Page 72 of Make You Mine

“Nice, Cara,” Richard grumbled as Paige burst out laughing.

“You stole my line,” Paige said through her giggles.

“What?” Cara shrugged innocently. “They do.”

“Let’s go, Richard,” Dana said, grabbing his arm as she shot daggers at me with her eyes.

Richard nodded, covering her hand with his as he guided her towards the door. “Fine. Lunch it is.”

As they walked away, my whole body seemed to sigh. I was almost giddy with relief. This is what today should have started like. Dana had no place here anymore, and maybe now she would finally see it and let me take over.

I spent the next few hours serving cake samples and chatting with people who came in to check the place out. My family and Ren stayed with me for the duration while my sisters took turns watching Cody. Lucy was currently taking him for a walk at the dog park.

Ren smiled at me through his mouthful of cake. He leaned back against the counter, eyes shining with amusement. “You know, you’re great at this. People love chatting with you. They love your enthusiasm. And the cake is excellent.”

“It will be even better once I’m the one baking it. Although she used my recipes.” I grinned. “This is almost exactly what I wanted.”

“So, you’ll be here tomorrow?” he asked.

“No, but I’ll be here all the time once Dana is gone for good.”

Paige laughed. “Piper will do all the big orders, that’s her favorite. Like, when someone wants to spend a few grand on a cake, now they know where to go.”

“What?” His eyes grew big. “People really spend that much?”

“Yep.” My mother beamed with pride. “Piper’s cakes require architecture and sometimes smoke and lighting effects. She’s come a long way from her cupcake cart days.”

“Really?” He wrapped an arm around me, tugging me into his side. “This I have to see.”

“Oh, you will.” I arched an eyebrow, as thoughts of what I could bake to impress him entered my mind. The blueberry muffins I’d baked the other morning were child’s play compared to what I could do.

“What about the cake samples? Are they going to be a regular thing?” Eliza asked before stuffing a piece of chocolate cake into her mouth. “I’d come here every day for a tiny piece of cake.”

“The samples stay.” I grabbed a tiny piece of lemon chiffon from the tray. “The best part of a wedding is the cake. And the best part of planning is the samples—it’s what everyone talks about. Like, some of us never want to get married, right?” I joked. “Now we have a place to go.”

Ren pulled away, his smile fading at my joke. And I cursed myself for being so careless.

I needed to watch what I said, especially since I wasn't even sure I felt that way anymore. The idea of getting married again wasn’t as scary as it once was. Meeting Ren was tearing down the walls I’d built.

Chapter22

Ren

Her words stung. Was I ready to propose? No, it was way too soon for that. But I’d like to think she might say yes if I did someday, that having forever with her wasn’t impossible.

I watched her, her face still radiant despite her words that had just stabbed at my heart. I wanted to reach out and tell her that I understood that we were both recovering in our own ways, taking things one day at a time. But I swallowed those words, unsure if they would be a consolation or push her further away.

“Do you think you’ll ever want to?” Cara asked Piper, interrupting my thoughts.

Piper looked at Cara, and then at me, her eyes softening just a little. “Maybe. Someday, I might,” she said quietly, and for a moment, I felt a glimmer of hope.

The conversation drifted to other topics, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Piper’s words. I knew we had a way to go, but I believed there would be a future for us where Richard and what he put her through were no longer a factor. I just had to make her see it was possible.

Day faded into early evening, and it was time to close up. Almost everyone had trickled out, leaving me, Piper, and Cody here to finish up.

“I think this went well,” I said, looking around. Her sisters had helped us clean up; all that was needed was to set the alarm and lock up.

“I agree, and I can’t wait to get Cody home.” He was currently asleep under one of the tables.

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