Chapter Six

“What about this one?” Allison stood next to a small desk in one of the largest antique stores in Edgeview. Sara walked over to it and looked down. The desk looked solid, but there were a few scratches on the top. Nothing that couldn't be sanded out. She didn't like the light stain either, but supposed once she sanded it she could always stain it a darker color. The size was right and she liked the design. Taking out her measuring tape from her purse, she checked that it would fit in her small office.

 

“Yes, it's perfect.” She smiled at her friend. “Now all I need is a chair.” She looked around the room. “Maybe we can find something over there.” Sara marked the desk with a yellow tag to show that the item was taken then followed Allison into a smaller room that had over a hundred old chairs.

 

It was just after lunch and so far that morning they had already found four small, round maple tables for the front eating area, and two high-top tables that matched. Then she'd stumbled upon the perfect mission-slat-backed chairs. There had even been some higher ones for the high-top tables. She'd purchased a few extra chairs and decided to make a mock waiting area for custom orders.

 

Now all they needed was an office chair for her and a small table for just inside the door where customers could place their dirty dishes and silverware.

 

“Are you really going to make breakfast sandwiches?” Allison asked as she turned a chair around to get a better look at it.

 

“That's the plan. I've got this recipe for these yummy honey bread buns that go great with eggs and ham. I'll also have bacon and turkey sausage, but I like them with ham the best.” Sara sat in a chair, trying it out, but when she leaned back, the entire chair almost fell over. Shaking her head, she got up and continued looking.

 

“What about custom cakes? Like wedding cakes? Have you done a wedding cake yet?” Allison looked eager.

 

“You're already married, silly.” She smiled at her friend.

 

“Not for me.” Allison rolled her eyes. “I spent weeks drawing my own wedding cake, but I found I just didn't have the talent for it.” Her friend smiled and pointed to a dark cherry chair, the same color she'd been thinking she would stain the desk.

 

“Oh, it's perfect.” They walked toward it, “Let's just hope it's as comfortable as it is beautiful.”

When she sat down in it, she closed her eyes and sighed. This was what she'd been thinking of. Dreaming of. This was a chair she could sit and relax in for a few minutes and do some paperwork in. She held her breath as she leaned back a little, testing the chair out. When it leaned back smoothly and stopped short of tipping her out backwards, she tried the swivel and was rewarded with a smooth ride.

“Perfection.” She smiled at her friend.

 

“Good, now we can get all this delivered and go have a cup of coffee.”

 

An hour later, they sat in Starbucks on the busy side of Edgeview. It was right by the hospital and the large windows overlooked the emergency room doors.

 

“I didn't know they'd opened this up here.” Sara frowned a little. “Didn't this used to be a gas station?”

 

Allison laughed. “Yes, but shortly before Conner was born, they opened this up. It's in a perfect location, I think.” Her friend looked out towards the hospital. “I was just here the other day.” Allison chewed her bottom lip.

 

“Oh? Is everything okay? Nothing wrong with Conner is there?”

 

“No,” Her friend shook her head and smiled. “We were getting an ultrasound.”

 

“Ultrasound? You mean…you’re pregnant?” When Allison nodded her head, Sara jumped up and hugged her.

 

“Oh, congratulations. How far? What sex? I'm asking too many questions.” She laughed.

 

“I'm fifteen weeks. According to the ultrasound and the nurse on duty, we're having a girl. But Iian keeps saying it's a boy.” She laughed as she pulled out her cell phone. “Maybe you can tell? I can never make heads or tails out of these pictures. Even the artist in me can't see anything but a blob.”

 

Sara looked at the screen and could see clearly that Iian was right. “It looks like a blob to me. A wonderful, beautiful blob. I'm so happy for you two. Does everyone know?”

 

She shook her head. “Just the family. We figured we'd tell a few people and let it get out. So feel free to spread the word.”

 

“If you wanted the word spread in Pride, all you'd have to do is mention it while shopping at Patty's.” They both laughed.

 

“How do you think we told everyone we were pregnant the first time? Megan and I talked about it while buying diapers for Sara.” They laughed.

 

“Is it true that you and Allen are an item?” Allison leaned closer over the table.

 

Sara rolled her eyes. “I knew Patty would spread that one around. I don't know what we are, but I can tell you I've never been kissed like that before.” Sara smiled, then gasped. “Oh, that reminds me. He's taking me to the Christmas party this week. I haven't even gotten a dress yet.”

 

Allison clapped her hands. “Goodie, dress shopping. I had a dress picked out, but I think I'm already too big for it.” She held her hands over her stomach and Sara could see the small bump now.

 

“What do you say we stop by Jasmine's boutique? I bet they'll have the prefect dresses for us.”

 

“Sounds great. I bought my prom dress there.”

