Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) (20 page)

Chapter 29

Thank goodness Nate’s funeral was over! Misty changed out of her black dress and then she dressed Jennifer into a cute pink shorts outfit. Her mom was in the kitchen, getting ready to bake a cake. Her mom always baked when she was stressed.

The funeral had been long since most of Nate’s extended family had words to say. They’d urged Misty to come forward and share about her relationship with Nate. She had not wanted to speak so publicly about the time she’d spent with Nate – especially with the way things had ended between them. However, when she saw how much it meant to Nate’s mother, she’d went ahead and said a few words.

Jennifer had been confused. She barely knew Nate’s family and since they’d now been living in Miami for a few months, Jennifer had forgotten a lot of Nate’s relatives. Her sisters had also attended the funeral. However, afterwards, they’d had plans. So they had not returned home with her and her mother.

Jennifer was now situated in the living room, watching a Disney movie and looking at a book. While her daughter was occupied, Misty figured she’d get started on her new project. She’d come up with an idea while she’d been at the funeral.

She removed a battered cardboard box from the closet. Inside were pictures and paraphernalia from her four-year dating life with Nate. While she’d dated Nate, before she’d had Jennifer, she’d imagined their sharing a long, life together, in spite of their massive problems. She’d wanted to create a memory book, but, she’d never gotten around to arranging all of the pics in her photo album.

The delicious scent of chocolate suddenly filled the air. Her mom must be baking Misty’s favorite chocolate layer cake. Before she’d tasted Sterling’s cake, her mom’s chocolate layer cake was the best cake she’d ever eaten. She didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that she’d finally found a cake that topped her masterpiece.

“What you doing in here, Misty?” Her mom entered the bedroom, made herself comfortable on the bed.

Fanning the photographs on the rug, she briefly told her mom about the project she was working on. “I’m doing this for Jennifer. When I tell her about her father, I don’t want to focus on all the negative stuff.”

“Jennifer won’t remember her father at all,” her mom observed.

Misty nodded. “That’s true, but, at least I can give her something to look back on later, when she’s old enough to understand.”

Her mother nodded, crossed her legs. “How are things going for you over in Miami? Are you glad that you moved?”

Misty placed a picture of her and Nate going out to celebrate her birthday. She stopped her chore, focused on her mom. When she thought of Miami, the first person who popped into her brain was Sterling Richards. She honestly didn’t think her mom wanted to hear about him, did she? After all, her mom seemed to be so focused on her patching things up with Nate.

“Things are going good. Jennifer likes her daycare and I enjoy my job at the law firm. Carmen has even encouraged me to go back to school.”

“Who’s Carmen?”

“Oh, Carmen’s my boss. She told me the law firm has a great tuition reimbursement program and that I should consider getting my bachelor’s.” 

“Hmmm. You and your schooling….” Her mom had never been very supportive of her decision to go to school. Misty was never clear if it was because she felt intimidated, like Nate, or if she simply didn’t understand. She just wanted to make more money to provide for Jennifer – was that such a hard concept to grasp?

“Mom, you know why I have to do this. I love Jennifer, and I want to provide the best way of life for her.” Another thought occurred to her. “I’m also doing this for me. It makes me feel good to know that I’ve accomplished something.”

“If you say so…” She was not going to start an argument today about her move to Miami. Her mom still felt that Misty should’ve stayed in Lehigh Acres so that she could help with Jennifer. “What happened to that cute man who drove you over here a few months back?”

It was surprising that her mom asked about him. “Sterling is fine.”

She wasn’t sure how much she should tell about her feelings for Sterling. From the last visit, Misty was under the impression that her mom didn’t like Sterling very much. “You told him about Nate dying?”

She shrugged. “Of course I did.” Her mom continued to study her, and Misty inwardly cringed. She fidgeted, and she figured her mom could tell that something was up. She took a deep breath. “Actually, he’s here.”

“What do you mean he’s here?”

Misty calmly explained how Sterling had driven them up and was waiting for her at a hotel. They were driving back tomorrow.

