Love for Dessert (Contemporary Romance) (5 page)

**

Anastasia picked out a nice shirt and black trousers for her date. Her hair was freshly washed, her makeup neatly applied and her nail polish reapplied. She was excited for her date, and had brought all the flyers with her in her bag. She headed to the coffee shop, where she was meeting Daniel.

He was already there waiting for her, and was holding two drinks. He was wearing a clean brown sweater, and looked very handsome. “Hi.” His face lit up as he spotted her walking towards him. “You look wonderful.” He handed her a cup of something hot. “I-I don’t really know what you like, but this is a vanilla latte.”

“Oh, thank you, Daniel. You’re so sweet.” She smiled warmly as he pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down gratefully. It had been a while since someone had done something like that for her, and it was nice to know that he really cared. Daniel had that look in his eyes that showed Anastasia that he really did like her, and genuinely wanted to be here with her. He was completely attentive and was interested in everything she said.

Not once did their conversation dull and stop.

As they talked, Anastasia found herself enjoying his company, but for some reason, she didn’t find herself completely attracted to him. She brushed it off as nothing, for it was probably just some emotional block she had put up or something. There was no reason to not find Daniel attractive, with his classic boyish looks and his relaxed personality.

They both left the coffeehouse happy, with hope for future dates. But Anastasia’s thoughts couldn’t linger on Daniel for too long, she had to put up those flyers. They were adorable ones, personally designed by Ariana. They were in the shape of cupcakes, and other various desserts. Anastasia had it all planned out. On their opening day, they would have free drinks, and lowered prices on all the goodies that she would be baking. Unfortunately, she didn’t have enough money in the budget to hire an extra hand, though it would truly be helpful. Ariana had offered to help, which was a godsend.

As the sun began to set, all the flyers had been put up. It had been a long day’s work, and Anastasia felt like she had walked a million miles. Anastasia smiled as she surveyed her work, standing at the end of a long road, staring at the multicolored pieces of paper firmly tacked to various objects. The final thing she had to do was to go home and research new recipes for the contest.

All too soon, as Anastasia hurried around her apartment’s kitchen, trying out new desserts, it was midnight. She still had not found the perfect recipe, and was running out of things to try. She had taste tested so many things that she felt incredibly bloated. Sighing, Anastasia piled all the dishes into the sink, to be cleaned later. She fell asleep soon after, dreaming of sugar cookies and cheesecakes.

**

Anastasia was woken up in the morning by the sound of her ringtone and the powerful vibration of her phone. She checked the caller ID, and smiled when she saw it was Daniel. “Hello?” she answered sleepily.

“Good morning, Anastasia. I hope I didn’t wake you up!”

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, stretching her arms out wide. “Ah, it’s nothing, don’t worry… What’s going on?” Anastasia ran a hand through her long flowing hair.

“Oh, nothing much, I just had a fantastic time the other day and I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner tonight. I hope you’re not sick of me already.” He laughed.

“I’d be delighted to have dinner. What did you have in mind?” She got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water to drink.

Daniel made an  “mmm”’ sound as he thought. “I was thinking my place, at seven? I’m a hell of a chef, if I do say so myself.” He sounded rather proud of himself.

“Alright, sounds good.” She gave him her address, and he promised to be there on time to pick her up. She liked a man who was punctual.

“So what’ve you got planned for the rest of the day?” he asked, genuinely interested in her.

Anastasia was just about to answer when her other line rang. It was her mother. “Oh, damn, hey, I’ll have to talk to you later, it’s my mother on the other line.” Daniel said he understood and that he would see her soon, at seven. “Hey, Mom,” Anastasia answered as Erica’s loud voice filled her ear.

“Anastasia! How’s that search for a husband going? I have good news!” Erica didn’t give Anastasia any time to reply back. “I’m getting married!” Anastasia sighed and didn’t say anything; she knew that Erica would continue speaking on her own. “To George! Isn’t he just a total sweetheart?”

“I wouldn’t know, Mom. I haven’t met him yet.” Anastasia rolled her eyes.

“Not to worry, darling, you’ll meet him very, very soon. How about tonight?” Erica was always making last-minute plans, and she always assumed Anastasia had a free schedule.

Anastasia was suddenly more grateful than ever for Daniel. She had an excuse not to spend the evening with her mom. She was very glad that her mother had a man in her life to keep her distracted.

 “Sorry, Mom, I’m busy tonight.”

Erica tut-tutted in a disapproving manner. “What do you have to do that could
possibly
be more important than your own mother?”

