Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) (8 page)

He helped her unload the car and he carried Jennifer into the house. Misty scrutinized him while he cradled her daughter in his strong arms. He laid Jennifer on her bed. Not wanting to awaken Jennifer, she allowed her to sleep in her regular clothes instead of changing her into her pajamas. Misty removed her daughter’s shoes before they exited her room.

She followed Sterling to the front door. He scratched the back of his head, and looked away for a few seconds, as if he were nervous. “Look, I just wanted you to know that if you ever need any help, or…or anybody to talk to or anything, you can come to me.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I know you didn’t want my help the past few days, but, I’m here if you need me, okay?”

Misty smiled, warmed by the offer. “Thanks. In spite of how I acted, I really do appreciate all that you’ve done for me. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come to pick me up from work when I was sick.”

He dipped his head. “You’re welcome.”

She didn’t know if she’d be asking him for help anytime soon. After all, he’d been kind enough over the last few days. She was sure that once Adrian’s car had been purchased, things would smooth out in her life and she would again be able to handle everything on her own. His large brown fingers grazed her palm as he gave her the car keys for the rented vehicle. Unable to resist, she stared at him as he crossed the street and entered his home. It still bothered her that he didn’t want to talk about his twin brothers. Did he have some family secrets that he didn’t want her to know about?

Chapter 11

“No, Mommy!” Jennifer clung to Misty’s arms, refusing to let go. Misty’s eyes settled with tears as she held her daughter, peeking into Jennifer’s new daycare.

Lucy, a kind, middle-aged, copper-skinned woman who was Jennifer’s new daycare provider, gave Misty a sympathetic smile. “It’s always hard on the first day.” She patted Misty’s shoulder, stepping away from the door, giving the twosome a small measure of privacy.

Misty attempted to put Jennifer down, but, her daughter refused to let go. She finally walked into the room, and sat in a rocking chair. “Jennifer, you’ll need to stop this. This nice lady will take care of you while Mommy goes to work.”

“No! I want Grandma!”

Lord, help me.
Jennifer continued to cling with her small, chubby fingers. She glanced around the room, noting there was a removable car seat holding a sleeping infant. “Jennifer, not so loud,” she said in a low voice. “There’s a baby asleep in that car seat. Do you want to wake up the baby?”

Jennifer shook her head while Misty forced her to look at the sleeping infant. “See, that baby is not whining and crying like you are. And that baby is much younger than you. Why don’t you be a big girl and stop crying and let mommy go to work.”

Jennifer glanced at the baby for two seconds before she shrieked again. The baby awakened, bawling. Lucy lifted the infant, gently rubbing his back.

“I’m so sorry,” apologized Misty.

“It’s okay.”

Still desperate to calm Jennifer down, Misty pointed to the things in the room. Maybe the toys and activities would make Jennifer want to play. “Look at that big red ball over there! Oh, and look at all those wonderful games!” She pointed toward a small TV set in the corner of the room. “Look at that TV. I’ll bet you guys will be watching a Disney movie today.”

“Mommy?”

“Yes, Honey?”

“Can I go back to Grandma’s house?”

The infant stopped crying so Lucy placed the baby in a crib and approached Misty, glancing at her red Mickey Mouse watch. “You can go ahead. I don’t want you to be late to work.”

Misty protested. “But, she’s still upset.”

Lucy shook her head. “I’m used to this. She’ll be okay.”

Jennifer opened her mouth and howled as Lucy pulled her from her arms. The loud shriek resonated through Misty’s ears. “Oh, I can’t leave her.”

Lucy gently touched Misty’s shoulder. “Go ahead, go. We’ll be okay. You’d said she’s potty-trained, right?”

Misty nodded. Jennifer had turned two six months before Misty moved to Miami, and her and her mother had miraculously managed to potty-train her. She’d been relieved because now she no longer had to worry about spending money on diapers. She finally managed to exit the house, briskly walking to her car, the sound of Jennifer’s howls following her all the way to the vehicle.

Once Misty arrived at work, Carmen approached. “What’s wrong? You’re not sick again, are you?”

Misty shook her head, still plagued with worry about her daughter. “No.” She told Carmen about Jennifer’s behavior at the daycare. “I feel bad about leaving her there.”

Carmen shrugged, showing little sympathy. “Oh, it’ll be okay. Lots of women leave their kids at daycares every day.”

“But Jennifer isn’t used to this. This is the first time I’ve left her with a stranger. The only person who’s ever watched her before was my mom.”