“You mean to tell me that man drove you all the way up here and you just dumped him off at a hotel?” Her mom stood up, forced Misty to do the same. “You need to go over and get him and tell him to come by for dinner.”

“Mom, you don’t understand. Sterling only did that out of respect for Nate. He didn’t think you’d want him staying here since you wanted Nate and I to reconcile.”

She sighed. “Go and get that man and bring him back here for dinner. Stop at the store and get something quick for dinner. Hold on and I’ll make you a grocery list.”

After her mom handed over the list, Misty grabbed her car keys and marched out to her car. She knew when it was a bad idea to argue with her mom.

*

Sterling pulled the grocery cart from the rack. Misty strolled beside him. When she’d surprisingly appeared at his hotel room, stating his mom had commanded him over for dinner, he hadn’t argued. He’d been shocked that Ms. Stewart wanted him over to her house. Now she’d given Misty a list of things to get from the store for their dinner. They had a bit of shopping to do. As he pushed the cart through the aisles, Misty held the list in her hand. He glanced over at her, questions about her and her family in his mind. She glanced at him, caught him looking at her. “What?” She softened the question with a smile.

“I’m still curious about your family. Why aren’t your sisters ever around when I come down here?”

She pursed her lips, looked away for a few seconds. “Right now, they’re living with their boyfriends. They come home whenever they have an argument. My mom claims neither of them have been around much the last couple of weeks.”

So, that explained it. It was still strange that he was falling in love with Misty, yet, he’d never met her siblings. Heck, she’d never met his siblings either, so, maybe it wasn’t so strange after all. He pictured Leon, drunk out of his mind, being introduced to Misty. He shook his head. The image made him want to cringe. No way would he let Misty meet his brother until he’d cleaned up his life. He’d probably have to prearrange such a meeting, make sure Leon was sober beforehand. He didn’t see a problem with introducing her to Louis, though. It’d been awhile since he’d pulled out his barbeque grill. Maybe he’d have Louis over for a barbeque soon. He could invite Adrian and Misty could bring Jennifer, too.

He shook the thought away. Louis would probably mention the barbeque to Leon, and then Leon would act like a fool if he wasn’t invited. But, if he told Leon to stay sober before the barbeque, would he be able to do that?

“Misty, long time, no see.” Sterling had been pushing the cart, deep in thought. He’d barely noticed the huge thug now blocking their cart. His arms were littered with multi-colored tattoos. His nose was pierced and he had several piercings in his ears. The dude sported a worn t-shirt and ripped jeans. The dude blatantly stared at Misty, as if he were sizing her up like a piece of meat. His brown eyes appeared cold and calculating.

“Ace. Hi.” The tense set of her shoulders, her high-pitched voice. Something was wrong, he could feel it. “What are you doing here?”

Ace bellowed with laughter, continued to study Misty. “I’m doing grocery shopping same as you.”

Sterling walked around the cart, straight up to Ace, offered his hand. “I’m Sterling.”

Ace looked down at Sterling’s hand, hesitated before shaking it. “Who are you?”

“I’m Misty’s friend.” He glanced at Misty as she scratched the back of her neck.

“Ace, we’re in a hurry. We need to get a few things and get going. It was nice seeing you again.”

Sterling pushed the cart away, glanced back as he pushed the cart around the corner. Ace still stood there, glaring at them. Something was not right. Realizing they needed to hurry, he got the items from the list, thankful he found everything so quickly. After he’d loaded everything into the car, he spotted Ace on a motorcycle in the parking lot. He smoked a cigarette, glaring at them. They got into the car. “Misty, what’s up with your friend? Is he fixing to follow us or something?” Sterling would call the police if he had to.

She barely shook her head. “No. He wouldn’t do that.”

But Sterling wasn’t so sure. “He knows where your mom lives, right?”

“Yes, he knows where she lives. Could we get going?”

He pulled out of the lot, kept an eye on Ace in the rearview mirror. Once he was satisfied that he wasn’t trying to follow them, Sterling drove, silent. Once they’d arrived in Misty’s neighborhood, he parked at a curb, several blocks away from her mother’s house. “Why are you parking here?”

