Page 105 of Bayside Heat
“Didn’t you get the memo? That girl got trampled over and is missing Desiree and Rick’s wedding-cake tasting.”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here and go find her before word gets out.” He pushed to his feet and hauled her up to hers. “It’s time to celebrate new directions.”
She grabbed her things from her desk and parroted, “New directions. Desiree and Rick are starting a new direction; they’re getting married.”
“Great. Let’s celebrate their upcoming wedding.”
“Drake has a new music store, and Emery and Dean are getting married.” There were lots of reasons to celebrate, but she worried about Gavin making the wrong decision.
He grabbed her arm and headed for the elevators. “We have to get out of here before Suzanne comes back and corners us into discussing something boring.”
“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.”
“A doughnut?” 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 that coarse and delicious is 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 after us.”