Carmen patted her shoulder, while leaving a stack of papers on her desk. “She’ll get used to it. I’ll bet by the end of the week, she won’t even want to leave that daycare she’ll be having so much fun.” Carmen then focused on the paperwork, giving Misty instructions about making copies and filing the stack of contracts. Misty attempted to pay attention while thoughts of Jennifer’s howls resonated through her cluttered mind.

As the day progressed, she tried to focus on her work, but she kept worrying about Jennifer. She picked up the phone to call the daycare a few times, but, stopped herself, knowing she wouldn’t make matters any easier if she called and interrupted Lucy while she tried to take care of the children in her home. She sighed with relief when five o’clock approached. Anxious to get Jennifer, she grabbed her purse before hurrying out to her car. She needed to rush to get Jennifer before she drove to pick up Adrian from work.

When Misty arrived at the daycare, Lucy opened the door, and Jennifer sidled up behind her. Her daughter broke into a wide smile while Misty scooped her up. Goodness, her daughter was getting too heavy to pick up. She frowned, noting Jennifer wore red overalls with a blue shirt, an outfit that did not belong to her. She paused, wondering what to say. She wondered if Lucy got confused and couldn’t recall which clothing belonged to which child. She then noticed the once-familiar bulge around Jennifer’s bottom. Misty gasped. “She’s wearing a diaper?”

Lucy sighed and beckoned Misty indoors. “Jennifer, go and play with the other children. I need to talk to your mother.”

Jennifer scurried into the adjoining room while Lucy invited Misty to sit. “Jennifer wet her pants twice. She refused to use the bathroom. That’s why she’s not wearing her own clothing. She wet her clothes from this morning and she also wet the extra set of clothes that you’d sent.”

Misty turned away, upset. Had all those weeks of potty-training her daughter been a waste? Now would she have to start over and potty-train her again? Worry consumed her and she was speechless until Lucy touched her arm, giving her a warm smile. “It’ll be okay. Jennifer is transitioning.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll bet she’ll use the bathroom once she’s at home. She’ll probably start using the bathroom here soon. I think she’s still upset about being separated from her grandma.”

“You’ve seen this happen before?”

Lucy nodded. “Be patient and give it some time. I’m sure everything will work out.”

Misty sighed. “Well, I don’t know.”

“Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”

After her discussion with Lucy, she gathered Jennifer as well as Jennifer’s bright pink bag of belongings. She took her daughter to the car, still worried. Jennifer continued to speak about her day. She broke into her daughter’s chatter, strapping her into the car seat. “Honey, you really need to go to the potty while you’re at Ms. Lucy’s house.”

Jennifer shook her head, her kinky curls bobbing with the movement. “No, I don’t want to.”

Sighing, she tensed. After she picked up Adrian from her job, she pulled into the parking lot of the local drugstore. “Where did you stop? I know we’re not at my house.”

Misty sighed again, wondering what to do. “I’m at the drugstore.”

“The drugstore? Why? Are you feeling sick again?”

“No.” She explained why she needed to purchase a small pack of diapers for her daughter. As she stood at the register with the small plastic bag of diapers, Misty felt like a failure. She’d moved to Miami to raise her daughter in a better environment and to improve her life, but now, with Jennifer’s defiant behavior, it appeared as if her efforts were wasted.

*

Misty poured a cup of coffee. She eyed the kitchen clock. Eight thirty. Jennifer had just been put to bed and she could get started. Taking her steaming cup to the table, she got comfortable and opened her laptop. Adrian made her way into the kitchen. “That coffee smells great.”

“It’s been a long day and I’m really tired. I figured the coffee would help me to stay awake.”

Adrian served herself a cup of coffee and joined Misty at the table. “If you’re so tired then you should go to bed.”

“No, I can’t. Juliette’s just opened up their application period today for next school year’s enrollment.”

“Already? That’s awfully early.”

“Well, the website says that it might take up to three months before they make a decision about the new applicants.”

“What about the scholarship?”

“It’s too early to apply for that.” She told Adrian the first date that they’d accept applications for the scholarship. “By the time I apply for the scholarship, I’m hoping to get some more soup kitchen hours.”

“Hmm.” Adrian remained silent while she sipped her coffee.

“You still don’t approve with what I’m doing.”

“I didn’t say that. Did you get my email?”

“Yes.” Adrian had sent her an email with links to pre-schools in the area. The schools were recommended by her coworkers. “But, my heart is set on Juliette’s. I’ve been praying about this for months.”

“Well, if you don’t get in then you at least need a backup plan. Stop being so hard-headed and listen to my advice.”