“I’m parking here because I want you to explain to me what happened at the grocery store.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. That man scared you. Why? Who is he?”

She pursed her lips, stared at the palm trees lining the street. She folded her arms in front of her chest, her mouth mashed in a hard line. It didn’t look like she wanted to answer his question. Well, he’d wait for as long as it took to get the answer he needed. If that dude threatened Misty, then, he wanted to know about it. Why was she so scared of him? It just didn’t make any sense. “If you must know, he’s my old boyfriend.”

“What?” His voice cracked through the car like a thunderclap.

Misty jerked her head around, glared at him. “Would you keep your voice down?”

That dude looked ten times worse than Nate. What was Misty thinking, dating that loser? “Your old boyfriend? I don’t understand.”

“Sterling, you know what a boyfriend is. I don’t need to explain it to you.”

“That dude smelled like reefer. What is he, a drug dealer or something?” She glared at him again, didn’t speak. He banged the steering wheel. Sparks of pain shot through his hand. He winced, cradled his sore hand. “You dated a drug dealer?”

“Misty, I can’t believe you’d lower yourself to dating somebody like that. I’d expect that kind of behavior from Latisha, not you.”

“What has Latisha got to do with this?” She narrowed her eyes. Looked like he’d hit a nerve with her. Recently, she’d seemed so chummy with Latisha. Now, it appeared she’d be ready to defend her new friend in a heartbeat.

He shrugged. “Latisha is fast and she doesn’t try to hide it. She wants to sleep with whomever will have her. She comes to church but doesn’t seem to hear the gospel.” He focused on Misty again. “How come you two are so chummy now, anyway?”

“Because Latisha reminds me of myself! Okay? Before I met Nate, I used to be just like Latisha.” She then looked out the window, as if dismissing him. “You always seem so judgmental of people. I figured if you knew the truth about how I used to be, it’d make you angry.”

Whoa. Latisha….Misty. He just couldn’t compare the two. They were as different as night and day. He wasn’t finished yet. “You seemed scared at the store. Why? Did he abuse you when you dated?”

Misty refused to answer his question, she just stared out the window. “Can we go to my mom’s house now? I know she’s wondered what happened to us. Besides, we need to get on the road soon.”

Chapter 30

Sterling pulled Misty’s car into Adrian’s driveway. What a trip. He shook Misty, who’d fallen asleep on the way home. “Misty, we’re back.”

“Hmm.” Her beautiful eyes fluttered open. She glanced around Adrian’s yard, seeming to get her bearings. After he’d unstrapped Jennifer from her car seat, Misty unlocked the front door and he followed her inside. He put Jennifer in her bed before joining Misty in the living room. Adrian’s bedroom door was closed, so, he assumed she’d already gone to sleep. Good. That would give him some time to talk to Misty, figure out what was going on inside her head.

“Did you want some coffee?”

He shook his head. “No, if I drink coffee now, I’ll be up half the night. I’ve got to be at the bakery by four thirty tomorrow morning.”

“I understand.” She stretched before dropping onto the couch. She still looked exhausted, but, she seemed in a better mood than a few days ago. “Thanks so much for taking me to my mom’s. It was nice to have somebody else to drive since I was so tired.”

He nodded. “I still want to talk about what we’d discussed earlier.”

“No. I don’t want to talk about that.”

Fine, he wouldn’t push her. He mentally sighed. Misty’s past bothered him. It bothered him a lot. How long did she date Ace? How many other men had she dated before Nate? For some strange reason, he’d imagined that Misty had been a virgin until she’d met Nate. Now that she’d admitted to being like Latisha….it just made him feel leery about her. He needed to admit to himself that it was wrong for him to feel this way, but, he couldn’t help it if that was how he felt.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about something. When you first moved in, you’d said that some friends were supposed to help you but they bailed at the last minute. What happened?” Could her friends have been acquainted with Ace? Were they losers, too?

