Page 15 of Her Movie Star's Secret Plan

Chapter 4

Alexis checked her calendar. She had a one o’clock appointment with a lady who wanted to come in to sample rolls for her church’s luncheon. It was one fifteen.

“Delilah, did Mrs. Jones call in to cancel her appointment?”

“I haven’t heard from her.”

“That’s weird. I’ll call her.”

Alexis picked up her phone and called the number on the calendar for Mrs. Jones. “Hi there! This is Alexis withThe Icing on Top Bake Shop. I’m calling to see if you were still planning to come in for your one o’clock appointment?”

“Oh, hi, Alexis. I’m so sorry. I forgot to call you to cancel. I went with another provider, so I’ll no longer be needing to come in to sample rolls.”

Alexis pressed her lips together in frustration. “That’s no problem, Mrs. Jones. May I ask the name of the provider you went with?”

“Oh, sure. It’s that new place in town.” Mrs. Jones hesitated like she was thinking. “Oh, dear, what’s it called?”

“Hadley’s?”

“Yes! That’s the name of the establishment.”

“I see. Well, I hope you have a lovely day, Mrs. Jones. If there’s anything else we can do to help you, please call us.”

“Thank you, dear. I will do that. Bye, bye now.”

Alexis ended the call. “I’m sure you will be calling,” she grumbled with bitter sarcasm. Another customer lost to Owen’s restaurant. She wondered why she ever liked him. He swooped into town, taking whatever he wanted, and it was like he didn’t care who he ended up hurting.

She couldn’t let it get to her. She just needed to keep working hard, keep innovating. She tried to push the unpleasant thoughts out of her head as she picked up another stack of bills to put into the computer. They went through a ridiculous amount of flour. She typed in the amount and then entered how much she’d paid for sugar.

As she worked, the unwelcome negative feelings continued to assault her. She kept trying to push the worries from her mind, but finally, she hit her breaking point. She stood up. It wasn’t helping to ignore how she felt. She needed to face the problem head-on if she wanted something to happen. And she knew exactly where to go to have the most impact. Right at the top. But she would need to make the right impression.

“Delilah.” She stepped into the kitchen, where Delilah was putting a tray of cookie dough into the oven.

“Hey, boss. What’s up?”

“I’m heading out. I need to talk to Owen Hadley.”

“What happened with Mrs. Jones?”

“She’s going to Hadley’s.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. So I’m taking this up with the man himself.”

Delilah’s eyes grew wide. “Good luck with that.”

Alexis went upstairs. She picked out her favorite mustard-yellow dress and pulled out a pair of ivory pumps. She changed and then pulled out her curling iron and makeup. She brushed out her long brown hair and curled it into soft waves before applying warm eye shadow and bright red lipstick. She wanted to look as professional as possible. She needed Owen to see her as a serious businesswoman. When she felt satisfied with her reflection, she slipped into the heels and then headed out to her car.

She drove to Hadley’s across the street first and walked in. A hostess in all black greeted her. “Welcome to Hadley’s. How many are in your party?”

“I’m not here to eat. I’m looking to speak with Owen Hadley.”

“Mr. Hadley does not offer autographs while he’s working.”

“I’m not here for that. I’m a friend. I don’t even care about his autograph. I own the bakery across the street. I’m here on business.”

“Who should I tell him is asking to speak with him?”

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