She would look into those places after she applied to Juliette’s. Hopefully, the application fee for those other schools would be minimal. The $200.00 non-refundable application fee for Juliette’s was already putting a dent into her wallet. She knew better than to mention the fee to Adrian. Her cousin would go ballistic if she knew that Misty had to pay to apply to a pre-school.

After Adrian finished her coffee and returned to her room, Misty went online to access the application. The entire application would be filled out electronically and then she’d need to pay the application fee with her credit card. After she’d filled out the application, she put her credit card into the system.

The error message flashed across the screen in bright red letters. “What?” How could this be? She tried it again and got the same response. She quickly saved her application, knowing she could log back in later to complete the process. She then logged onto her credit card account. Whoa, she’d forgotten how much she’d spent recently. Her credit card was new, and she had a very low credit limit. She’d rented her U-haul to move, and had purchased some things when she’d first settled into Miami. She’d also had to pay for Jennifer’s daycare costs. Since she’d not yet gotten paid, she’d placed those charges on her credit card. She’d be getting her first paycheck soon, so that would help, but, until then, she didn’t know what she could do about applying to Juliette’s.

She eyed Adrian’s closed bedroom door. No, she couldn’t ask her cousin to float her a two-hundred-dollar loan.
Lord, I can’t believe I’m doing this. Is this your way of telling me to abandon my dream? Two hundred dollars is a lot for me to lose if Jennifer isn’t accepted into this school.
Jennifer deserved the best, and she felt that Juliette’s was the best pre-school in Miami. No, she didn’t think the Lord wanted her to give up her dream.
Lord, I need your help. Give me some guidance about what I should do.

Chapter 12

Sterling pulled into the church parking lot, cutting his ignition. Rays of buttery sunshine splashed across the small white structure. What a nice way to start a Sunday morning. Clusters of flowers bloomed in front of the church and parishioners entered, dressed in their Sunday best. Some of the congregation members waved to him as they walked past his vehicle. He glanced at his watch. He still had time before church started. He reflected on his week. His new assistant continued to work out great in the bakery. Since he now had Eddie as well as a capable assistant to run the bakery, he no longer had to worry about getting enough help to run his business.

He also continued to wonder what to do about the money. He had not heard from either Louis or Leon in days, so, he was thankful that they were giving him the time he needed to figure out what to do with the funds. He continued to pray about it, asking the Lord to guide him. He really needed to figure out what to do with the money before the promised two-month time span was over.

Thoughts of Misty slammed into his brain as he pulled his battered leather Bible from the passenger seat. He’d noticed her arriving home every night with Jennifer and Adrian after work. Her cute face was always settled into a frown and he wondered what was wrong with her. Was that idiot Nate harassing her about something again? While they were in her mother’s home and Nate had acted like an angry, jealous fool, he’d longed to take Misty into his arms and protect her, offer her support. What Misty and Nate had discussed behind her closed bedroom door burned in his mind like a pan of hot cookies. Would Nate really be able to move to Miami and find a job here? The thought made him sick. He hoped Nate had been bluffing as Misty had claimed. He’d offered her his friendship and support, but, so far, he had not heard a peep out of her.

Disappointment had settled into his gut when she didn’t take him up on his offer of friendship. Since their trip to her mom’s house, he’d longed to talk to her, ask her how she was doing. He’d almost visited Adrian’s home one evening, just to see how things were working out with Jennifer and her new daycare. But since Misty remained disappointingly silent since their trip to Lehigh Acres, he figured she probably didn’t want him around.

The thought proved very unsettling.

Plus, Misty was still driving the rented car. Didn’t she still need his help in finding a new vehicle? He again thought about the private conversation she’d had with Nate. Would she consider taking Nate back into her life? Perhaps Nate was making a trip to Miami to help her look for a new vehicle for Adrian? Maybe she was going to reconcile with Nate and that’s why she’d been silent.

He jerked at the sudden knock on his window. He turned, greeted by Misty’s bright smile. Jennifer stood beside her, laughing. He returned their grins, his heart lifted with gladness at their interruption. For the first time, he noticed the striking resemblance between mother and daughter.

Jennifer jumped with joy when he exited the vehicle. “Hi, there,” he said to the youngster. The child sported a pink, frilly dress and with black shoes. Jennifer grabbed the bottom of his leg. Misty stood silently beside her daughter. He looked into her pretty brown eyes, speechless. He wanted to kiss Misty’s cheek, but his doubts returned, so, he lifted Jennifer instead, planting a kiss on her soft, chubby cheek. The child smelled like baby powder, and, for some reason, he enjoyed holding her.