She blew air through her lips. “Nate and I have some mutual friends. Some of them were supposed to help me, but, they never showed up! I knew how undependable they could be. I figured at least some of our friends would show up but they didn’t. My mom’s elderly neighbor had two adult grandsons visiting, so they helped me to load the stuff on my truck and I paid them.”

No wonder she didn’t want to accept help from anybody. She was tired of accepting help, only to be disappointed later.

He needed to digest everything that he’d learned about Misty that day. He needed to be alone. “I’ll see you later. Have a good night.” She looked so small, fragile and tired, sitting on the couch. Her dark eyes appeared wary.

He touched her face before opening Adrian’s door and rushing across the street to his house. He needed to get away from Misty. Yeah, he was attracted to her, but, her past... He needed some time to digest all that he’d learned. It was kind of hard for him to explain to her why her background made him wary. It was hard because he could barely explain it to himself.

*

Sterling’s quick exit haunted Misty’s mind all night. She’d tossed and turned, struggled to get to sleep. She’d still been bleary-eyed when she’d arrived at work that morning. She nursed a strong cup of coffee, hoping the extra caffeine would help her to wake up. She figured Sterling was upset about her relationship with Ace.

Over the following two weeks, Sterling remained distant toward her. When they’d served in the soup kitchen, she’d caught him staring at her a few times. When they’d journeyed to the soup kitchen, he’d not been talkative at all. She’d looked forward to serving with Latisha. She continued bonding with the girl. Latisha had noticed his foul mood, too, and openly asked Misty if her she’d had an argument with him.

Well, she didn’t want Latisha to know that Sterling’s judgmental attitude was getting on her nerves. As soon as he’d found out that she’d dated Ace, his whole demeanor had changed. He was probably upset because she’d admitted to being just like Latisha. Well, if that bothered him, then, so be it. She couldn’t let his attitude bother her.

But it did. Two weeks of silence was really bothering her. Yeah, she supposed she could go over to Sterling’s house, ask if he could put their differences aside and be her friend again.

She missed him. She missed him a lot.

At church the last couple of weeks, he’d not sat beside her. Instead, she’d spotted him in the almost empty balcony. That had been weird. Their church had a balcony that was above the sanctuary. Very few people sat up there. When she’d taken her exit last Sunday, she’d happened to look up and spot Sterling sitting up there by himself. She kept asking herself why he’d be sitting up there alone. But, her mind had come up empty.

Adrian had noticed how quiet and despondent she’d become, but, Misty couldn’t confide that Sterling’s attitude bothered her. She didn’t even know if she were willing to admit that she was falling in love with him. Well, if she admitted it to herself, then, she could learn to take these feelings and shove them to the back of her mind. Her feelings for him would probably fade eventually, wouldn’t they?

He probably didn’t want to accept a woman into his life who had a troubled past. Well, there was nothing she could do about that. If Sterling couldn’t accept her for who she was, then, so be it. She’d confided to Latisha that she was too busy for a relationship with Sterling right now, so, she supposed his distance towards her should be a good thing. Maybe in time, he’d stop dominating her mind.

The phone on her desk rang, interrupting her musings. “Carman’s Law Firm.”

“Misty Rae Stewart?”

Misty sat up straighter in her chair, recognizing the distinctive voice of Ginger Tweed. She glanced at the display on her phone. Yes, she was right, it was Juliette’s! They would only be calling her if Jennifer had been accepted, wouldn’t they? She swallowed, tried to calm herself down. The urge to again apologize for the open house disaster was on the tip of her lips. No, she wouldn’t apologize for that yet again. If Ginger wanted to mention it, then, she was welcome to do so. “Yes, this is Misty.”

“I just wanted to let you know that Jennifer has been accepted as a student into Juliette’s!”

Hallelujah! Her baby had gotten into the most prestigious preschool in Miami. Her heart was beating so fast. She took a few deep breaths, took a sip of coffee. She needed to calm down before she spoke. “Oh, thank you, Ms. Tweed.”

