Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1) (4 page)

Desiree touched Zora’s shoulder, speaking in a low voice, almost as if she were soothing a wayward child. “Zora, you need to calm down. You can’t let yourself get so upset.”

Zora stomped her foot. “But, she—”

Rhea eyed Desiree. “I’m going back into the cafeteria. Desiree, I’ll talk to you later.”

She entered the cafeteria. Another woman was now seated in Rhea’s vacant chair, chatting with Martin. Glancing around the cafeteria, she realized that out of the one-hundred attendees, there were only about ten males in the group. Martin was the most striking man out of the males at the retreat, which meant it wouldn’t be easy to talk to him the way Raven wanted her to.

Martin spotted Rhea. He stood and said something to the woman sitting at the table, before rushing over to her. “How about we go someplace to talk?”

Rhea nodded. “That’s a good idea.” After she spoke with Martin, she could call Raven to let her know what he’d said about their relationship. She scanned the cafeteria. Where would they go?

Martin folded his muscular arms in front of his chest, his brown eyes sparkling with warmth. Rhea swallowed, catching a whiff of his fragrant cologne. Her heart thudded while Martin touched her elbow, guiding her into the cafeteria lobby. She breathed with relief when she saw that Zora had left. They left the building, and Martin gestured down the wooded path. “There’s a jogging trail. At the end of the trail there’s a bench. Let’s go sit and finish our conversation.”

“Okay.” Her heart thudded as she followed him outside. Weak sunlight spilled onto the grounds, and ducks and geese swam on the tranquil water.

She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. They finally arrived at the spot. The wooden bench was old and splintered and it creaked beneath their weight. She sighed, closing her eyes. This was probably the most immature task she’d ever done on her sister’s behalf. If she didn’t need the loan so desperately, this whole situation might be funny. She imagined Raven’s horrified expression when she discovered Martin was not interested in her. She opened her eyes and glanced at Martin.

She could understand why Raven was physically attracted to him. A light breeze blew, ruffling the leaves on the nearby oak trees. It was so nice to be outside, away from the noisy cafeteria. The peaceful tranquility surrounded her like a ray of warm sunshine. She breathed deeply, not wanting to disturb this peaceful moment by asking Martin about his feelings toward her sister. She still had two more days – she’d ask him about Raven tomorrow.

She glanced at him again and he stared at her, before focusing on the surrounding trees. “I’m sorry for staring at you. You just looked upset and I wondered what was wrong.”

“I probably shouldn’t have come to this retreat.”

“It’s not so bad. Sunday is only a couple of days away. By then, you can go home and put this whole experience behind you.”

Sighing, she stretched her legs in front of her. “You’re right. I have to make it through this weekend. It’ll be difficult, especially since I’m rooming with Zora.”

“Why did she get mad when she saw us eating?”

“I think she has problems. She seems to be close to my other roommate, and she told her that she came to this retreat to go after you.”

“What?” He straightened up, his eyes narrowing.

“That’s what she said. How did she know that you were here if you’ve never met her before?” Perhaps he could shed some light on her confusion.

He glanced at the bay before focusing on Rhea again. “I’m one of the retreat speakers.”

“Really?” Strange. Why hadn’t Raven mentioned this? Perhaps she’d forgotten to tell her since she’d been hurt and drugged after her accident.

He nodded. “My sister Trina volunteered me for the job. Initially, I’d wanted to cancel, but the retreat director was so glad I’d accepted that I couldn’t cancel. I’m surprised you didn’t know—they have me listed on the retreat pamphlet.”

Rhea shrugged. “I haven’t seen the brochure. It’s understandable since I didn’t decide to go until last night.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“So, why did they want you to speak?”

“Since I work in the church and I’m single, they said that I could give a unique perspective about singleness in the church.”

They sat in silence for a while, the sound of crickets chanting in the late evening air. “Rhea, why do you look so sad?”

She blew air through her lips. “I’m having lots of problems. I just hope that after this weekend, everything will work out.”

“Oh?” He paused, as if giving her the opportunity to tell him about her plight. When she remained silent, he spoke. “I’m a pretty good listener.”

Should she tell him about the problems she was having with her business? A flock of birds twittered, flying through the semi-dark sky. She may as well tell him about what she was going through. Her mom always told her that talking to someone about your problems might help you gain perspective. Besides, if she talked about her bakery, it would give them something to discuss so that she could avoid talking about Raven until tomorrow. “I have a bakery. I’ve been running it successfully for two years. A few months back, a new grocery store opened in my town, Maple Grove, and they have a bakery. I’ve lost a lot of customers since the grocery store bakery offers baked goods at a lower price.” She lowered her head into her hand, the back of her skull always hurt when she worried about her bakery.

He placed his hand on her back. The warmth of his fingers penetrated her thin blouse, giving her a shred of comfort. “Are you okay?”

She sat up, leaned back onto the bench, and he dropped his hand away. The warmth from his fingers disappeared, and she winced, missing his brief, comforting touch. “Honestly, I’m not.”

He paused, staring at the bay for a few minutes. “I used to work in the food industry. I might be able to help you.”

She eyed his handsome profile, again a feeling of déjà vu rolled through her. Where had she seen Martin before? The familiar feelings consumed her, and she desperately wanted to ask if they’d previously met. Of course, if she did it would sound like she was hitting on him. Yet, she found herself attracted to Martin. The last thing she needed to complicate her messed-up life was to enhance her attraction to Martin.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m just thinking that it would take a miracle to fix my crazy life.”

“Have you prayed about it?”

Had she? She’d asked God to give her guidance about her bakery until her lips turned blue, but it hadn’t done any good. She finally answered. “Yes.”

“Maybe us meeting is an answer to your prayer.”

She shrugged. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, since I’ve worked in the food industry, I might be able to give you some tips to help you save your bakery.”