Misty grinned. “Jennifer’s getting pretty heavy.”

“I don’t mind holding her.” He glanced at Misty again, still feeling a bit shy, wondering what to say. He scanned the parking lot as people continued to enter the church. “Where’s Adrian?”

Misty gestured toward the building. “She’s already inside. I dropped her off at the pew a few minutes ago. When I didn’t see you in the sanctuary, I brought Jennifer out here to find you.”

His heart skipped. “You were looking for me?”

The church bell gonged, filling the parking lot with a loud, pleasant, musical noise, signaling the service would start in a few minutes. He gestured toward the door. “We’d better get inside before the service starts.” He put Jennifer down and Misty took her hand. “Are you going to leave her in the nursery?”

Misty’s pretty features settled into a frown. “Well, I was going to try.”

Puzzled, he wondered what she meant when they entered the building. The lobby was emptying since most of the congregation members were now in their pews. He escorted Misty to the nursery room. “Jennifer, you’re going to stay here during the service.”

The dark-haired, young nursery volunteer pointed to the clipboard and gave Jennifer a warm smile. “Just sign her in. We’ll come into the sanctuary and find you if we need to.”

“No!” The child’s eyes filled with tears while she glared at the nursery volunteer. “I don’t want to.”

“Ugh.” Misty pulled Jennifer away from the room, and Sterling followed. “Jennifer, can’t you at least try?”

She shook her head. “No. I wanna see Grandma.”

Sterling stared at Misty, noticing her distress. She clutched the child’s hand, as if lost about what she should do. He wanted to help, but wasn’t sure how. “Is she shy around strangers?”

Misty nodded. “Jennifer is usually a good kid, but, she’s been having a hard time adjusting to life in Miami.” Sterling listened to Misty as she explained the events of the past week in a rushed voice. “Now, she has to wear diapers every day at the daycare but she uses the potty at home. She still cries when I leave her every morning…” She looked away, looking distressed. “I’m beginning to wonder if I should’ve stayed in Lehigh Acres with my mom.”

The urge to comfort Misty consumed him. Unable to resist, he took her hand and squeezed her fingers. He touched her face, relishing the pleasant floral scent of her perfume. “Why don’t we just take her into the sanctuary with us? She might stay quiet during the service.”

“I don’t know…” she pondered his suggestion.

The voices of the choir, lifted in song, filtered through the now-closed doors. The praise and worship time had begun and Sterling was anxious to get into the sanctuary. His favorite song was playing and he wanted to enjoy the music with Misty by his side. He lifted Jennifer, not giving her more time to think about it. “Come on, I’m sure Jennifer will love the music.” He mentally sighed with relief as Misty followed him into the sanctuary.

He found Adrian sitting in her normal seat and Sterling and Misty sat beside her. Misty took Jennifer into her lap during the praise and worship time. When the sermon started, Jennifer fidgeted. Sterling offered to take her and the child soon relaxed. As the sermon continued, Jennifer closed her eyes, falling asleep. Relief flooded through him when Misty’s earlier distress melted like ice during a spring thaw. Once the service was over, Sterling continued to hold snoozing Jennifer while he walked toward the sanctuary doors, Misty and Adrian beside him. Several parishioners stopped him in the lobby, curious about Jennifer and Misty.

He mentally groaned when Latisha, one of the parishioners, approached him. He’d hoped he could avoid her today. Latisha gave Misty a frosty look. She then ignored Misty, and didn’t ask why he held Jennifer. She pouted her full, red-painted lips and gave his arm a firm squeeze. “I wondered if you were going to be at the soup kitchen this week.” She purred into his ear and he pulled away. The woman needed to stop wearing so much perfume. The scent made him sick.

He frowned, wondering why she even bothered to ask. “Of course, I’ll be there.” Latisha’s eyes widened at his brusque tone. He softened his voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Jennifer’s pudgy body weighed down in his arms. He really needed to put her in Misty’s car so that they could go home. Plus, he needed to get outside and speak with Misty alone. He never did find out why she was searching for him in the parking lot earlier that morning. “I’m always at the soup kitchen. You know it’s rare for me to miss a week.” He’d started his soup kitchen duties a few weeks ago. So far, the hard work had proven tiring but fulfilling.

She batted her long eyelashes, backing away. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you then.” She gave Misty a sly look. “It’s a date.” She sauntered away, swinging her hips.

