Just One Taste Read online

  Just One Taste

  Julia Bright

  Copyright © 2018 by Julia Bright

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Mocha Love Cake

  About the Author

  Also by Julia Bright

  One

  Jennifer pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen of Sunshine and Sparkles a little too forceful. Mia, her best employee, glanced up and rolled her eyes. No doubt Mia had heard the guy up front telling her she wasn’t good looking enough to take on a real date.

  “I swear, if another guy tells me he’s doing me a favor by asking me out, I’m gonna scream,” Jennifer grabbed a tray of sweet rolls out of the storage shelf and took them to the front.

  “He was crazy,” Mia said before Jennifer left the kitchen and headed back to the floor.

  The sun was at just the right angle it caught a splash of light from her stained-glass sign, giving her café a warm glow. She loved her small bakery and coffee shop. It took hard work and a lot of sweat-equity to get this place up and rolling. Now her bakery was a haven, her happy place.

  The door dinged, and a group of regulars came in, keeping her busy for a while. After the rush she had a few minutes to think as she wiped down tables. The chance of catching a man in this town who liked her for herself was close to zero. Sure, if she wanted to date a guy who craved free pastries, she could’ve already been on three dates this week. Ben, from her condo building, informed her last night she could have a go with him, if and only if she gave him free food. And no, it wasn’t one free treat a day, or two. He wanted multiple pastries a day, seven days a week. If he had it his way, she’d slave away, cooking for him all day long. She’d go broke with his demands.

  She felt for him. He claimed he suffered from a metabolism imbalance and had to eat thousands of calories a day just to keep from withering away to nothing. But the way he’d come at her, like he was doing her a favor, had been depressing. Maybe she couldn’t get dates, but Ben had lost her respect when he’d tried to sweeten the deal, telling her she only had to provide him with the leftovers each day and he wouldn’t complain too much. Pshh, like she had that many leftovers. She planned better than he gave her credit for. Her spreadsheet detailed daily sales for the last two years. If she happened to have too many pastries at the end of the day that would be stale in the morning, she gave them to the shelter a few blocks away. Those people needed the food more than Ben did, and they weren’t trying to bribe her with sex to get it.

  Then there was Christopher, the guy who delivered to her shop. He said he would give her a break and take her out on a date if she would lose ten pounds. There was an addendum to his offer. She could blow him in her kitchen even if she didn’t lose the weight, but no way would he date her unless she dropped the pounds. Eww, double eww. She wouldn’t have sex in her kitchen, ever. It was a work environment, not a party space.

  Today, she’d learned Mike from the electronics store next door thought she looked cute when she wore black because it made her look slim. Otherwise she was too chunky. If she smoothed out her hair, Roger who worked at the greasy spoon down the street would take her out. And if she got braces, got rid of her glasses, and wore more makeup then William, a guy who bought cookies on Friday, would go out with her…maybe, but he wasn’t sure.

  It was all too much. Everyone wanted her to change, to be someone else, to fit their mold of what they thought the perfect partner would be or look like or do for them. She needed a break or a hard-core intervention where guys were concerned.

  After a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream the night before, she’d swore off dating and guys and everything to do with anything which might lead to a kiss or even just a warm handshake after grabbing a halfway decent dinner at a fast food joint. Her situation was hopeless. Heck, she wasn’t even expecting a nice dinner because apparently, a girl like her couldn’t expect too much.

  The depression hung with her, almost seeping out, but she’d caught herself before she whined to customers. Though if Roger, or William, or any of the other guys who wanted her to change before a date walked in, she might have given them a piece of her mind along with their order.

  A heavy sigh escaped her lips. She wouldn’t be mean to any of her customers. Sunshine and Sparkles was a haven in this harsh city. She offered up a big smile alongside the muffins and scones. Her customers loved her warm attitude and came back for more. Many of them said they’d tried other shops, but always found their way back to her.

  The door to her shop opened, and she glanced up, her heart rate picking up. She didn’t want to be as bad as the guys who hit on her, so she forced the rising lust down, ignoring the tingling in her spine when he looked at her. If Brent asked her out, she’d go, no question. Well, unless he was a jerk about it, then she’d have to really think about going out with him.

  Brent had been coming to her shop for the last two months every morning after he finished his workout and before he went to work. Sometimes he changed into his slacks, other times he came in his workout clothes. Today he'd dressed up and looked mighty fine. His amazing body looked sweet in his almost too tight blue button-down shirt and dark slacks, which on another man may look okay, but on Brent they looked awesome. She had little doubt when he turned to walk out, his butt would be displayed perfectly by his pants.

  She almost had to fan herself because of the thought. Brent was seriously good looking. Like model perfect and could make her wet with just one look though he had no clue how he affected her. Her desire for him was pathetic. A man like Brent would never want her. He was fit, wealthy, and beautiful. Whereas she was frumpy and if she believed most men, pathetic.

