Page 7 of Always the Baker

The sound of her sniffling as she avoided my eyes caught me off guard. “You don’t have to give me any money. I really just wanted a second chance.”

I found that hard to believe. Even if she did, I was convinced she didn’t want me for me; she wanted me because of who I was in the industry.

“That’s not gonna happen,” I assured her quietly. “So this is the last time we’ll see each other then, yeah?”

I watched the range of emotions that covered her face before it hardened. With a huff, she stomped out of the room. All I could do was assume she was in agreement. If not, I’d cross that toxic ass bridge when we got there.

3

Billie

Three Days Later

Two hoursafter I left work for the day, I was sprawled across Ember’s plush couch trying to relax. I scrolled through my phone, catching up on the day’s dose of social media posts. It wasn’t something that I did often… mostly when I was bored.

“Oh shit! Ember, look at this!” I shoved the screen in her face, almost hitting her with it. A clipped grunt escaped her as she flinched and took the phone with a laugh. “Brax Adams just posted a new song teaser. His voice is like… ugh, I can’t even.” The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile as I held the phone to my chest. “His voice instantly soothes my soul. He could literally sing the ABCs to me, and I’d be content enough with life to die and go to heaven.”

Ember rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You and your crush. You know he probably has people writing those posts for him, right?”

“So? They might write the posts but it’s him and his voice in the video.”

“Mhm. Well, if he’s dropping a teaser, you’ll probably get the full song in six years. That man is on no one’s timetable when it comes to his music. I don’t know how you follow him and listen to those short clips. I be wanting more.”

“Shh, don’t ruin my fantasy,” I said, watching the video for the tenth time. Brax’s soulful brown eyes stared into the camera as he strummed his guitar. His tattoos peeked out from under his short sleeves and the top of his collar. I sighed dreamily. This man was pure perfection. I’d had a crush on him way before he became famous. Back when he was uploading horribly mixed mixtapes onto YouTube and Soundcloud, I was his biggest fan.

“Earth to Billie.” Ember waved her hand in front of my face. “You’re drooling on my throw pillow, girl.”

I sat up, feeling my cheeks rise as I smiled. “Sorry. It’s just… Look at him. He’s so talented and fine and so out of my league, but still, a girl can dream.”

Ember frowned. “Hey, none of that. You’re awesome. And talented too. Don’t act like you’ve forgotten who you are. You’re one of the most, no, you arethemost creative person I know. Whether it’s graphic design, painting and drawing, or baking bomb cakes. You’re truly that creative girl.”

I shrugged, picking at a loose thread on my jeans. “A lot of good being that girl does me here in Nowheresville, designing logos for dentists and plumbers… or cakes for my ex’s future wife.”

“Wait.” Ember lifted her hands and snickered. “I’m missing something. Run that back for me.”

Oh yeah. I hadn’t told her about Ian and Jaleesa. That had been my plan, but the more I processed what happened, the worse I felt. To know he’d gotten engaged in six months after spending three years with me left me exhausted. I knew men knew if a woman was the one regardless of if they said it or not.Three years was a long time to lead me on, but I had no one to blame but myself for sticking around.

After I told Ember about the meeting atSteeped,she sat next to me on the couch and gave me a side hug.

“I’m sorry, best friend. I can’t imagine how awkward and hard that was for you.”

“Yeah. I meant to come tell you about it, but I couldn’t even process it, you know? Like… I was literally just with him, and he’s moved on already.”

“Well, more power to them, but that does nothing to lessen yours. The right man is out there for you, and he’s going to know in six seconds how blessed he’ll be to have you.”

Ember was always great at encouraging me. Up until the breakup, my confidence didn’t need external boosts, but I was grateful for them. I gave her a deeper hug.

“Thanks, best friend. I know things will be better in the future. They just… really suck right now.”

“So why don’t you do something about it?” Ember challenged, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. “Right. I’ll just pack up and move to the big city. Memphis or Rose Valley Hills. Leave my parents with no help. Become a famous artist overnight. Bake cakes for couples by day. Find love and have babies and live happily ever after.”

“Well, maybe not overnight…” Ember trailed off. The mischievous glint in her eye made me skeptical.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What are you plotting?”

She grinned, reaching for her laptop. “Nothing drastic. Just a little adventure.”

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