Could Martin really help her? Was he really God’s answer to prayer? She bit her lip, looking away. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t sound too convinced.”

She sighed. “With all that’s been going on in my life the last couple of years, my faith hasn’t been too strong.”

“Has anything else happened besides your bakery failing?” His deep, rich voice soothed her frazzled nerves. She sensed that she could tell Martin what was on her mind, and he’d be compassionate and caring. Her heart pounded as she glanced at his handsome profile. The sight of his chocolate brown skin and full lips made butterflies explode in her stomach.

She swallowed, relieving her suddenly dry throat. She was attracted to Martin, and was actually enjoying herself by talking to him. Stan was the last man with whom she’d felt so comfortable. She sensed that she could sit on this bench and talk to Martin all night.

She took a deep breath, understanding why Raven found Martin so attractive. Not only was he gorgeous, but he seemed nice, kind, and as if he truly cared. What woman wouldn’t want to be with a man like that? He reached toward her, but quickly pulled his hand back. He folded his hands, leaned forward, placing his hands between his bent knees. The whole movement was a split second.

Was he about to touch her, take her hand, offering comfort? Was he attracted to her, too, but felt that he needed to keep his distance since he was dating Raven? “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me what’s on your mind. I know we just met, and you don’t know me very well.”

Rhea pressed her hands together. For some reason, she wanted to tell Martin about Stan. “I’m a widow.”

He frowned and turned his head, aiming his dark eyes at her. “A widow?”

She nodded, taking a deep breath. “Yes, I don’t talk about Stan too often, but, well, I was married. My husband was killed almost two years ago and I haven’t gotten over it. I still think about him…a lot.” She lowered her voice, becoming more comfortable with Martin. “I wish he were still here with me.”

“I’m sorry. Did you want to tell me what happened?”

She looked toward the shimmering bay, shaking her head. “No, I don’t want to talk about how he died. Since his death, I’ve found some happiness in my bakery, but now I’m having problems with it.” She glanced at Martin. Her morning routine of waking early, going to her bakery, mixing ingredients to make mouth-watering treats caused her to feel good about herself. When a customer visited her bakery, complimenting her on her goods, pride swept through her. She had to save her business, somehow.

Taking a deep breath, she recalled Stan’s sister, Mary, mocking her, telling her that she’d fail at her business. There was no way she could give Mary yet another reason to dislike her. Hopefully, Mary wouldn’t dredge up the past when she went to her employment agency for her job interview on Monday. Conviction rose within her. She had to make her bakery profitable. She narrowed her eyes, her voice hardening. “I’ll do whatever I can to save my business.”

He stood, bringing an end to their conversation. “We should get together to discuss your bakery later on during the retreat.” He checked his watch. “I’d talk to you about it now, but I’m on a tight schedule. If I don’t make myself study a certain amount each day, I fall behind.”

They had to end their conversation now? Trying not to let him see her disappointment, she stood, suppressing a sigh. Perhaps they’d have more time to talk about her bakery later. She eyed Martin’s strong profile before quickly looking away. If Raven discovered that she was attracted to Martin, she’d explode with anger. “I understand.”

“I’ll walk you to your cabin.”

What if Zora was on the lookout, waiting to see if they arrived at the cabin together? She swallowed. “You don’t have to escort me to my door.”

“Oh, you don’t want me to run into your roommate?”

She nodded. They started down the wooded path. Once they’d arrived near her cabin, she stopped, pointing to the left. “My cabin is over there. I’m fine walking the rest of the way by myself.”

“I’ll watch you to make sure you get there safely. I’d be glad to eat breakfast with you in the morning.”

Her heart beat picked up. “What about Zora?”

“You worry too much.”

She frowned. If Martin had half of the problems she had, he’d worry too.

“I’m sorry, did I upset you?”

“No, I’m fine.” She waved and walked back to her cabin. She unlocked the door, glancing at the end of the path, noticing Martin still stood there, watching her as he’d promised.

She entered the room, sighing with relief. Good, Zora wasn’t there. Maybe she could relax in peace before going to bed. Desiree sat on the bed in her nightgown, reading her Bible. “Hi,” Rhea mumbled, pulling her bag of toiletries out of her suitcase.

Desiree closed her Bible, giving Rhea her full attention. “Rhea, I’m so sorry about Zora. I—”

“Where is she?”

“There’s social time until ten o’clock. It was on the schedule.”

Rhea turned toward Desiree. “I don’t have a schedule.”

She lifted a paper, offering it to her. “You can borrow mine.”

She shook her head. “No thanks.” She took a few steps toward the bathroom and stopped. She needed to have an honest discussion with Desiree about Zora. “If Zora continues acting like she has, I’m going to the retreat director. Desiree, I’m tired, I’m working through a lot of problems, and I don’t need the extra stress of having Zora target me for no reason.”

Desiree put her Bible aside. “You won’t have to worry about that anymore. She took her pills. Zora has some problems, but if she takes her medicine, she acts better. Sometimes she refuses her medication, and I don’t understand why she does that.”

She grimaced, staring directly at Desiree. “Are you her nurse?”

“Oh, my goodness, no. I’m her sister.”

“Her sister?” Desiree and Zora looked as different as night and day.

Desiree paused, chewing on her lower lip. “Well, I’m her half-sister. Zora’s problem is more aggravated in large social situations like this retreat.”

“Well, maybe she shouldn’t have come.” Rhea couldn’t resist her bitter tone.

Desiree sighed. “Look, I promise there will be no more problems from her.”

The cabin door opened, and Rhea’s cell phone buzzed at the same time. Zora strutted into the cabin, her eyes narrowed. “Are you two talking about me?”

Rhea pulled her phone from her pocket, glancing at the display. It was Raven.