“You can call me Ginger. We’ll be sending a formal acceptance letter in the mail today.”

Misty nodded, still trying to get her wits together. “Thank you.” She needed to be sure to look for that letter in the mail.

“Oh, another thing, Ms. Stewart.”

“Yes?”

“We have a long waiting list. We can only keep that spot open for three months. If you don’t enroll within that timeframe, your spot will be offered to one of our wait-listed applicants. If you’re planning on seeking financial aid, then, now is the time to do it.”

“Okay. Thank you.” She finally hung up the phone, not trusting herself to speak any further. She was so excited that she doubted she could sound articulate. So, her daughter had finally gotten into Juliette’s! That was such a relief. She closed her eyes and took a few moments to day dream. She remembered when she’d first started searching for Jennifer’s pre-school. Her daughter had only been one and a half when she’d started searching. When her mother had discovered what she’d been doing, she’d not understood why Misty felt Jennifer’s school was so important. When she’d initially told her mom her dream of moving to Miami, she’d not been supportive at all.

Misty had to make her mom promise not to tell Nate about her plans. Her mom had been totally against it, wanting her to reconcile with Nate.

But, now she’d done it. She’d finally succeeded. Jennifer was going to Juliette’s! Again, thoughts of her daughter’s first day of preschool rushed to her mind. Jennifer would look so cute in her outfit and she’d be exposed to a wonderful learning experience. Her intelligent daughter would thrive in that environment.

That is, if she could afford it.

She stopped smiling and focused on her computer screen. She checked her watch. Now she just needed to again focus on the scholarship application.

Before Nate’s death, she’d been on the verge of calling the director of the Miami soup kitchen to remind him about the letter of reference. Getting that letter of reference was the last thing she needed to do before applying for the scholarship. She opened her purse and fished out her phone. She’d programmed the director’s number into her phone shortly after she’d started volunteering in the soup kitchen. When she’d first started volunteering, she’d told the director about the letter of reference that she’d need. “Mr. Cloud? This is Misty Rae Stewart.” She went on to tell him that she needed a letter of reference regarding her soup kitchen duties.

The older man cleared his throat. “Misty, does your letter have to be from me?”

Her heart jumped and she clutched the phone. It sounded like he was hesitant about writing the letter. He’d seemed so enthusiastic about it when she’d first mentioned it weeks ago.
Lord, please help me.
She opened up the webpage for the scholarship foundation. She knew the rules by memory, but, she still wanted to be totally sure she gave Mr. Cloud the correct information. “It can be from anybody in authority within your organization.”

“I don’t mind doing it.” She breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat that had popped onto her brow. She took another sip of coffee, glanced at the clock. She had a meeting with Carmen in five minutes, so, she needed to hurry up and finish this conversation. Maybe if Mr. Cloud wrote the letter now, she could pick it up when she left work that evening. “But, I think it might be best if Sterling Richards wrote it.”

“Sterling?”

“Yes, he’s the supervisor on your shift. He’s welcome to list me as the director for the program, but, I think the letter would be more effective if it came from him.”

Dang, she was not expecting this.

Again, her thoughts returned to Sterling Richards. She missed him. Her heart literally ached every time she thought about him. Sometimes, she’d wake up early, just to watch him get into his car and leave for work at four AM. When she happened to see his car pull in front of his house, she watched him exit his vehicle, walk into the house. She had to wonder if she was imagining the now-dejected slump to his broad shoulders. Did he miss her as much as she missed him?

“Ms. Stewart?” Mr. Cloud’s impatient voice interrupted her thoughts. “Do you feel that Sterling would not want to write the letter for you? He already has the soup kitchen stationary. He could probably have the letter to you in no time.”

She honestly didn’t know if Sterling wanted to write the letter. He’d not been the most supportive when they’d spoken of her dream of sending Jennifer to Juliette’s. However, although Sterling was judgmental, he was honest. He honestly couldn’t refuse to write the letter, could he?

“I’ll ask him. I’ll let you know if we have any questions.”

She ended the call.