 

“So did I.” Sara laughed.

 

By the time Allison dropped her off at home, she was exhausted. Her car had been picked up by Rusty first thing that morning with a promise he'd have it back to her by the next morning. She was dying to go into the shop, but decided to try a new cupcake recipe she'd been tossing around. Her menu was pretty much set already, but she wanted to do weekly specials. She carried her new black dress and heels up to her room then got to work in the kitchen. Her mother was sitting in her usual spot, eyes glued to the computer screen.

 

“Mom, what do you do all day on that thing?” she asked as she pulled out the pans.

 

“Internet porn.” Her mother chuckled when Sara gasped. “No, I'm just gambling your inheritance away, dear.”

 

Sara stopped and put her hands on her hips and glared at the back of her mother's head.

 

Her mother turned around and smiled at her. “If you must know…As you know, I've been running my own accounting firm for the past few years. Well, I've gotten a couple of high-paying clients and at this point, I've been contacted by a company in San Antonio. They'd like to buy me out and I'm giving it some serious thought. I'm tired of sitting in this corner, working ten hours a day.” Her mother leaned back and closed her eyes. “I want to be on a beach somewhere, with young studs handing me fruity drinks.” Sara smiled and could just picture her mother harassing the staff.

 

“You should do it.” She pulled out the butter and eggs from the refrigerator.

 

“Not yet. At least not until after Becca is taken care of.” Her mother's smile dropped a little and she turned back around and started clicking on her keyboard.

 

Sara had never really thought about the responsibilities her mother must have faced alone. She'd always thought of her mother as a flake. Never really cooking a good, healthy dinner for her or Becca. She'd never thought that the reason was she'd been too busy working to take the time out. She'd never once asked her mother what she wanted.

 

“I'm sorry, Mom.” Sara set everything down and walked over to kiss her mother's cheek. “We appreciate all that you've done for us.”

 

Her mother reached up and patted Sara's hand, which rested on her shoulder. “I love you girls. I'm so proud of you for starting this bakery. Just don't let it get in the way of life. You're still young. You should have some fun while you can.” Her mother's smile widened. “That Allen Masters looks like he could show you a good time.”

 

“Mother!” Sara pulled her hand away and turned her back on her mother. She didn't want her to see her flaming cheeks.

“What? Just because I'm old doesn’t mean I didn't see the sparks flying from his eyes when he looked at you.”

 

“Really, you make him sound like some sort of demon.” Sara laughed at the cartoon image of her and Allen, sparks and fire flying from his eye sockets when he looked at her.

 

Her mother sighed and turned back to her computer. “All I'm saying is take some time to stop and smell the roses. You'll regret not doing so when you’re my age.”

 

Her mother's statement played over and over in her mind a few days later as she balanced the large container of cupcakes, her laptop, her purse, and a steaming cup of coffee as she walked from her newly windshielded car to the front door of the bakery. Juggling everything, she unlocked the front door and knew immediately something was wrong.

 

The sound of water running caused her to set everything down and rush to the back room. Her mind raced to images of the roof leaking again. What she saw when she got there shocked her to her core: The room was destroyed and the back door was kicked in where someone had broken in.

 

Allen rubbed his eyes and took another sip of the terrible coffee. Three hours of sleep did not sit well with him. He was giving some serious thought to why he’d decided to have a dog in the first place. The drive into town was relaxing, but when he hit the outskirts of town, he noticed the police car and truck outside Sara's shop. Hitting the breaks, he pulled behind Robert's car and rushed into the building, leaving his truck running.

 

“Sara!” he called out at the door, running to where he heard voices coming from the back room. Stopping just inside the back door, he gaped at the mess.

 

There was an inch of water on the floor, most likely due to someone plugging the sink with paper towels and leaving it running. The faucet was turned off now, but the sink was still spilling over the sides. All the pans that had hung over the center workspace were tossed about, some were even dented. Her utensils were the same, some so badly, they no longer resembled what they had been. The shelves they had worked so hard putting together were tipped over and all the bins that held her flour and sugars were dumped out and causing a sticky mess in huge piles on the floor. The back door was shattered. The old wood had cracked under the weight of someone’s foot.

 

Robert looked up and held his hand up to him. “Better not step in. It's a mess in here.” He pointed to the wading boots he wore. “They clogged the drain in the floor with cardboard so it would flood. Sara, go on out front. I'll finish up here and come out in a few minutes.”

 

He stood back as Sara walked towards to him. She held herself rigid, her shoulders square, her arms crossed in front of her. Her tennis shoes were soaked as were the bottom few inches of her jeans.

