kiss on her mouth, then took the little boy from her. He held him up toward the ceiling, bounced him until he got a giggle, then settled the baby on his hip.
The sight of the big man holding the baby, loving him, brought back memories of Sean doing the same with Chris. Her good mood shattered into a million pieces, as a fresh wave of emotion gathered behind her eyes. She looked down, shoved the water bottles inside the bag on the counter, then quickly brushed past Terri. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“Wait, I need to ask you something,” Terri said with a laugh.
Carrie stopped at the door, but didn’t turn back toward Terri. “What?”
“ Those cupcakes you made were amazing. Do you by chance bake wedding cakes?” Terri asked with a huffed breath. “The bride with the emergency? I need a wedding cake by Saturday morning. I have called every baker in the area, and they’re booked. It’s wedding season. She’s a basket case, and is talking about canceling her reception if she can’t find someone. I’ve paid to have waiters, tables and linens at the pavilion, scheduled the caterers and a band. That’s a lot of money lost if I can’t find a wedding cake.”
Carrie’s hand slid off the knob, and she forced herself to turn around. “What happened to her cake? Surely she had someone to do it?”
“The lady she had to make the cake is a one-woman band. The bride went with her because she was cheap. The woman broke her leg yesterday, and can’t stand long enough to do it. The bride got a refund, but that doesn’t give her a cake for the reception.”
“I’ve made two-tiered birthday cakes, and…” Carrie stopped to swallow hard. “And a three-tiered cake for my tenth anniversary party. ” Sean had invited the whole station to the party. They were on a tight budget, so Carrie had to make it herself.
“Y’all talk. Jayden ’s going to help me climb that mountain of receipts.” Joel laughed. “I need all the reinforcements I can get.” He leaned in to kiss Terri, then headed out of the kitchen.
“Can you do it then?” Terri asked hopefully. “The bride only has eight hundred dollars to work with and needs to feed about three hundred people.”
Carrie snorted. She didn’t even have to calculate in her mind. “If I had eight hundred dollars, I could make a cake that would cover a thousand people.” She was frugal, had lived that way all her adult life. The cake she’d made for a hundred and fifty at her anniversary party cost less than a hundred dollars. Seventy-three dollars to be exact.
“Whatever you don’t spend on material is yours.”
Her good mood swiftly returned. So fast in fact, Carrie felt a little lightheaded. “Really?”
“Yeah, and if it turns out well, I want to talk to you about doing cakes for other events we have out here. I need someone I can depend on. I’ll recommend you to every bride and event planner I talk to.”
Carrie staggered over to the breakfast bar and took a seat. Her knees just wouldn’t hold her up. This opportunity could be the answer to all her prayers. A new financial beginning for her and her kids. She had never even considered turning her hobby, her obsession, into a business. Wouldn’t have any idea how to do that.
But was she ready or even good enough to do that?
Her excitement faded a little, but a small tickle of it remained in her stomach. She put a hand there. “I’m not professionally trained. I’m not as good as those professional bakers who do all that with the fondant wrap icing. I use box mixes, I don’t make my cakes from scratch.”
Terri smiled. “Fake it til you make it, honey. That’s what Joel did here. He’s not a rancher, or a hotel manager, he’s an attorney, but he’s learned what he needs to know. I’m a nurse, not a wedding planner, but I’m learning too.”
Terri was right. She could learn how to do
The sight of the big man holding the baby, loving him, brought back memories of Sean doing the same with Chris. Her good mood shattered into a million pieces, as a fresh wave of emotion gathered behind her eyes. She looked down, shoved the water bottles inside the bag on the counter, then quickly brushed past Terri. “I’ll see y’all later.”
“Wait, I need to ask you something,” Terri said with a laugh.
Carrie stopped at the door, but didn’t turn back toward Terri. “What?”
“ Those cupcakes you made were amazing. Do you by chance bake wedding cakes?” Terri asked with a huffed breath. “The bride with the emergency? I need a wedding cake by Saturday morning. I have called every baker in the area, and they’re booked. It’s wedding season. She’s a basket case, and is talking about canceling her reception if she can’t find someone. I’ve paid to have waiters, tables and linens at the pavilion, scheduled the caterers and a band. That’s a lot of money lost if I can’t find a wedding cake.”
Carrie’s hand slid off the knob, and she forced herself to turn around. “What happened to her cake? Surely she had someone to do it?”
“The lady she had to make the cake is a one-woman band. The bride went with her because she was cheap. The woman broke her leg yesterday, and can’t stand long enough to do it. The bride got a refund, but that doesn’t give her a cake for the reception.”
“I’ve made two-tiered birthday cakes, and…” Carrie stopped to swallow hard. “And a three-tiered cake for my tenth anniversary party. ” Sean had invited the whole station to the party. They were on a tight budget, so Carrie had to make it herself.
“Y’all talk. Jayden ’s going to help me climb that mountain of receipts.” Joel laughed. “I need all the reinforcements I can get.” He leaned in to kiss Terri, then headed out of the kitchen.
“Can you do it then?” Terri asked hopefully. “The bride only has eight hundred dollars to work with and needs to feed about three hundred people.”
Carrie snorted. She didn’t even have to calculate in her mind. “If I had eight hundred dollars, I could make a cake that would cover a thousand people.” She was frugal, had lived that way all her adult life. The cake she’d made for a hundred and fifty at her anniversary party cost less than a hundred dollars. Seventy-three dollars to be exact.
“Whatever you don’t spend on material is yours.”
Her good mood swiftly returned. So fast in fact, Carrie felt a little lightheaded. “Really?”
“Yeah, and if it turns out well, I want to talk to you about doing cakes for other events we have out here. I need someone I can depend on. I’ll recommend you to every bride and event planner I talk to.”
Carrie staggered over to the breakfast bar and took a seat. Her knees just wouldn’t hold her up. This opportunity could be the answer to all her prayers. A new financial beginning for her and her kids. She had never even considered turning her hobby, her obsession, into a business. Wouldn’t have any idea how to do that.
But was she ready or even good enough to do that?
Her excitement faded a little, but a small tickle of it remained in her stomach. She put a hand there. “I’m not professionally trained. I’m not as good as those professional bakers who do all that with the fondant wrap icing. I use box mixes, I don’t make my cakes from scratch.”
Terri smiled. “Fake it til you make it, honey. That’s what Joel did here. He’s not a rancher, or a hotel manager, he’s an attorney, but he’s learned what he needs to know. I’m a nurse, not a wedding planner, but I’m learning too.”
Terri was right. She could learn how to do
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