  When she’d first met Brent, she’d thought he was an actor and asked him about it. He laughed at first then told her he wasn’t. She’d seriously questioned his sanity. He would be successful at acting, she just knew it, but he wasn't interested.

  “Good morning, Brent,” she called out as she turned to pour his usual plain black coffee. She wanted to spice it up for him, but when she’d offered her cinnamon or nutmeg coffee, he’d told her he liked it plain.

  “Hi. You’re already getting my coffee, aren’t you?” Brent’s voice was deep and rich, vibrating all the way to her toes. She could listen to him talk all day long and never tire of hearing him say things, like take off your clothes or how about another kiss?

  A harsh breath escaped her lips, and she glanced over her shoulder, glad he couldn’t read her thoughts. His lips curved up, making him look even sexier. She returned his smile then went back to pouring his coffee.

  “Yep, you always get the same thing, I know your order well.” She needed to tamp down her lust for this guy. She was being ridiculous.

  He chuckled. “I might just surprise you one day and order something different.”

  She laughed and turned to face him, setting his coffee cup on the counter. He flashed her a smile that made her heart squeeze.

  “You work out every morning, right?” She didn’t know why she was torturing herself trying to flirt with the man. Her pathetic attempts at flirting weren’t working very well. Maybe she had no idea what real flirting was. There needed to be
a class on flirting, some instructions to help her.

  The door opened and a very fit, trim, sexy woman stepped in. Brent turned, and the woman waved at him.

  “Hey Brent, good workout. I was watching from across the gym. That was some weight you were lifting.”

  “Hey Marci, it’s good to see you outside the gym.”

  She moved to stand close and gave him a small hug before she squeezed his bicep then winked. “Oh, nice muscles.”

  Brent’s cheeks went pink, and he flashed a glance at Jen before turning back to the woman. “Um, thanks.”

  “Yeah, I almost didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.” Marci turned to Jen and winked again like she had a secret she wanted to share with her. There was a kind of fakeness to this woman. “I need a tea, just plain, no milk. It’s fattening, and I can’t allow anything fattening to pass over these lips.”

  Brent flashed Jen a huge smile, making her brain buzz. This man was dangerous. He wouldn’t ever be into her, so she needed to stop thinking about him that way.

  “Would you like anything to eat?” Jen asked Marci.

  Marci turned up her nose and shook her head. “I can’t eat this stuff, not after spending so many hours working out, right Brent.”

  It almost sounded like Marci was purring Brent’s name. Jen wanted to kick her out, but that was jealousy talking. Marci was a customer and Sunshine and Sparkles employees were nice. She put the lid on Brent’s coffee and handed it to him.

  His gaze landed on her and she shivered. Was that a spark that passed between them? Marci’s phone rang, and she put her one hand on Brent’s shoulder, like they were together.

  “Gotta get this,” Marci chirped before swiping her finger to answer.

  Brent nodded then turned back to Jen. “I do work out, five days a week. Then I usually go for a jog through the park or the canyon on the weekends.”

  She could imagine him running, the wind blowing through his hair, sun kissing his tanned skin as he ran towards her with his arms open. Yikes, she was delving too deep into a fantasy world. The man wasn’t interested in someone like her. It was obvious Marci and he were together…maybe. The woman was beautiful, and they were most likely happy or would be happy. Jen tried to keep the sadness at bay as she filled a cup with water and dropped in the tea bags for Marci.

  “You sure are dedicated. Can I get you anything else? Maybe something to eat?” She wanted to take her words back after what Marci had said. Maybe she needed to develop a low fat, low calorie version of all her foods, but she already had cut unnecessary calories by changing the spices to add flavor instead of relying on old tricks that added empty calories.

  Brent took the cup of coffee and handed her a five. “No thank you. I was—”

  “Jen, could you come back here?” Mia burst out of the kitchen with frosting on her forehead and cheek. She looked a mess with wild, panicked eyes. Mia was a gem, a true artist with frosting and amazing with fondant, and normally, she was very stable. Though she was young, she’d learned much since Jen had hired her two years ago.

  “Hey Brent, have a good day. I’ll see you later.” Marci purred as she stroked his arm.

  Jen swallowed her anger and hurried through her transaction with Marci. “Here’s your tea.” She handed Marci the cup, and the woman dropped two dollars and twenty-two cents on the counter, grabbed her tea, and hurried off without Brent.

  “Here’s your change,” Jen said to Brent. She needed to go to the back and help Mia, but she didn’t turn away from the man.

  Brent took his change and dropped it in the tip jar, like always. She should tell him the huge tips were too much. He was just so nice, but his nice tips made up for the two penny tips people like Marci left.

  “Jen, I really need you,” Mia’s voice was strained, and she sounded like she was about to freak out.

  Though she wanted to spend more time looking at Brent, watching him walk out, she knew there was a big problem in the kitchen if Mia was this upset.

  “Have a good day, Brent.” Jen turned and followed Mia to the back. She froze as soon as she stepped through the doorway. The triple layer cake had tilted off axis, the top layer crumbled in a heap on the table.