Misty grabbed his arm, her pretty eyes sparkling like twin diamonds. “You work in a soup kitchen?”

Why’d she find that information so interesting? “Yes, I just started a few weeks ago.”

“Do you need any volunteers?”

“Let’s go outside and talk about it.” No way did he want Misty working in that soup kitchen. It was in a bad area.

Latisha was now flirting with another man. “Who in the world is that?” Misty mumbled, glaring at Latisha. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Before he could respond, Adrian chuckled, continuing to hold Misty’s elbow as they made their way to the door. “If you’re talking about the woman who was here a few minutes ago, that smelled like Latisha Brooks.”

“Who?”

Adrian continued to laugh when they stepped into the bright sunshine. Birds chanted from the trees, and the flowers bobbed in the hot breeze. Adrian continued to explain, keeping her voice low. “Latisha usually wears a lot of perfume…too much. I can always smell her when she’s around.”

Sterling touched Misty’s arm. “Look, I’ll explain about Latisha in a minute. I needed to talk to you. Is it okay if Adrian and Jennifer wait in the car for a few minutes so that we can chat?”

Misty shrugged. “Sure.”

Jennifer continued to snooze as Sterling buckled her into her car seat. Adrian got comfortable in the front seat while Misty started the car and turned on the air conditioner. “Adrian, I’ll leave the air running so that you and Jennifer won’t get too hot.”

“Thanks, Misty.”

After Jennifer and Adrian were situated, Sterling pulled Misty away. They walked over to a nearby palm tree and stood underneath it. The canopy of green leaves swayed in the hot wind. He relished watching Misty close her eyes as she enjoyed the warm breeze. The urge to kiss her again consumed him, but, he fought off the strong feeling, focusing on what he’d wanted to say.

“Sterling, I’m interested in working in the soup kitchen.”

“Who’d keep Jennifer if you volunteered?”

She blew air through her lips, scratched the back of her neck. “I was hoping Adrian would keep her.”

This was surprising. “Jennifer would stay alone with Adrian?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried.”

“Well, don’t worry about volunteering now. You might want to wait until you’re more settled.”

She shook her head, grabbed his arm. “No, I need to do this now.” Her voice hardened. What was going on?

“We have plenty of volunteers. It’s not like the homeless won’t get fed.”

“You volunteer regularly?”

He nodded. “I’m in charge of the Wednesday night shift. I just started a few weeks ago.”

“How is it that you’re in charge of a shift if you just started a few weeks ago?”

“Since I own a bakery, I’m considered to be a food-service professional. They need a professional to run each shift. I volunteered since the last person quit.”

“I see.” She sighed, kicked a rock. Her sultry mouth drooped and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why she was so upset. “How did you find this job?”

“Misty, it’s not a job. It’s volunteer work.” He thought she understood that.

“No, I’m talking about how is it that you’re in charge of the kitchen. I know you’re a food service professional and all, but, how did they know to contact you in the first place?”

What was it with all of her questions? He might as well pacify her curiosity. “The people at the soup kitchen know me because I donate food regularly. I was approached to head the kitchen because of my culinary background. Like I said, the last person who had my position quit and that’s when I was approached.” He paused, still trying to figure out what was going on. “Why is doing this right now so important to you? You might want to just focus on helping Jennifer adjust.”

“I’m doing this for Jennifer.” Her voice wavered. Oh no. She was upset. Misty seemed to be one big emotional roller coaster when it came to her daughter. This was the second time he’d made her angry while discussing Jennifer.

He tilted his head, still baffled. “What do you mean?”

In a rushed voice, she told him something about food service hours for a scholarship to use once Jennifer was accepted into Juliette’s preschool. She spoke non-stop for five minutes, and the entire time he ached to hold her in his arms. Her voice filled with joy and she gestured while she spoke, as if she were highly emotional. He wanted to tell her to calm down so that they could discuss this rationally, but, he doubted she’d listen to him. He just couldn’t believe the words that tumbled from her mouth. Juliette’s? Was she serious?

Before he could stop himself, he laughed. The whole idea seemed off the wall, weird, and just downright time-consuming.

Her mouth dropped open. She turned away from him, stormed to her car. He’d better go after her. “Misty, calm down.” He took her thin arm, gently coaxed her back to the tree.

“I don’t appreciate being laughed at.”

“Look, I’m sorry. You just seem to be going through a lot of trouble to get your daughter into that preschool. Juliette’s isn’t so great.”

She peered at him. “What do you know about it? You don’t even have any kids…do you?”