Big & Beautiful 9: Puffy & Precious

“I didn’t know you were friends with Brady,” Graham said after Sam and Brady left. “He’s a great guy.”

I nodded. “How do you know Brady?”

“I’m a member at Dave’s Gym. I started working out with him one day. He was the only guy in the gym who could spot me.” He blushed. How freaking adorable! “I asked him if we could meet up again. We’d been working out together for about a month before I realized he owned the place. He was pretty shocked when his wife got pregnant, but it looks like he’s happy about it now.”

I nodded as though I actually knew. Truthfully, I’d heard the others talking about it, but I didn’t know them when Sam got pregnant. She was almost three months along before my first girls’ night. Seeing the way Brady was with her, I couldn’t imagine why Sam was ever worried about telling him she was pregnant.

“Yeah, it seems that way,” I told Graham. “They’re really sweet. Brady comes in here a couple times a week, but I know Sam a lot better than Brady. He’s always nice though.”

Graham nodded. “Sam’s a beautiful woman. I asked Brady how he managed to snag someone like her. He’s a lucky man.”

His words both made me jealous and warmed me. If he thought Sam was beautiful, he wasn’t afraid of a woman with a little extra weight, but I didn’t want him wanting Sam. I knew he really didn’t, but jealousy wasn’t rational.

“Sam’s pretty lucky, too. Brady’s a great guy and pretty damn hot, too.”

Graham gave me a look that I wanted to understand but couldn’t. He studied me for a long moment, making me fight the urge to turn and do something.

“Anything you need me to take care of today?”

It took me a long moment to figure out he meant around the cafe and not me. I shook my head. “No, I’m good.”

“What about the bookshelves you wanted in the corner near that table and the lounge chairs?”

Dammit. I needed to learn to keep my mouth shut. I’d told the man far too much about my plans for the cafe before I’d opened. I did want a bookshelf. I wanted to have books that customers could borrow when they came in. My idea was to have a library of sorts. Customers could take a book home as long as they brought it back or brought another book to replace it. Having customers hang around and read in my cafe sounded like perfection. It’d be hard not to join them.

“It’s okay, Graham. I’ll get to it eventually. I’ve got an interview Monday with the mayor for the Kick-Off The Summer Picnic. If I get it, I’ll have more business than I can handle and will be able to get the bookshelves and the coffee cart and the cake display and the picture frames and everything else I want to do eventually. Right now though, I just can’t do it. I want to, and I appreciate you wanting to help out, but I can’t keep taking advantage of you.”

Graham shook his head. “You’re not, Abby. I get paid enough with my other jobs, but I like doing the smaller things sometimes. People don’t hire me for jobs like that anymore. It’s too easy to go out and buy a bookshelf or even do it yourself. Same with almost everything else you mentioned. I’d enjoy it, though. If you’re willing to indulge me.”

How could I say no to that? He made it sound like I would be doing him a favor if I let him help me. As long as I didn’t let it get out of hand, it would be okay. Right?

“Okay, fine. But nothing too big until I can pay you. Some picture frames, maybe a pair of bookends. Do not build me a bookshelf or a coffee cart or any new tables or anything else. When I can hire you to do that stuff, I will, I promise. Do we have a deal?”

Graham nodded. “I’ll get started this weekend. I’ve got a lot of extra stuff at my shop. You like the shelves, right? That style works for you?”

I nodded. “They’re perfect. I love them.”

“Okay. I’ll base everything else off those.”

“Frames, bookends, nothing big, right?”

“I understand, Abby. Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I gotta run out and finish up a few things.”

I nodded. “See you then. And Graham?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

He smiled and I felt like my day got better just seeing his eyes twinkle and his cheeks pinch. “Any time, Abby.”

* * *

Monday afternoon I locked the doors to SkinnyCakes and drove across town with a box of some of my favorite desserts. Brett didn’t say anything about bringing a sample to the meeting with the mayor, but it only made sense if I was interviewing for a baking job to show him what I was capable of.

I let myself into Town Hall holding the steel blue box SkinnyCakes box tied with a purple ribbon. The woman at the desk smiled and gave me directions when I told her I had a meeting with Mayor Ramsey. As I stood outside the door with his name, I felt the butterflies in my stomach take flight. I took a deep breath and rested my hand on my stomach, hoping I wouldn’t throw up on the mayor.

When I pushed through the door I was greeted by a woman with wavy brown hair flowing halfway down her back, dark-framed glasses, and one of the prettiest smiles I’d ever seen. Even though I could only see her top half, I could tell she was a bit overweight, which immediately put me at ease for some reason.

“Can I help you?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes. I’m Abigail Bentley. I have a meeting with Mayor Ramsey.”

She checked her computer then grinned up at me. “Excellent. He’ll be ready to see you in a little while. I’m Olivia. Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“Did you bring samples for Wyatt?” she asked with a nod toward the box.

“Wyatt?”

“Sorry,” Olivia said with a shake of her head. “Mayor Ramsey is Wyatt. He insists on me calling him Wyatt.”

“Oh,” I said, wondering if there was something going on between them. Not that it was my business. “Um, yes, I brought samples. I figured if I was interviewing for a baking position it only made sense for him to know what I could do.”

Olivia nodded. “That’s smart. Wyatt likes smart. I think he’ll like you. I shouldn’t tell you this, but you’re the nicest one so far, too. The others who’ve been in were all pretty short with me and acted like they were better than everyone else here.”

My conversation with Sam came back. Charlie was the friendliest person I knew and there was no way she would have come across as short with Olivia. She would have loved Charlie. I’d spoken to Max and Charlie briefly the night before but forgot about the meeting. If Mayor Ramsey was still accepting interviews, I wanted to make sure Charlie had one. I had no doubt she would impress the hell out of ‘Wyatt’ if given the chance, but I didn’t know if he would see her.