  “I’m so sorry,” Mia said, her voice cracking as her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know what happened. I was working and listening to music and I guess I got a little carried away. Then I turned around to switch to a different song and this happened.” Tears streamed down Mia’s face. She wiped them away, but when she did, she spread blue frosting over her cheek. “I’ll pay for it.”

  Jen waved her hand and patted Mia on the shoulder. “Don’t be silly. This happens to everyone. One time, during a test at school, I lost the top layer of a cake. It disintegrated under my hands. It’s not your fault, it’s just what it is.”

  Mia sniffed and pointed at the disaster on the table. “But the person who wanted this is picking it up in two hours. We can’t bake a new round, get it cooled, and frosted in two hours.”

  “Were there any special requirements for this cake? Gluten-free? Vegan?”

  Mia shook her head and wiped her nose with a tissue. “Um, no.”

  “Okay, then let’s fix this.” Jen moved to the sink and washed her hands, drying them on a towel. Mia dried her hands after washing them and moved to stand beside Jen at the work table.

  “What are we going to do?” Mia asked.

  “Go grab me the chocolate cake out of the display case.”

  “Really, but it’s decorated with red frosting, not blue.”

  “We’ll scrape it and make it work.”

  Mia rushed out and Jen chuckled at how bad the cake looked. She put on gloves and started fixing the mess. The door swung open with Mia carrying the cake from the display.

  “Prop the door after you set the chocolate cake down,” Jen said.

  “I feel terrible about ruining the cake.”

  Jen gave her a steady look, hoping to convey her sincerity. “It’s okay. Seriously, cakes break apart sometimes. When it happens, we fix it.”

  Mia propped the door then turned, standing away from the table where Jen was working. “Are you sure we can fix this?”

  “Yes, and it will look fabulous. We’ll have a fixed cake, and then the other half of this one. We can decorate the short and sell it out front.”

  “I guess people do buy shorts.”

  “Of course. It’s something that isn’t too big for a lonely person to take home and pig out on because it was a long week and they have no date set up on Friday or Saturday.” Secretly, she was thinking of herself because a cake like this would be the warmest companion she could hope for.

  Jen rolled her eyes at her glum thoughts. Her life was full, and she didn’t need a man to warm her bed. She was fine with just her fingers and her imagination because at least the men in her fantasies didn’t want her to change.

  Mia chuckled and then shook her head as she donned gloves. “It could be someone with a small family who wants a short cake.”

  Jen nodded, trying to pretend like her life wasn’t pathetic. “True. It could be.”

  “You know, some people don’t want huge birthday cakes with leftovers, but what is the fun in that? Leftover birthday cake for breakfast is the best.”

  She laughed with Mia as they fixed the cake. They were done in less than thirty minutes and she left Mia in the back to fix the single layer they would sell from the case. Customers flowed in, picking up treats or buying coffee. The lady who’d ordered the triple layer cake was satisfied with their creation, never knowing it had been a total disaster not even two hours before. The ebb and flow of customers was relaxing as Jen cleaned and checked supplies.

  Jennifer headed home, leaving Mia to close the shop. She only lived a few blocks away, walking distance most days, unless she had to drive with supplies. Her grandmother left her money, and she’d bought a condo not too far from work. The space wasn’t huge, but it was just right for her.

  Usually, she l
eft the bakery earlier than she had today, but the cake issue had kept her at work. Mia was locking the door by now, closing the store. The after-school groups had come and gone, and now Hollywood belonged to the evening crowd which would rather grab a cocktail than coffee.

  The next morning, she headed into work, thinking of Brent and how nice he always looked. Of course, he was way out of her league. It seemed like anyone who wasn’t trying to use her or change her in one way or another was out of her league. Maybe she should just accept the fact her league consisted of pity dates instead of men who were interested in her as a person.

  Usually she enjoyed working dough, but this morning she felt off as she pushed around the ingredients for cinnamon bread. She had two lemon pound cakes in the oven, and a batch of cookies ready to start. Her quiches were cooked and cooling, and she had sixteen breakfast sandwiches made when the shop opened and Hollywood started to breeze in. She wasn’t too far from the Paramount lot and though they had a coffee shop on lot, she drew a sizeable crowd from their employees. They seemed to like her nutmeg coffee and her breads she’d adapted to have more flavor without adding calories.

  She made up extra cinnamon bread and froze it for days like today where someone with an early production meeting bought two full loafs on their way into the office. She would need to bake four or five loafs at home this weekend if she wanted to keep up.

  The early morning flew past, and she was surprised to look up and see Brent standing behind a group of college girls debating on the worth of eating a cookie versus just having coffee. Brent smiled and gave her a small wave. The girls settled on ordering two of her colossal cookies, both chocolate chip, and they were going to split them. She almost wanted to tell them to eat the whole cookie. Life was short and too many conditions would be placed on them throughout their lives. They should just enjoy the treat and not sweat things like calories.