Anastasia knew that there was no point in lying. “I have a date.” Her mother made such a noise from the excitement that Anastasia had to pull the phone away from her ear in order not to go deaf. “Mom, is that really needed?!”

“Oh, I’m just so excited for you!” Erica answered, completely ignoring Anastasia’s question. “Can I meet him? What’s his name? Is he cute? Is he better looking than he-who-must-not-be-named?”

“Why don’t you just ask me when we’re getting married?” Anastasia responded sarcastically. “His name is Daniel and he’s a nice man, who likes me and I like him.”

“That’s lovely, honey. Alright, fine, I’ll let you off this
one
time. You have a good time with…” She paused and giggled a little. “Daniel.”

“Mooom. Are you sixteen?” Anastasia said as she laughed. “Anyway, I’ll talk to you later, for sure. I’ll call you back later. Love you!” She made a kissing noise before hanging up.

She collapsed onto the bed as she felt her phone vibrate. It was another sweet text from Daniel, letting her know that he was thinking about her, and couldn’t wait to see her tonight. Anastasia blushed as she felt delighted to have a man who adored her this much. He certainly was a catch, and she felt lucky to have caught him.

There was an email waiting for Anastasia in her inbox from the baking contest coordinators. It informed her of the venue, a quaint park, and how the contestants were to make the goods. They were to meet at two in the afternoon, and all the utensils, ovens, and basic ingredients would be prepared. All they had to bring were any special ingredients they needed. There would be a news station covering the entire event. It was a yearly tradition after all, and was a big deal.

Anastasia had lots of time to kill before her date, and she was determined to find the perfect recipe. She had already decided on making a sweet dish, but nothing she currently knew tasted or looked correct. It had to be perfect, for winning this contest could bring her a lot of success. She really needed the cash reward and having a news story done would definitely bring more customers in. Anastasia sighed as her fingers flew across her laptop’s keyboard, searching for the perfect dessert.

Half an hour later, Anastasia still couldn’t find a cake that fit exactly what she was looking for. She sighed as she sat back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling, wracking her brain for some obscure recipe she might have tucked into the very corners of her mind. She came up empty. But then, just as she was about to give up, inspiration struck. She could mix two recipes together, and create something new entirely!

Anastasia knew her best two cakes were the angel food cake, and the devil’s food cake. The last time she had made them, Ariana had eaten half of both even though she had been on a diet. If she layered the cakes and put a thick layer of icing in between… Oh, it would be delicious. Her mouth watered just thinking about it. She couldn’t wait any longer. Anastasia leapt up from her seat and into the shower as she prepared to go to the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients.

Anastasia was out on the town in half an hour, ready to go. She had texted Ariana, letting her know that she was baking Ariana’s favorite tonight. Ariana texted back with six happy faces, obviously extremely excited. As Anastasia surveyed the vegetable aisle, she noticed a man at the end checking her out. She grinned as she watched him take in her long, tanned legs that were shown off by her tight shorts and her nice ample chest. Ever since she had quit her job, she didn’t have to be confined by the office dressing rules.

As soon as Anastasia got back to her apartment, she began to bake, mixing all sorts of things together and creating amazing smells. “God damn, that smells good!” she exclaimed as she dipped a finger into the light colored batter, tasting the sweetness. “Yum.” She smiled as she stuck the pan into her oven. She was in a fantastic mood, having just found the recipe of her dreams. She would win, for sure.

A knock came at the door and Anastasia opened it gleefully. Ariana stood in the doorway with Peter, their hands entwined lovingly. “Hey, girl, I’m here for the taste testing! And I hope you don’t mind, I brought the fiancé.” They both smiled brightly. Peter Gold was an older-looking man, though he was only twenty-seven. He wasn’t incredibly attractive, though Ariana had always found there was a certain kind of charm about him.

Peter ran a hand through his jet-black hair. “Thanks for inviting us, Ana.” He was always very polite, even though they knew each other so well. “Ari tells me that you’re quite the excellent baker, but you’re very shy about it.” He winked at her as they both stepped into the apartment.

This was the first time Peter had been to the apartment since Aaron left, and it looked so different. It would be rude of him to point it out, but he could see how deeply Aaron had affected her. Anastasia happily took out half of the finished cake, beautifully placed on an intricately decorated silver cake plate.

“Damn, Ana, that looks amazing.” Ariana’s eyes gleamed as she stared at the cake. The layers were deliberately stacked in a pattern of dark and light. “What’s this cake called?” she said as she cut herself a thick slice. “And what the heck is it made of?”

