Second-Chance Sweet Shop Read online

  “What if we let things unfold naturally and see where it leads us?”

  “I like that,” Sasha said, smiling.

  * * *

  Sasha walked into the barn holding on to Dwight’s arm over his suit jacket, not seeing the curious looks directed at them when she glanced around the building that was both rustic and ethereal. Strings of tiny white bulbs and gaslight-inspired chandeliers evoked a bygone era. Round tables, with seating for six, were covered with white tablecloths. Colorful Depression glasses and flatware with ornate handles were also in keeping with the designated time period. Her attention was drawn to a mahogany bar, reminiscent of those in old saloons, where several men had gathered to order their favorite libation. She estimated the barn could easily accommodate seventy-five to ninety for a catered event.

  The woman checking their names off on a printout smiled up at Dwight. “Dr. Adams, you and your date are assigned to table four.”

  He returned her smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Nicholls.”

  “What are you thinking?” Dwight asked in Sasha’s ear when they were out of earshot of the woman.

  “This is the perfect place to hold a wedding or even prom, without the alcohol, of course.”

  “I think that’s what the Gibsons were thinking about when they put up this place. Aiden said he had a long talk with his uncle about folks having to leave The Falls to have their weddings.”

  Sasha hadn’t been back long enough to know who’d planned their wedding. The exception was Nicole Campos and Fletcher Austen, who’d arranged to host their nuptials at their home. “The Gibsons are very resourceful because they’re able to provide the venue, food and alcoholic drinks.”

  The word alcohol was barely off her tongue when a waiter approached with a tray of flutes with a pale bubbly wine. “Champagne, miss?”

  She smiled. “Yes, please.”

  Dwight took the flute from the man and handed it to Sasha before taking one for himself. He touched his glass to hers. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

  “To a new beginning,” she repeated in a soft whisper. Sasha took a sip of the wine. It was delicious.

  White-jacketed waitstaff circulated with trays of canapés and hors d’oeuvres, while a young woman dressed in chef whites manned a carving station. It was Sasha’s first time attending a Wickham Falls soiree, and it was apparent it was on par with some of those she’d attended and catered. Over the years she’d heard people complain that The Falls was stuck in time, but Sasha never felt that way because the residents had always looked out for one another. They came together when someone lost their job or a family member. The church’s outreach did their part soliciting donations of food and clothes for the neediest families. And many of the businesses had survived despite the ups and downs of the nation’s economy because their motto was: live local, shop local. Members of the town council were aware of their residents’ resistance to fast-food and chain stores and consistently voted down their requests to build in The Falls.

  Dwight’s free arm went around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. “Do you want anything from the carving station?”

  Sasha smiled up at him. She was beginning to feel the effects of the champagne. “Yes. I’ll come with you.”

  She spent the remainder of the cocktail hour sampling prawns with an Asian-inspired dipping sauce, filo tartlets with spicy cilantro shrimp, mint-marinated lamb kebabs with a tahini-and-honey dip, and ginger orange pork skewers. Sasha was impressed with the gourmet selections prepared by cooks who were better known for barbecuing, grilling and smoking meat.

  Within minutes of Dwight excusing himself to speak to the mayor, Sasha saw Georgina walk in. Her friend was resplendent in a black body-hugging halter dress and her hair tucked into a twist behind her left ear. “You look fabulous,” Sasha said, as she and Georgina exchanged air-kisses.

  “That goes double for you, Sasha. I love your dress and hair.”

  “Thanks. Do you always attend this fund-raiser?”

  Georgina shook her head. “No. This is my first time. My dad always comes alone, because Mom hates these gatherings. He decided to give me his ticket because he claims it’s time I start to represent the business. And before you ask, I still haven’t said anything to them about moving out. I want to find a place and sign a lease before I tell them.”

  Sasha had no intention of offering Georgina any more advice about her family dilemma. After all, blood was thicker than water, and she did not want to be labeled an interloper. “Do you know who you are sitting with?”

  “Not yet. I’ll be at the table with folks who don’t have escorts. By the way, did you come with anyone?” Georgina asked.

  Sasha glanced over at her date, who was talking to the mayor and several members of the town council. “Dwight Adams.”

  Georgina’s jaw dropped. “You are dating Dr. Adams?”

  She curbed the urge to laugh at Georgina’s shocked expression. “Yes. Why do you look so surprised?” It was obvious her friend hadn’t heard that she and Dwight were together at the Wolf Den for Military Monday. Sasha did not want to believe her former classmate’s life was so insular that she hadn’t been aware of the goings-on outside the department store.

  “Did you know he’s one of The Falls’ most eligible bachelors? Of which we have very few,” Georgina added. “And he can’t seem to take his eyes off you.”

  Sasha glanced over her shoulder to find Dwight staring at her. A hint of a smile tilted the corners of his mouth and she returned it with one of her own. Overhead light glinted off the silver in his cropped hair, and the contrast between the shimmering strands and his mahogany complexion added to his overall masculine beauty.

  She shifted her attention to Georgina, who had a strange look on her face. “What’s the matter?”

  “You and Dr. Adams, Sasha.”

