Page 105 of The Baking Games

He smiles and shakes her hand, his face turning several shades of red. “Hey, Sadie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

Life is sweet in Sweet Haven. When it came time to choose a location for my brand-new bakery, I had a choice to make. Big city, suburb, or small town? I chose small town.

Sweet Haven doesn’t have a lot going on, but it’s close enough to Savannah to draw tourists, especially if it’s being opened by the winner of The Baking Games and the woman who’s besties with Keira Donaldson. Well, she’s technically Keira Mallory now.

And we’re not besties, per se. We are in my mind, though.

When Sadie got into her dream college in Charleston, it seemed perfect for me to open the bakery right between Savannah and Charleston. Sweet Haven was a perfect fit and holds my best memories. Plus, it was nice to leave my childhood memories behind.

Sadie got her own place close to college, but I see her all the time. It’s good for us to have our own spaces.

“To the left!” Sadie yells out as the poor sign man stands on a tall ladder trying to place our new sign.

“Here?” he calls down.

“Yes! Perfect!”

Sadie is bossy, and that is especially true when it comes to my new bakery. She wants everything to be perfect.

“Let the guy off the ladder, sis. It’s fine.”

“I can’t wait for your opening next week. You totally deserve this, Sunny.”

Yep. My sister now calls me Sunny, too.

“As long as Big Thelma isn’t working here, I consider it a win,” I say, laughing.

Big Thelma didn’t take me quitting as well as I would’ve hoped. She threw a pie at me. An actual cherry pie. I left the store looking like I’d been in a horror movie, but I smiled all the way to my car.

Maggie and I talk all the time, and she rented a place in an over-55 community in Savannah. She’s playing golf and tennis, and she just met a new man who saw her on TV and fell hard for her. I love that she’s getting another shot at her own romance.

I haven’t heard from Connor, thank goodness, but I did hear from Lainey a few times. She got a job in California, working as a full-time pastry chef for a resort. It’s the perfect job for her, and she seems happy.

The most shocking thing that happened was Rhett’s mother reaching out to us. After the show was over, she called Rhett and explained that on the day of the video chat, she got called to an emergency in the ER. Turns out, she had been waiting to chat while I was on with Sadie, but had to leave before it was Rhett’s turn.

To Rhett’s surprise, his mother’s friends were very impressed with him on the show and chided her a bit for keeping him a secret. Several of them requested that he travel to Boston to cater their parties and a few weddings. Rhett declined, of course. He said he wasn’t leaving my side.

His mother met Rhett and me for lunch in New York City right after Rhett and I reconnected at the celebrity wedding. It was awkward at first, but I think she’s warming up to me. She said she might even travel to Sweet Haven after the bakery opens. Baby steps.

“I need to run to the store to get those extra shelves you wanted for the walls. Oh, and the little centerpieces for the tables. I almost forgot!”

“You go, and I’ll finish setting up the payment system if I can figure it out.”

“Be back soon!” she shouts as she runs to my car.

I stand outside and stare up at the sign. I can’t believe I did it. I went for it, and I actually got it.

My cookbook comes out next year, and I actually have a whole signing tour. People will line up to meet me. Crazy world we live in.

As I look up at the sign, I feel arms slide around me from behind. Either the mailman is getting frisky, or Rhett has arrived.

“Hello, beautiful,” he says, pressing his mouth to my neck. Shivers run in every direction.

“Hey there,” I say turning around. He plants a kiss on me that would make most women faint.

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