leave. Jake estimated you would only sell a quarter of what you did. Now, because of your fantastic sales on the beach this summer, we have enough money to buy the equipment we wanted for the new store.”
“New store?” Stacey repeated.
“Yes!” Rachel chimed in. “We’ve decided to open a second shop in Seaside, just ten minutes from Cannon Beach, and who’s better to help manage it than you?”
Stacey gasped. “Me? Manage a store?”
Andi nodded. “Even if we didn’t win, you showed great leadership skills tonight. When you ran into trouble, you faced it head on and came up with solutions.”
Stacey laughed. “I better restock my backpack.”
“One more thing,” Kim added. “Dave wants to know if he can run the new shop with you.”
Dave looked at her, and Stacey met his gaze and smiled. “Well, we are a team.”
“Oh, Stacey, what a great opportunity,” Trish said, coming up behind her. “I’m so jealous. I wish I could be a part of it.”
Stacey glimpsed the longing in her eyes, the same longing she had felt when she’d been the outsider looking in.
“Can she?” Stacey asked, glancing at the others.
Andi, Rachel, and Kim all bobbed their heads in unison.
“We’d love for you to be a part of it, Trish,” Andi said, giving her sister-in-law a hug. Then she crooked her finger toward the double doors of the kitchen. “You, too, Gladys. Didn’t Stacey say you worked in a bakery?”
The woman’s face beamed as she clasped her hands together, scurried forward, and joined their growing circle.
There was a disturbance by the entryway as people moved aside to allow the door to swing open.
“They’re back!” Mia called out. “The judges are back!”
Chapter Ten
----
If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves.
—Author unknown
T HE JUDGES SAT down at the table, scribbled in their notepads, and then proceeded to write on their scoring paddles.
“Please excuse the delay,” the large man with the goatee announced. “As the last round was unanimous, we decided to take a break before we announced the results of the state cupcake competition.”
“Wait a minute,” Rachel said, waving her hands for the crowd to hush. “You said the last round was unanimous, but you didn’t hold up the score.”
“No, we didn’t,” the thin, bony woman affirmed. “We were afraid it would give away the winner of the contest.”
“What does that mean?” Stacey whispered.
Andi shook her head. “I have no idea how the other shops scored. I wouldn’t know if we won no matter what scores they held up.”
Jake handed the baby back to her and took out several newspaper clippings. “The only way we’re going to win is if we get a total score of—”
Before he could finish, the goatee judge held up a ten.
Beside him, the skinny woman held up a ten.
And on the other side of her, the older woman’s expression changed, brought to life with a smile as she, too, held up a ten. “The winner of this year’s state cupcake competition is . . . Creative Cupcakes.”
Rachel gasped. “We won?”
Kim clapped her hands. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
Andi nodded. “We’re going to regionals.”
Stacey laughed as the three women handed her the blue first-place ribbon. “I’ll hang this up in the new cupcake shop.”
“We also want you to have the thousand dollar prize money,” Rachel told her.
Stacey stared at the cashier’s check they placed in her hands. “Are you sure?”
“You might need it to pay off your debt,” Kim said and motioned to the letter in Sarah’s hands.
Stacey’s aunt stepped forward, hugged her, and handed her the envelope with the Idaho postmark stamped on the front. “This came in the mail, and I opened it by accident. I thought you’d want to see it right away.”
Actually, a letter from Pam was the last thing she wanted to see at this moment. Why spoil her happy mood? But Sarah appeared insistent.
She unfolded the paper,
“New store?” Stacey repeated.
“Yes!” Rachel chimed in. “We’ve decided to open a second shop in Seaside, just ten minutes from Cannon Beach, and who’s better to help manage it than you?”
Stacey gasped. “Me? Manage a store?”
Andi nodded. “Even if we didn’t win, you showed great leadership skills tonight. When you ran into trouble, you faced it head on and came up with solutions.”
Stacey laughed. “I better restock my backpack.”
“One more thing,” Kim added. “Dave wants to know if he can run the new shop with you.”
Dave looked at her, and Stacey met his gaze and smiled. “Well, we are a team.”
“Oh, Stacey, what a great opportunity,” Trish said, coming up behind her. “I’m so jealous. I wish I could be a part of it.”
Stacey glimpsed the longing in her eyes, the same longing she had felt when she’d been the outsider looking in.
“Can she?” Stacey asked, glancing at the others.
Andi, Rachel, and Kim all bobbed their heads in unison.
“We’d love for you to be a part of it, Trish,” Andi said, giving her sister-in-law a hug. Then she crooked her finger toward the double doors of the kitchen. “You, too, Gladys. Didn’t Stacey say you worked in a bakery?”
The woman’s face beamed as she clasped her hands together, scurried forward, and joined their growing circle.
There was a disturbance by the entryway as people moved aside to allow the door to swing open.
“They’re back!” Mia called out. “The judges are back!”
Chapter Ten
----
If you want to know how much I love you, count the waves.
—Author unknown
T HE JUDGES SAT down at the table, scribbled in their notepads, and then proceeded to write on their scoring paddles.
“Please excuse the delay,” the large man with the goatee announced. “As the last round was unanimous, we decided to take a break before we announced the results of the state cupcake competition.”
“Wait a minute,” Rachel said, waving her hands for the crowd to hush. “You said the last round was unanimous, but you didn’t hold up the score.”
“No, we didn’t,” the thin, bony woman affirmed. “We were afraid it would give away the winner of the contest.”
“What does that mean?” Stacey whispered.
Andi shook her head. “I have no idea how the other shops scored. I wouldn’t know if we won no matter what scores they held up.”
Jake handed the baby back to her and took out several newspaper clippings. “The only way we’re going to win is if we get a total score of—”
Before he could finish, the goatee judge held up a ten.
Beside him, the skinny woman held up a ten.
And on the other side of her, the older woman’s expression changed, brought to life with a smile as she, too, held up a ten. “The winner of this year’s state cupcake competition is . . . Creative Cupcakes.”
Rachel gasped. “We won?”
Kim clapped her hands. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
Andi nodded. “We’re going to regionals.”
Stacey laughed as the three women handed her the blue first-place ribbon. “I’ll hang this up in the new cupcake shop.”
“We also want you to have the thousand dollar prize money,” Rachel told her.
Stacey stared at the cashier’s check they placed in her hands. “Are you sure?”
“You might need it to pay off your debt,” Kim said and motioned to the letter in Sarah’s hands.
Stacey’s aunt stepped forward, hugged her, and handed her the envelope with the Idaho postmark stamped on the front. “This came in the mail, and I opened it by accident. I thought you’d want to see it right away.”
Actually, a letter from Pam was the last thing she wanted to see at this moment. Why spoil her happy mood? But Sarah appeared insistent.
She unfolded the paper,
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