 

“Are you okay?” He pulled her into the front room then engulfed her in a hug. Her face was blank, but when he held her, her shoulders slumped and he heard her sniffle. “Let it go. I'm here,” he murmured into her hair as she began to cry into his jacket.

 

He held her as she cried and when Robert walked out, Allen shook his head. He held back until Sara pulled away and wiped the remaining tears away.

 

“I think Robert wants to talk to you.”

“Why don't you have a seat.” He motioned towards her small makeshift desk and chair. She walked over and sat down, looking at her hands. Allen could tell she was embarrassed about crying in front of him and Robert, but she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath.

 

“When was the last time you were here?” Robert pulled out his paper and pencil.

 

“Yesterday morning. I met Allison here. She drove us to Edgeview were we went shopping all day. I thought about stopping by last night, but Rusty didn't have my car back until this morning.”

 

“The back door was kicked in and the lock was still engaged, so short of having an alarm system, you couldn't have done much. Does it look like anything is missing?”

 

Sara shook her head. “There was nothing of value taken. The most expensive items are my stoves and refrigerators. I didn't even have my register out of the box yet.” She pointed to the box sitting on the countertop. “They just wanted to destroy everything.”

 

Allen walked over and stood behind her and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Could this have anything to do with what happened in Seattle?” He felt her stiffen as she spun and glared at Robert.

 

“What?” He shrugged his shoulders when she just continued to glare at him. “Alright. I mentioned it the other night. I thought for sure you would have told him, after all you two are—” Robert cut his statement off when Allen glared at him.

 

“No, this has nothing to do with what happened in Seattle.” She stood and crossed her arms over her chest. “Now, if you're done in there, I have a lot of cleaning up to do.”

 

Robert nodded, but put his hand out as she started to walk by him. “I'm sorry, Sara. I shouldn't have said anything.”

She relaxed a little. “It's okay. Oh, have a cupcake on your way out. They’re right there in that box on the end of the countertop. Take one for Larry down at the station and everyone else.” She walked into the next room. When the door shut, Robert looked at him.

 

“She's pretty shaken up. I'm sure she'll come around after she settles down.”

 

He nodded and watched his friend open the box of cupcakes. His eyes opened wide when he saw how beautiful they were.

 

Robert shook his head. “How am I supposed to eat a piece of art like this?” He carefully pulled out a yellow frosted one. The frosting was piled high and Allen realized it wasn't just yellow frosting, but a yellow daisy, complete with a white face and bright yellow petals. He watched Robert pull back the paper and bite into it.

 

“A taste of springtime in the dead of winter.” Robert shook his head. “I'm going to be fat three months after she opens up. Mark my words.” He shook his head and walked out the door eating the rest of the cupcake.

 

Allen stood there for a minute looking at the door that led to the kitchen, then pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call. By the time he walked into the back room wearing his rain boots, Sara had her sleeves and her pants rolled up and was using a push broom to sweep all the water into the now unplugged drain in the middle of the floor.

 

“Go away. I don't want to talk right now.” She continued to sweep and he could see she was working the anger out.

 

“Too bad. It'll go faster with the two of us.” He walked over and picked up a trash can and the dustpan. Doing the best he could, he scooped up the soggy flour and sugar and took them out back to the dumpster in the alley. When he walked back in, he bent to scoop up the next load.

 

“Iian and Todd are on their way here. They're going to stop by the hardware store and get a new door and alarm system.” Sara stopped sweeping and gaped at him. “I know you don't want any help, but did you really think you were in this alone?”

 

After a minute, she shook her head. He watched a tear slide down her cheek. He wanted to go gather her up, but knew she wouldn't want him to. Instead, he went back to his task of cleaning up.

 

Two hours later, he finished helping Todd install her alarm system as Iian and Luke finished installing her new steel back door. Over three dozen people had stopped by offering their help. A large group of older women took charge of the rest of the cleaning so Sara could focus on weeding through her utensils, deciding which could be salvaged and which were beyond help. Three of her large pans had dents in them, but for the most part, she'd been lucky. Her knives had been thrown at the wall, leaving large holes that the Timothy crew had patched, promising they'd be back in the morning to paint over the newly fixed spots.

 

“There.” Todd dusted off his hands. “Let me show you how this works.” He walked over to the panel and Sara followed him. “It's the same system we have at the restaurant. You put in your code like this.” Todd punched in the code and there were three sharp beeps. “Now the system is armed. If anyone opens the front door or back door…” He walked over and opened the back door. Loud screeching noises came from the speakers they'd installed. Todd shut the door and hit the buttons to disarm the system. “It also calls the local PD.” He smiled. “So, as long as you don't forget your code, you're set.”

 

Sara smiled. “I can't thank you enough. Everyone. For all your help.”

 

“These cupcakes are all the thanks I need,” Todd said as he took another one from the box.