head. “We can’t accept this—not after what I did.”
“The money is to help save the shop,” Nathaniel told them. “My new sister-in-law agrees
with you. She would have smashed cupcakes herself if she’d lost her ring in the batter. But you didn’t smash all of them. There were plenty of cupcakes
left for everyone to enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Andi said, taking the check. “But I’m afraid we’re going to need a lot
more than this to buy the building.”
“Every bit helps, ja?” he asked.
Kim nodded, and Nathaniel took both her hands and squeezed her fingers. “I also came
to say goodbye.”
Kim was afraid of that. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
“I would if I could,” Kim assured him. “But I—I can’t.”
“I’ll call you,” he promised.
Kim nodded, her stomach so tight she wondered if she’d have to make another trip to
the bushes. “Send me a postcard.”
He looked at her with an expression so intense she could barely breathe. “Goodbye,
Kimberly.”
Her eyes stung, and her entire body went rigid with dread at the thought of being
left behind again. Please don’t go. She wanted to scream the words at the top of her lungs but didn’t. How could she?
What right did she have to even ask? She couldn’t tie him down like his previous girlfriend
had tried to do.
He couldn’t stay. And she couldn’t go. Once again, it seemed history was repeating
itself, only with different players.
“Goodbye,” she said, her voice choked, and then, all at once she flung herself into
his arms, pressed her body to his, and squeezed him as hard as she could.
His arms wrapped around her, and his head dropped down over her shoulder, as if the
moment was killing him, too. Then he released her, gave her a parting grin . . . and
was gone.
T HE SPECIAL “S AVE the Shop” sale brought in a crowd. Kim suspected that Jake’s newspaper story in the Astoria Sun titled “Identity of Cupcake Bandit Revealed: Grandpa with Alzheimer’s Has Craving
for Cupcakes” had something to do with it.
Andi and Jake decided to forgo their honeymoon and sell the Hawaii vacation tickets
they’d coveted for so long.
“I’ll get to Hawaii someday,” Andi said, her face full of determination. “But buying
the building to save Creative Cupcakes is more important.”
Rachel put her jewelry box into the auction, swung her red curls over her shoulder,
and told them, “Looks aren’t everything.”
Andi gasped. “I can’t believe you, of all people, said that, Miss I Won’t Leave the
House without My Makeup.”
“Mike tells me I’m beautiful every day,” Rachel assured her. “That’s all I need.”
Mike had offered to sell off a prized miniature set model he’d worked on for a canceled
TV series, and Kim decided to auction off all the paintings adorning the walls of
the cupcake shop.
“Won’t you need them to open the art gallery with your friends?” Andi asked.
“I’ve found I like decorating cupcakes as much as I like painting,” she told her.
“And by staying with Creative Cupcakes, I can do both. Besides, we’re a team. ” She glanced at Meredith and narrowed her eyes. “Except for that one.”
Walking over to the hawk-eyed, teenage redhead, she arched a brow and announced, “Meredith,
you’re fired.”
The girl scrunched up her nose in disgust. “You can’t fire me. Andi, tell her how
valuable I am.”
Andi shook her head. “Kim is co-owner of this shop, and if she says you’re fired,
then you’re fired.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Andi continued. “Kim has a right to make her own decisions.”
“So do I,” Guy said. He walked over to Andi and handed her a check for $20,000. “I
decided I don’t need a Harley after all. My wild days on the motorcycle are behind
me, and it’s never helped me pick up chicks.”
The Romance Writers group who met in the shop on
“The money is to help save the shop,” Nathaniel told them. “My new sister-in-law agrees
with you. She would have smashed cupcakes herself if she’d lost her ring in the batter. But you didn’t smash all of them. There were plenty of cupcakes
left for everyone to enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Andi said, taking the check. “But I’m afraid we’re going to need a lot
more than this to buy the building.”
“Every bit helps, ja?” he asked.
Kim nodded, and Nathaniel took both her hands and squeezed her fingers. “I also came
to say goodbye.”
Kim was afraid of that. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
“I would if I could,” Kim assured him. “But I—I can’t.”
“I’ll call you,” he promised.
Kim nodded, her stomach so tight she wondered if she’d have to make another trip to
the bushes. “Send me a postcard.”
He looked at her with an expression so intense she could barely breathe. “Goodbye,
Kimberly.”
Her eyes stung, and her entire body went rigid with dread at the thought of being
left behind again. Please don’t go. She wanted to scream the words at the top of her lungs but didn’t. How could she?
What right did she have to even ask? She couldn’t tie him down like his previous girlfriend
had tried to do.
He couldn’t stay. And she couldn’t go. Once again, it seemed history was repeating
itself, only with different players.
“Goodbye,” she said, her voice choked, and then, all at once she flung herself into
his arms, pressed her body to his, and squeezed him as hard as she could.
His arms wrapped around her, and his head dropped down over her shoulder, as if the
moment was killing him, too. Then he released her, gave her a parting grin . . . and
was gone.
T HE SPECIAL “S AVE the Shop” sale brought in a crowd. Kim suspected that Jake’s newspaper story in the Astoria Sun titled “Identity of Cupcake Bandit Revealed: Grandpa with Alzheimer’s Has Craving
for Cupcakes” had something to do with it.
Andi and Jake decided to forgo their honeymoon and sell the Hawaii vacation tickets
they’d coveted for so long.
“I’ll get to Hawaii someday,” Andi said, her face full of determination. “But buying
the building to save Creative Cupcakes is more important.”
Rachel put her jewelry box into the auction, swung her red curls over her shoulder,
and told them, “Looks aren’t everything.”
Andi gasped. “I can’t believe you, of all people, said that, Miss I Won’t Leave the
House without My Makeup.”
“Mike tells me I’m beautiful every day,” Rachel assured her. “That’s all I need.”
Mike had offered to sell off a prized miniature set model he’d worked on for a canceled
TV series, and Kim decided to auction off all the paintings adorning the walls of
the cupcake shop.
“Won’t you need them to open the art gallery with your friends?” Andi asked.
“I’ve found I like decorating cupcakes as much as I like painting,” she told her.
“And by staying with Creative Cupcakes, I can do both. Besides, we’re a team. ” She glanced at Meredith and narrowed her eyes. “Except for that one.”
Walking over to the hawk-eyed, teenage redhead, she arched a brow and announced, “Meredith,
you’re fired.”
The girl scrunched up her nose in disgust. “You can’t fire me. Andi, tell her how
valuable I am.”
Andi shook her head. “Kim is co-owner of this shop, and if she says you’re fired,
then you’re fired.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Andi continued. “Kim has a right to make her own decisions.”
“So do I,” Guy said. He walked over to Andi and handed her a check for $20,000. “I
decided I don’t need a Harley after all. My wild days on the motorcycle are behind
me, and it’s never helped me pick up chicks.”
The Romance Writers group who met in the shop on
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