“I have a question.” Olivia nodded for me to continue. “Is he still interviewing bakers after today? My sister-in-law owns a bakery also.”

Olivia handed me a card. “She can give me a call and set up an appointment if she’s interested, but Wyatt is going to be making a decision early next week at the latest. Since the event is in five weeks, he can’t wait too long before securing someone.”

I nodded. “I understand. If I were to get the job, I’d want that time to test out different products. Today I brought some of my most popular baked goods, but would create new items specifically for the event.”

“Make sure you tell him that,” Olivia said as she picked up her ringing phone. “Yes?” she said into the receiver. “Okay.”

She set the phone down and smiled at me. “He’ll see you now. Good luck.”

The butterflies that had settled while I talked to Olivia took flight again. I walked to the door next to her desk, took a deep breath, and walked into his office.

The first thing that struck me was how young Mayor Ramsey was. He was handsome, too, with short, dark brown hair, matching kind eyes, and a lean, strong body that made me wonder what he did before he became the mayor of Winterville. I stepped further into his office, glancing out the windows that overlooked Town Square, and shook his hand.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Mayor.”

His grip was firm in mine, not taking me lightly because I was a woman. I appreciated that. “It’s my pleasure, Ms. Bentley. I understand SkinnyCakes has been open since January?”

I nodded. “Yes. I know it’s fairly new, but it’s doing well. Besides, what really matters is how my product is. I brought you a sample of some of my most popular desserts so you can test them out.”

I handed over the box and watched as he untied the ribbon and opened the box. He inhaled the contents. “Well, it smells amazing. Will you tell me a little about each selection?”

I stood and pointed. “The flourless chocolate cake is my most popular. It’s sweet and rich, but also gluten free so it’s a good choice for almost everyone. My caramel cake is also very popular. It’s nearly as sweet, but because it’s caramel and not chocolate it appeals to a slightly wider audience. Because my bakery is a little health conscious, I also bake a wide variety of pies and cakes that are made with fruit. I prefer to use as many local products as possible, but in the off season, of course, I have to use whatever I can find. It’s a little early right now for local produce, but by the end of May I’ll be able to get local rhubarb, some strawberries, and carrots for these pies.”

I indicated each slice as I mentioned it so he knew what he was tasting. He tried a piece of each with the fork I handed him but didn’t give any indication what he liked and didn’t like. When he finished, he set the fork down and looked up at me. “Thank you for coming in, Ms. Bentley.”

He stood, ready to dismiss me. I remembered what Olivia said. “Oh, but I’d make brand new creations for the event. Really fit the theme of the day. A variety of items that would remind everyone of exactly why we’re celebrating, what we’re together for.”

His eyebrows peaked. “Interesting. I appreciate your time today, Ms. Bentley. My office will be in touch early next week either way.” He shook my hand again. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good luck with your selection process.”

* * *

The next night I headed over to Bite Me! with Olivia’s card and my slice of pound cake covered in strawberries. Even though I loved Charlie’s cupcakes, even once a week was too much for me most of the time. I tried eliminating sugar the entire day before I went there, but my body still couldn’t handle the influx of sweetness. Every time I ate one of her cupcakes I got a headache and felt sick, not to mention I gained five pounds.

Thankfully Charlie didn’t mind.

When I walked in the door, Charlie handed over a cup of coffee. I knew it came from her personal pot in the kitchen, the one with the extra strong coffee she drank and shared with Max and me. She was helping another customer so I didn’t stop, knowing I’d get a chance to talk to her soon.

Most of the others were already at the table. I took a seat next to Claire and smiled at her husband, Aidan. He was a nice guy, just like all the others, but he worked constantly so I didn’t know him well. Claire shared that she didn’t earn as much as she’d like running her non-profit company so Aidan worked a lot to make up the difference. It was good to see him at girls’ night for once.

“Where’s Max tonight?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him today. I’m not sure if he’s planning on being here or not.”

After living with my brother for as long as I did, it was strange to have no idea what was going on in his life. I’d kept a lot from him when I was married, but the months after I left Brett were nice. I got to know Max again. I relied on him. He was there for me when I needed someone. I’m not sure I would have survived if he hadn’t been there for me when I wanted to give up.

“Max?” Charlie asked, joining the table and giving me a hug. I nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be here. He had to check in with a few customers, but he’s on the way.”

“Oh, hey, Charles, I have something for you,” I said, grabbing the card from my purse. “I went on an interview yesterday. The baker for the mayor’s big Kick-Off The Summer Picnic backed out and they’re looking for someone new to do it. His assistant said they’ll still take interviews. Call her and set something up for this week. He’s making his choice early next week.”

Charlie took the card and studied it for a second before shaking her head. “I appreciate it, Abby, really, but no thanks.”

“What? Why not? This is a huge opportunity. Why wouldn’t you want to do this?”

Charlie shrugged. “When I moved in here I knew we weren’t in competition. Our products are different, our clients are different. We’re different. I don’t want to ruin that by pitting us against each other.”

I shook my head. “You wouldn’t. I promise. I’d be just as happy if you got it as if I did.”

Charlie handed me the card back. “I hope you get it. I’m sure it would be great, but I struggle with big events. Heck, one hundred people is hard for me to handle. That kind of volume is making my palms sweat already. If you get it, let me know. I’d be glad to help you if you need it.”

I nodded, feeling surprised. I glanced at Sam and she winked at me. I smiled at her, silently thanking her for encouraging me to talk to Charlie. Even if she didn’t want the job, she had the chance to make the decision, and I knew that was the right thing.