful Candy is an excellent friend and has a lot more experience than I do so she has offered to let me apprenticeunder her for a few years while I continue my education. She’s great and I love working with her and Lilly.
The little place that Candy found for our store is perfect. We’ve painted it and added new shelving and stuff. It looks awesome. There are so many good things that we can do in this town. During Halloween when we can hand out candy to the kids that come by the shop, ooh and Christmas when we can give out gingerbread boys and girls or candy canes. Not just simple peppermint ones but all sorts of flavors that will really bring joy to the kids and hopefully bring in more and more business. I can see so many opportunities and chances to offer people smiles in the shape of a lollipop or cupcake.
“When we go home can I have a cookie?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Did you eat all your lunch?” She gives me a smile and shoves me.
“You know I did. You were with me.”
I laugh with her. We had our lunch with Candy and Lilly at the shop. My friends love Tandy almost as much as I do. “Oh yeah. I’m old, I forgot.”
This makes her laugh. “You’re not old.”
“Sure. You can have one cookie after the eye doctor.”
I think about the doctor in question. He’s new in town so I'm not sure what to expect. He just took over for Doc Alden. He was sixty-eight and had trouble seeing himself which I always found kind of funny considering he was the eye doctor. I’ve not seen this new guy but a lot of the ladies at the hospital where my mom works say he’s really cute.
Mom said Ann, another nurse she works with, is trying to set her daughter up with him. Personally, I know Ann’s daughter and not to slut shame, but she’s ‘dated’ half of the town. I went to school with Susie and even in high school she slept with every teacher, football player, and bad boy she could get her hands on. Maybe all that ‘dating’ was just her trying to find out what she liked, and she didn’t really sleep with all those men. Dating doesn’t have to mean sleeping with. Although, I think she probably did, considering how she bragged about it to everyone every chance she got.
Still, I like to think she just liked the image of that type of person. Even if she wasn’t very nice to anybody, she was still probably a good person once you got to know her. Maybe. I turn my attention away from Ann and Susie and bring it back to where it needs to be. Tandy. I don’t want her to be nervous just because she has a new doctor. I’m sure he is very good at what he does. I just hope he’s good with kids. Some people aren’t. Some people just don’t like kids. I don’t really understand those people or why they can seem so mean. Those are the kinds of people who don’t eat sweet things and don’t like candy. Who doesn’t like candy? Or doughnuts?
I would just die if I didn’t have doughnuts in the morning. Those things are like a warm hug waiting to wrap doughy arms around you and offer you comfort and happiness without caring what you look like or what you did or didn’t do. Surpassed only by animals and babies in the unconditional love category.
A woman who has seen us before steps out and calls us back. She was three years ahead of me in school. Not that she would remember me since I was always so quiet and introverted. She smiles down at Tandy and goes through all of the initial procedures that have to be done before the doctor comes in.
“The doctor will be in to see you soon.”
I nod for her so she knows I heard her and turn back to Tandy. I make a funny face and she starts laughing as the woman walks out leaving us. She’s sitting in the big black chair that makes her look so small. Before I can say anything to her the door opens and in steps a man who takes my breath away.
The man has to be six-two, six-three. He’s so tall. I have to tilt my head back just to look all the way up at his face. He has stunning blue eyes that seem to pop anytime you look at them. They take in the entire room, including me. I fight the shiver that runs over me as he steps further into the room and shuts the door behind him.
“Hello,” he looks down at the chart, “Mrs. Hall.” He holds his hand out for me to shake and I start to sweat at the thought of having to touch this much hotness. Holy shit! I find myself slowly reaching out to offer him my hand. He takes it and gives it a long shake. His thumb glides up the side of my hand and I can’t fight it any longer. Like an idiot, I shiver.
“Cold?” Oh, pretzel sticks! He can tell. I nod. Latching onto his explanation of why I would be shivering. That’s a much better reason than the fact that this man oozes sexual power and I’ve never even thought about sex with a person before.
He makes a big show out of rubbing my hand with both of his to try to bring some warmth back into them. He turns to Tandy and offers her a smile. “Are you cold too, princess?”
“Nah, not really.” He finally lets go and turns to shake Tandy’s little hand. “I’m pretty comfortable right now thank you for asking.”
His eyebrows go skyward. Tandy is really something if you’ve never met her. He sits down on the stool in front of Tandy and breathes in heavily. His brows wrinkle and he takes a deeper breath.
“What is that wonderful smell?” His words make me pause and look over at him.
“That’s my sister.” Oh, honeysticks!
Chapter Two
Grayson
