Page 78 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
“Mira, my bestie, is having another baby. That’s another new direction.”
“Yup.” He pushed the elevator button. “See? We’re due a drink or two.”
The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside. As he pushed the button for the lobby, she said, “What if I accidentally ruined your life by saying those things to you?”
“What if you saved it?”
She thought about that as they rode down to the lobby. “Okay, so there’s a fifty-fifty chance I shouldn’t feel guilty. But either way, you’re going to leave this company eventually. Then who will I commiserate with?”
“Suzanne, if you’re not careful.”
Chapter Twenty
BY TWO O’CLOCK Saturday afternoon, Drake was getting worried. He finally gave in and called Serena. She answered after the third ring.
“Hi.” She sounded like she had a mouth full of cotton.
“Hey, Supergirl. You okay? Where are you?”
“Mm-hm.Hold on.” There was a long silence. “Sorry. I was eating a doughnut.”
Why did that make him happy?Because it makes her happy, of course.
“I have to put you on speaker to talk to Abby. You won’t believe what she did. Hold on.” She put him on speakerphone and said, “Are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Okay, Abby, tell Drake what you just told me.”
“Hi, Drake. Serena and I have been talking for a few weeks now, and she’s always raving about you, how much she misses you and how happy she is when she sees you. Well, you get the picture. Anyway, I was making a new doughnut, and it reminded me of you and Serena.”
“Adoughnut?” Drake wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
“Just listen, Drake,” Serena said.
“It’s yeast-style, which means it’s puffy and light,” Abby explained. “I filled it with creamy Belgian chocolate pudding, which is sweet and rich like the beginning of a relationship. I topped it with Taza chocolate frosting, which is a little coarse but truly delicious, and made right in Somerville, Mass, which also reminded me of you two, because you’ve known each other forever. It dawned on me thatcoarse and deliciousis like the ups and downs of relationships. You know, after the blissful beginning, when real life peeks its ugly head in. And then I topped it with dark and white chocolate pearls, which are shiny and beautiful. They’re rich and scrumptious outside, but when you bite into them, they have a tiny cookie center and pack a little crunch. Like yours and Serena’s relationship, it’s heavenly, but the distance—real life—adds a bit of crunch to it. I call the doughnut Perpetual Bliss, named for you and Serena, because at the end of the day, it’s the love between you that puts that smile on her face. I hope that’s okay.”
Drake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His girl had talked about their relationship in such a way that she’d inspired a doughnut? Was there anything she couldn’t do? “Okay? It’s amazing, Abby. Thank you. I can’t wait to try them.”
“They’re delicious!” Serena said loudly, and he imagined her radiant smile and that luminous spark in her eyes. “Hold on one sec, Drake.”
He heard her thanking Abby.
She took him off speakerphone and said, “I’m leaving her shop now. I just love her! Isn’t that just the coolest thing you’ve ever heard? A doughnut named afterus.”
“Yes. Beyond cool.”Just like you.
“Sorry I didn’t call earlier,” she said. “The meeting took forever. My client’s husband was more than an hour late. Can you believe that? After she toldmenot to be late? Anyway, when we finally finished, I was starved, so I went to eat at that place we got sandwiches by the doughnut shop. And then, well, Kane’s Donuts. You know…”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”
“I’m on my way home now. I’m just going to change and then drive down. How was the tasting? Did the girls have fun? Are you out on the water?”
“The tasting was good, but everyone missed you, and yeah, we’re on the water. I miss you, babe. Call me when you take off.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you more.” He ended the call and turned to their friends. “We’ve got to move fast. She’s walking home.”