“You took such a big slice without knowing what it is?” Peter laughed.

Anastasia explained. “It’s made of a devil’s food cake stacked onto an angel food cake, and then stacked again. And it’s all stuck together with chocolate and vanilla icing. I haven’t really thought of a name yet though. Just try it, let me know what you think.”

Ariana grinned. “Don’t mind if I do!” She stuck a fork into it and took a bite. Anastasia watched as her eyes lit up. “Delicious!” She fed a bite to Peter, who had an equally good response.

“If you make this for those judges, they’re really going to be impressed!” He grinned. “Also, since it’s made of angel food cake and devil’s food cake, perhaps you should call it Heaven and Hell?”

“That’s a fantastic idea, Peter, thanks so much.” Anastasia felt proud to have created her own cake, and that now it had a name. It certainly was unique, and looked good, too.

“So what’re you doing tonight? Peter and I were going to see a movie, you could come along if you’d like,” Ariana offered.

“As much as I’d love to come be a third wheel, I actually have a date tonight. He’s coming to pick me up at seven.”

“He!? Who is he? That boy I saw you talking to at the club? He’s adorable! And he didn’t look too wild. What’s his name? I want details!” Ariana reminded Anastasia of Erica, in a good way.

“He’s called Daniel, and he’s pretty cute if I do say so myself.” Anastasia smiled.

Ariana checked her watch. “It’s almost six, have you picked out what to wear yet?” she asked.

“Ari, honey, maybe we should leave, and give Anastasia time to prepare for her date,” Peter said wisely as he watched his fiancée polish off her slice of cake.

“Fine, fine,” Ariana grumbled. “Can I take some of the cake to go? Please?”

Anastasia nodded as she took out a Tupperware container. “Here you go. Have a good time at the movies!” She gave Ariana and Peter one last hug before closing the door and turned her attention onto finding something to wear.

An hour later, five minutes before the clock struck seven, Anastasia stood in front of her full-length mirror, checking herself one last time before Daniel came. She had chosen a flirty black dress and with it she matched red suede high heels. An expensive designer bag hung at her side and silver bangles jangled on her wrist.

There was another knock at the door, just as Anastasia reapplied her dark crimson lipstick. “Coming!” she called out as she walked over to the door. She pulled it open, and saw a smartly dressed Daniel, waiting for her.

“Good evening, beautiful.” His lips curved into a smile as he leaned in and gently kissed her on the cheek. “Ready to go?”

“Oh, yes, definitely.” Anastasia felt like she couldn’t stop smiling as she walked out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. Daniel wrapped a protective arm around her thin waist as they headed down the hallway. He made her laugh uncontrollably as they made their way down to his car.

Daniel’s apartment was fantastically furnished, and it was obvious that he had a knack for decorating. All the lights were dimmed romantically, and Daniel led her to the dining room, where she was pleasantly surprised by a candlelit dinner. Daniel pressed a button, and the soothing voice of Michael Bublé started.

“This is amazing, Daniel,” she murmured as he pulled out the chair for her and she sat down. “Did you do all of this by yourself? For little old me?” She grinned.

“Of course. You’re worth it.” He sat down across from her, and put his hand on hers.

She looked down at her plate, where a dinner had already been arranged artfully. A steak, cooked to perfection, mashed potatoes, creamy with bits of corn, a delicious gravy dribbled over all the food… A glass of wine stood beside the plate, and she took it in her hands. She watched as he did the same.

“Here’s to a wonderful evening.” He raised his glass and clinked it against hers.

And a wonderful evening it was.

After she finished her plate, Daniel stood up. “Want to dance?” He took her in his arms and they swayed to the music. He was a perfect gentleman and Anastasia could see herself having a future with him. But unfortunately, as Daniel leaned in to kiss her, she didn’t feel it. There was no spark, no passion. He was perfect, but just not for her.

As his lips touched hers, she felt like there was nothing. Even though he didn’t use too much tongue, nor did he slobber over her, something was still missing. She pulled away in a couple moments, and he gave her a look of concern.

“Is something wrong?” His voice was soft, and he was genuinely worried about the evening going wrong. Oh, he was so caring and it was breaking her heart.

“Daniel…” She pulled out of his arms. “Everything is perfect, but that’s the problem. I don’t feel anything between us. There’s no rush, no passion… You’re a wonderful man, Daniel. It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” She hated being so cliché, but there was nothing else that would describe how she felt. She truly liked him, but she would never grow to be in love with him.