  “What about us?”

  Georgina was preempted from answering when Langston Cooper joined them. “Good evening, lovely ladies,” he drawled, extending a glass filled with an amber liquid in their direction.

  “Hello, Langston,” Sasha and Georgina chorused in unison.

  Langston took a sip of his cocktail, staring at Georgina over the rim of the old-fashioned glass. “I like what the Gibsons have set up here.”

  “We should’ve had something like this when we had prom,” Sasha said.

  “Word,” Georgina drawled. “We had the prom from hell when the hotel had a power outage and their generator malfunctioned and everyone started yelling about wanting a refund.”

  Sasha and Georgina were entertaining Langston with the events following their aborted prom when she detected the fragrance of a familiar men’s cologne; she turned to find Dwight standing a short distance away, seemingly waiting before interrupting their animated conversation. Excusing herself, she approached him.

  Dwight took her hand, threading their fingers together. “They want us to take our seats because they’re going to begin serving dinner.”

  She saw waiters filling water glasses, while a hostess was directing guests to their respective tables. Sasha ignored the stares of those following her and Dwight as he escorted her to their table. It was the second time they were seen in public together and she surmised they were curious not only why she had returned to The Falls, but also why Dwight had attended the annual fund-raiser with her rather than his mother.

  Dwight pulled out a chair, seated her, and then leaned over and pressed a kiss on her hair. Those sitting at their table, and others nearby, did not miss the tender intimate gesture of affection or Sasha’s smile or when she covered the hand resting on her shoulder.

  Chapter Eight

  Sasha felt the strong, steady beating of Dwight’s heart against her breasts as they danced the last dance of the night when the DJ played a slower love song after several upbeat tunes. She’d discovered something else about the man holding her
close: he liked to slow dance.

  A sumptuous sit-down dinner followed the cocktail hour with dining choices of excellently prepared chicken, grilled bourbon salmon and rib-eye steak. As a chef, Sasha gave the Gibsons a top grade for taste and presentation.

  “Did you enjoy your first chamber fund-raiser?” Dwight said, his mouth pressed to her ear.

  “Yes. However, they could’ve done away with the long, windy speeches from the officers of the chamber, otherwise it would’ve been perfect.” The waitstaff had been instructed not to serve the next course until after everyone stopped speaking.

  Dwight’s arm tightened around her waist as he spun her around and around. “They’ve been told for years to cut down on the number of speeches, but it looks as if everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of folks enjoying their dinner.”

  “I still enjoyed it.”

  “I enjoyed you more.”

  Sasha did not have a comeback because she believed she’d said too much during the drive over. She didn’t want Dwight to see her as a desperate divorcée prowling for her next husband.

  Sasha waited until she was seated and belted into the Jeep and Dwight had maneuvered out of the parking area to say, “I want to apologize.”

  He gave her a sidelong glance. “What for?”

  “For being overly aggressive when I told you I wanted more than friendship when you’d already established that wasn’t what you wanted.”

  Dwight stared straight ahead as he concentrated on driving. The silence inside the vehicle swelled to deafening proportions. “There’s nothing to apologize for, Sasha. I said what I did because I didn’t want you to know that I’d met a woman that had me rethinking the excuses why I didn’t want to get involved in a serious relationship. But there was something about you that proved me wrong. I’d promised myself that I would never date another woman from The Falls, and that I couldn’t commit to any permanence until Kiera left for college. And more importantly, a woman would have to accept that my daughter comes first in my life.”

  “And she should be first, Dwight. If I’d had a child, then my priority would have to be my son or daughter.” A beat passed before Sasha asked, “What did I do to make you change your mind?”

  He smiled. “Nothing. Just don’t change from being that unpretentious redheaded, freckle-faced country girl who makes incredible desserts and prefers going barefoot to wearing shoes.”

  “So, you like my freckles?”

  “Every single one of them. Especially those on your cheeks.”

  Sasha’s bubbly laugh bounced off the roof of the vehicle. “There was a time when I hated my freckles because kids used to tease me saying I had dirt on my face and other epithets referring to flies that I won’t repeat.”

  “Kids can be cruel.”

  “And they grow up to become cruel adults.”

  * * *

  Dwight registered a slight hardness in Sasha’s tone, and he wondered if she was referring to her ex-husband. Was the smiling face of the hometown girl splashed across the glossy pages of entertainment magazines all for show? Locals couldn’t stop talking about her because she’d married an A-list recording artist and was a celebrity chef to the rich and famous. The showplace mansion she shared with her husband had been featured in many of the popular architectural magazines. She had it all, and then she walked away from it all, refusing to answer reporters’ questions. She subsequently disappeared from the public until she returned to where her ancestors had put down roots many generations ago.

  He arrived at Sasha’s house and walked her to the door, not wanting the night to end although they would see each other the next day for Sunday dinner. Dwight waited for her to unlock and open the door to cradle her face in his hands. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his head and kissed her until her lips parted under his. He reluctantly ended the kiss. “Good night, sweets.”

  Sasha smiled. “Good night. And thank you for a wonderful evening.”

