Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45218 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Several people popped their heads in to say hello and ask when she’d be open. Ellie was tickled that they were eager to try her goodies when they passed the front door while shopping. She handed out a lot of flyers advertising the grand opening specials to encourage everyone to come back.
The day flew past with the window display artists coming to paint her logo and business hours on the windows and doors. Ellie loved that everything was coming together so well. The store was just as she had envisioned.
By the end of the day, Ellie was exhausted. She waved goodbye to Tori, Sue, and Riley. Lark received a hug for stopping by during some free time to learn how to use the cash register.
“Thank you so much,” Ellie said as she stepped away from her friend.
“It’s so much fun here. People are going to flock here in droves,” Lark assured her. “You know what realtors always say…”
The two women recited together, “Location. Location. Location.”
Giggling at their silliness, the two friends turned to look out the front windows. All day long, everyone who walked past the window had stopped and pointed to the logo on the door. Just at that moment, a young boy cupped his hands around his eyes to peer inside. Ellie and Lark waved and pointed to a sign that announced the countdown. He grinned and turned to share the information with his mom.
Ellie crossed her fingers behind her back. Please, please, let Little Cakes be a huge success!
Chapter Thirteen
Bear lifted a cooled batch of cupcakes and carried them to the decorating table. These would be the first round of the new treats he had envisioned. The small, premium chocolate logos announcing Little Cakes were ready to go. He couldn’t wait to see all the pieces come together.
Glancing at the tense Little girl working nearby, he knew she was stressed. He’d let Garrett know she needed some tender loving care that night or she’d never unwind. They worked well together. They’d spent two days making sure there were enough cupcakes for practically the entire town, and the display shelves were almost full.
“Do you think we’ll have enough cupcakes for tomorrow?” Ellie asked. Her front teeth worried her bottom lip.
“If you sell all these cupcakes tomorrow, I’ll bake all night to stock you up for the next day. It’s going to be okay, Ellie. Don’t panic if you run out of some flavors. People will buy a different flavor and fall in love with that one.”
“The girls are putting together boxes for one, two, a half-dozen, and a dozen cupcakes. I hope I have enough.”
“You’re looking at this all wrong, Little girl. You want to sell out of everything. We can scramble and get more containers. You’ve already planned for more cupcakes than could fill the bakery even if they were stacked on top of each other.”
“I know I’m worrying. I want everything to go perfectly tomorrow,” Ellie said, applying a thin coat of frosting to a few cupcakes in that batch.
“Something will go wrong and that’s okay. You’ll compensate for it and learn.”
He skillfully changed the subject to distract her. “Who came up with the idea for naked cupcakes? You’ll pull all the diet conscious people in with that.”
“Daddy,” Ellie said.
Bear counted slowly, waiting for her to realize what she had just admitted.
“Oh! I mean Garrett,” she said in a rush.
Bear loved the pink blush that covered her cheeks. “You can claim him, Ellie. I know he’s sure you’re his, too.”
“How does he know so fast?” Ellie whispered.
“What does your heart say?”
“It says he’s my Daddy and I love him.”
“I think Garrett is listening to his feelings as well,” Bear confided. “Smart Daddies always do.”
The buzz of the timer on the oven interrupted their conversation. Ellie scrambled to turn it off and lift the last batch of cupcakes to the cooling rack. When she returned, Bear was pleased to see Ellie smiling as she decorated the naked cakes. Maybe he’d helped the Little girl fret about one less thing.
He couldn’t keep from grinning as her tongue darted out in concentration. His heart warmed. Garrett was a lucky man to have found his perfect Little. Bear hoped one day he would be so lucky. He knew the exact right Little was out there for him.
Garrett pulled into a space in front of Little Cakes. He strolled in to find the three new counter workers stacking to go cupcake boxes against the wall. By the look of the pile of containers and the delicious smell of the cupcakes, he knew they’d all worked hard to prepare for tomorrow.
“Hi, Ladies. I’m Garrett,” he introduced himself. Of the three women, he only knew Riley.
“Hi, Garrett. Ellie told us you might stop by some time.” Riley nodded toward the other two women. “That’s Tori and Sue. Ellie’s in the back with Bear.”