Page 1 of Love Unwrapped
Chapter 1
Blake Mangold looked up as an older woman walked around the corner to stand just inside the bakery’s kitchen doorway. He smiled in greeting. “Hey there, Barbara, what can I do for you today?”
“Oh, now you know better than that. Call me Babs. Everyone does. I only stopped by to say thank you for agreeing to help out this year. Your donation’s going to put us over the top.” Barbara gushed as Blake rolled and filled more crescent pastries for the afternoon rush.
He didn’t need her appreciation. He wanted to be a part of helping youth in their community find their way in the world—something that hadn’t been available when he was a kid growing up in the area.
“It’s not a problem. Just a little flour, eggs, butter, and manpower.” Blake winked at the woman spearheading the donations for the teen program. The yearly Christmas Bazaar allowed local artisans to sell their wares to anyone willing to brave the crowds. For a percentage of their proceeds, Barbara organized the event and facilities for the artists and crafters. Any monies left over went to the committee’s chosen program, but Babs didn’t stop there. She attempted to get the artisans to donate more, if even one extra percent of profit, and it all went into the activities and staff needed to assist with youth programs and events.
With her outgoing personality, Babs generally got what she wanted. He could see why. She’d asked Blake to join in last year and her points had been compelling: sell holiday baked goods at the event, earn income on those while donating a small portion to a worthy cause, and spread his name out there for his new bakery. But he’d already stretched himself thin, so he’d begged off, but Manly Cakes had grown exponentially over the last year.
“You’re entirely too gorgeous to be so modest.” She waved her hand at him, and it took all his effort to hold back the blush threatening to erupt in his cheeks.
He wasn’t sure he entirely succeeded, so he kept his head down, focused on the filling the pastries.
“I also wanted to get a head count of the number of volunteers you’ll need. I know you can’t staff the whole event and donate all the ingredients and your time. That’s asking too much. We can get you volunteers to help bake…” At his scowl, she laughed. “Okay, no outsiders baking in your kitchen, got it. What would help? I can get you volunteers easily enough.” She grinned at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I have a way with people, you know.”
Blake pressed his lips together to hold in his laugh. She did at that, like the way a bulldozer had a way with a dirt pile. He placed the tray of freshly filled pastries into the oven and set the timer before wiping his hands on a towel, tossing it on his workstation, and coming over to Babs. He thought over what could help.
“Let’s go talk in the office.” He ushered her out of his kitchen, through the prep room, and to his personal office space in the back.
Once they’d settled on his couch, he said, “My assistant pastry chef has donated his time as well, so we can get everything baked and ready to go, but a few people willing to package cookies and label them for the event could be helpful. Maybe frost them, if they’re any good at it.” Wyatt agreed to work with him in whatever fashion to cover the bakery needs or get the cookies ready for the weekend event. All the cookies purchased at the event would be fresh and tasty, reflecting the mission of the bakery.
“And I’ll find volunteers to work the booth for the two days of the event. You can come and go as you need to for oversight and to greet customers and bring in more product, but I don’t want you to be tied down to the table for the duration.” Babs tilted her head, a slightly distant look in her eye, before refocusing on him. “Unless…will your girlfriend be manning the table with you?”
“Uh…no girlfriend, so volunteers would be great.” Blake nearly cringed at the twinkle in her eyes.
“Volunteers to be your girlfriend? You probably get those all the time without my help. Though, I’m pretty good at finding the right volunteer for any job. I’m up for the challenge.” Babs sat up straighter as if preparing for some particularly juicy gossip. “How much work are you overall? A fixer-upper or move-in ready?” She tapped her finger to her lips as if contemplating his needs.
Blake laughed out loud at her antics. “Volunteers for the booth, thank you very much. And I’ve heard about you. Bakeries are good places to hear local gossip. Just because I don’t spread it doesn’t mean I don’t listen. I know your reputation, little matchmaker.” He shook his finger at her. “Let’s stick to the event and help out those at-risk teens, why don’t we?”
She sobered at that. “Fine, fine. I’ll set you up with volunteers for packaging and selling, and you can be in charge of your own love life.” She harrumphed as she stood and leaned over, giving him a peck on the cheek before whispering, “For now anyway. Ta ta.” She actually twiddled her fingers at him before practically flouncing from his office.
He laughed, but couldn’t deny his concern that she’d make good on her threats to set him up. He wasn’t in the market for a date, much less a mate. He’d been focused on making Manly Cakes a success for the last two years. And he’d done it. But all his time belonged to the bakery right now.
~~~
There was nothing demure or professional for that matter about the grunted groan Andrea Wilson let fly when she looked at her inbox one last time of the day. Why had she looked? What in the world would make her do such a thing?
And what were her options at this point? She could just ignore the email from her direct supervisor until morning. That seemed reasonable enough. The airlines she worked for had been in a state of utter chaos over the last few weeks with the arrival of the holiday travel rush, but she worked more hours than required. No one would think twice about her not answering this after-hours email.
Andi lifted a hand, shutting the lid to her laptop. No one seemed to be getting much done here in the airline’s corporate office anyway. Andi shook her head, letting her long blonde hair float around her shoulders as she stopped that train of thought, worried about all the bad karma points she’d just earned with the mere insinuation of using the company’s annual chaos as a reason not to open an email with the subject line of “second notice.”
Andi lifted the lid and typed in her security code while grumbling to herself. She was the one who always did the right thing, no matter the situation. The peacemaker of the family, undeniably reliable. Andi gave herself an exaggerated eye roll, like she could have ever let herself get ten feet from this desk without opening an email from her boss. Inner moral codes sucked!
Within seconds, the email opened. Andi skipped the two-sentence instructions from her boss to take care of this matter pronto—like aprontowithout accompanying deadline was any sort of professional directive. She sighed. Time was running out to complete her mandatory community service volunteer hours.
This new initiative had started almost a year ago. She absolutely believed in volunteering, giving back to a community that had given so much to her. However, the “mandated” part made her skin crawl and her blood pressure soar. Having to have community service hours signed off on as part of her job requirement seemed less from the heart and more a...well, job requirement.
And this was why she was an attorney. Her ability to argue against something while completely supporting it boggled her own mind from time to time.
Andi did a quick reply to her boss, letting him know she’d get her community service reports in. At the same time she pushed send, her assistant, Bree, stuck her head inside her office door. “Your grandmother’s on line one. She says you aren’t answering your cell and she can’t remember your landline. Do I put her through?”
“Yes…No, tell her to give me a minute. I have to find my phone, and I’ll call her on my way out,” Andi said and immediately started patting the tops of several file folders littering her desk.
“It’s on the credenza,” her assistant said, giving one of her patient smiles. She looked back over her shoulder as the door clicked shut. Of course, it was there. Andi quickly shut down her computer, grabbed her purse and cell phone, and left her office. Almost to the elevator, she saw the three missed calls. She must have forgotten to take her phone off silent after her last meeting. Grams had no patience at all.
Tapping the call button, she stepped on to the elevator, luckily alone, and lifted her phone to her ear. It took a full four rings before her grandmother answered. “Honey, you know you worry me when you don’t answer the phone.”