  “Thank you for being the perfect date. I’ll see you tomorrow for Sunday dinner.”

  “Don’t forget to bring your appetite.”

  “I won’t.”

  Dwight waited until Sasha went inside before getting back into the Jeep. He’d wanted to tell Sasha that he was tired of lying—to her and himself. He’d made up so many excuses as to why he didn’t want to get involved with her that he hadn’t been able to come up with another one. Then there was the excuse that his daughter worked for her, and he didn’t want to jeopardize Kiera’s future employment if he and Sasha split up. And last was his vow never to date another woman from Wickham Falls.

  Dwight felt as if his life was under a microscope the first time Adrienne Wheeler had agreed to go out with him. All the high school boys wanted to date her, and the girls wanted to be her. After they were spotted together at the movies, a collective groan went out through The Falls from guys who’d believed they still had a chance with the flirtatious young coed who’d been blessed with beauty and brains.

  He recalled the plans they’d made for their futures, both agreeing to becoming engaged before heading off to college. Dwight married Adrienne within days of her college graduation. They’d wanted to wait until after he finished dental school to start a family, but it was as if nature had conspired against them, because despite taking precautions, Adrienne informed him she was pregnant. Becoming parents signaled a change in what had been an uncomplicated passionate relationship. Adrienne complained incessantly that she felt as if she was slowly dying in The Falls and issued veiled hints that it wasn’t where she’d wanted to live her entire life like her parents and grandparents before her.

  He’d believed he could give Adrienne what she wanted and needed to ensure a happy marriage; however, it wasn’t until he saw her with her new husband that he had come to the realization that she truly loved her second husband in a way she could never love her first. Not only did Adrienne appear content with her life, but Dwight was happy for her; he’d made it easy for her to survive her second marriage by assuming full custody of their daughter.

  Dwight whistled a nameless tune as he headed home. He’d deliberately avoided encountering Sasha for weeks until she came to his home for Sunday dinner. That encounter changed everything when he’d invited her to accompany him to the Den for Military Monday. He thought of her as a breath of fresh air with her easygoing personality and distinctive high-pitched laugh. What he really liked about her was that what you saw was what you got. There was no pretense or hint that she was anything other than what she’d professed: a country girl down to the marrow in her bones.

  * * *

  Charlotte opened the door and Dwight handed her a large box wrapped in silver paper and black velvet ribbon. “A little something for the house.” Pinpoints of red dotted her pale cheeks, and it was obvious Sasha’s mother hadn’t counted on his bringing anything. “You can’t expect us to bring dessert, especially not when Sasha’s a pastry chef.”

  “I heard my name.”

  Dwight stared over Charlotte’s head, his eyes briefly meeting Sasha’s. Her transformation was startling from the woman wearing haute couture the night before to one in a seafoam-green surplice, cropped black slacks and matching ballet-type shoes. “I was telling your mother that there’s no way we were going to attempt to make dessert and embarrass ourselves.”

  Charlotte turned and handed Sasha the gift. “Please take this.” She peered around Dwight. “Where’s Victoria and Kiera?”

  “We’d intended to all come together, but they said they had to make a stop. They should be here shortly.”

  “I’m forgetting my manners. Please come in and rest yourself. As soon as your family gets here, we can sit down to eat. In the meanwhile, can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thanks,” Dwight said, as he followed Charlotte into the enclosed front porch and sat on an armchair.

  Stretching
out his legs, Dwight closed his eyes and crossed his feet at the ankles. A satisfying peace swept over him when he thought about the path his life had taken since his last visit to New York City. He’d loaded up the rental car with Kiera’s clothes, while she said her goodbyes to her mother, driving nonstop to Wickham Falls. His daughter was unusually quiet during the trip, and he’d suspected she was experiencing mixed emotions about leaving a city where she’d attended school and spent time with her friends. Kiera, like Adrienne, was a social butterfly, and she literally came alive in the presence of others. He’d suspected the confrontation between his daughter and her stepfather must have been quite volatile if she’d agreed to live with him in a town she referred to as lame with nothing to do.

  Dwight had to remind her that she’d learned to drive in The Falls, and once she completed her junior year and passed her driver’s test, he would get her a car. His promise had been the deal breaker. He’d taken her out in the Jeep, but Kiera claimed she preferred driving her grandmother’s compact.

  He’d voiced his concern to Victoria after Kiera was enrolled at the high school when she came home sullen and monosyllabic. Dwight knew she missed her mother, although he doubted whether she would admit it, and her friends. And it wasn’t until she began working at Sasha’s Sweet Shoppe that she’d become more animated, and talked nonstop about how she was able to convince the bakeshop’s regular customers to order the day’s special, or another pastry they were unfamiliar with.

  His cell phone chimed a familiar ringtone, and he removed it from the pocket of his slacks. “Hello, Adrienne.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me my daughter wants to be a cook?”

  Dwight rolled his eyes upward. He knew by his ex’s strident tone that the conversation was going to be less than friendly. “I didn’t have to tell you if she told you.”

  “She can’t be a cook!”

  “She wants to be a chef, and that’s very different from being a cook.”