Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) (10 page)

Chapter 14

Sitting at her mom’s kitchen table, Misty logged onto her account for Juliette’s. She needed to finish the application process. She’d recently gotten her first pay check and now she had to pay the $200 application fee.

A Disney song crooned from the living room. Jennifer and her mother were sitting in the living room with a big bucket of buttered popcorn, enjoying a Disney DVD. Jennifer’s sweet little voice sang along with the childish tune. Oh, how she wanted the best for her child. Nothing but the best. She didn’t want Jennifer to ever doubt how much she was truly loved.

She entered her credit card information, keeping an eye on the living room. She didn’t want her mom to come into the kitchen and spot what she was doing. Her mom could be nosy, and the last thing that Misty wanted was for her mom to start asking questions. Her mom would never understand, not in a million years, why this was so important to Misty. Things like elite private schools was not something that her mom understood or cared about. If her mom had her way, Jennifer would be in public school. She inwardly cringed.

Shortly before moving to Miami, she’d told her mom about her dream of sending Jennifer to Juliette’s. The only reason she was open with her mom about it is was because her mom had accidentally found the Juliette’s brochure in Misty’s bedroom. She could never keep anything from her mom for very long, so, she confessed as to what she’d planned on doing. She could tell her mom didn’t approve of her dream. Well, there was nothing she could do about that. If her mom didn’t want to support her with this decision then that was fine.

However, it was hard not to feel dejected about her quest to send Jennifer to Juliette’s. Nobody seemed to fully support her decision, and that bothered her.

It bothered her a lot.

Adrian said she hoped it worked out, but, she could tell that her cousin did not want her to apply. Sterling had outright laughed at her! She’d been so angry when he’d reacted that way. Nate, well, Nate’s opinion didn’t really matter, but, he obviously didn’t understand why she wanted to do this, and neither did her mom. At times, she felt all alone and that was not a good feeling. It’d be nice to have someone in her corner who fully supported her preschool decision.

She focused on her computer screen. Yes! She pumped her fist into the air. Her payment had been accepted.

*

Nate clutched his gifts to Misty, determined to make her forgive him for all that he’d done. His friend Mike sat behind the wheel of the car, and Nate occupied the passenger seat. They’d parked across the street from Misty’s mother’s house. All of the car windows were open since Mike’s air-conditioning was busted. A slight wind blew, bringing some relief from the intense heat. Mike doled out advice to Nate. “Man, you need to just forget about her. She’s moved to Miami and she doesn’t want you back.”

Nate shook his head. “She might change her mind.”

“What you gonna do? Pray about it?” Mike smirked.

Nate narrowed his eyes. “Cut it out.”

“You go to church again today?”

“Yes.” Nate stared at the rented car that Misty had been driving over the last couple of weeks. Good thing he’d made it over here before Misty returned to Miami. He’d been going to church for the last few weeks, determined to make a change in his life, a change that included Misty Rae Stewart.

“What’s up with you, man? First you start going to church, then you buy a Bible? You think doing all that will help you get Misty back?”

Nate didn’t know how to explain this to Mike. He was still trying to figure it out himself. “My life is a big mess and I need to do something.”

“Your life is a mess, but reading that Bible and going to church ain’t gonna change a thing.”

“I don’t know if it’ll help either, but, it can’t hurt.”

“You tell Misty that your driver’s license was suspended because of your drunk driving?”

Nate winced. “Heck no. Besides, the judge said I could get my license back later, depending.” Since he’d lost his license, he’d been depending on public transportation and his friend Mike whenever he needed to get someplace.

Relief flowed through his veins when Misty exited her mother’s house, holding Jennifer’s hand. He opened the car door, speaking to Mike. “I’ll be right back.”

*

Tears gushed from Jennifer’s large brown eyes while Misty strapped her into her car seat before setting their overnight bag into the trunk. Her mother hovered nearby, her arms folded. “When are you coming back to visit?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.” Guilt, as cold and hard as limp biscuits, settled into her gut. She’d failed this weekend, and she hoped she didn’t have to pay for it with Jennifer’s rude behavior. The child had been ecstatic all weekend, but, much to Adrian’s credit, her cousin had been correct. When she’d begun packing their bag that afternoon, announcing they’d be leaving, Jennifer had started crying. Misty wondered if she would stop soon. The sound of her crying was distracting, especially since they would be on the road for two and a half hours. “I still have to go car shopping for Adrian.”

Jennifer opened her mouth and bawled louder.

“Stop crying. I told you we were just going to visit grandma.” Ashamed, she didn’t want to admit to her mother that Jennifer had backslidden, and reverted back to using diapers. While at her grandmother’s house, she’d used the potty every time she had to go to the bathroom and Misty had not had to use the stash of diapers she kept in the trunk.

Her mother stepped closer, and before Misty could close the trunk, she spotted the plastic bag of diapers. “What are those doing back there?”

Misty refused to respond, slamming the trunk shut as Jennifer continued weeping. She opened the front car door and plopped into the driver’s seat and started the ignition. Her mother leaned forward. “Misty, why don’t you leave Jennifer here with me for this week? You can come back to get her next weekend.” She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “You look a little tired and…”

“I’m fine.” She probably looked tired because she’d tossed and turned all night, her gut riddled with unwanted guilt. She felt bad about cancelling the car shopping trip with Sterling. She also felt bad because she’d let Adrian down. She recalled that she was supposed to take Adrian grocery shopping yesterday morning. The magnitude of what’d she’d done pounded into her once she’d gone to bed the previous evening. The only person she’d been concerned about was Jennifer, and she’d been determined to make her child happier by bringing her for an impromptu visit. She squeezed the steering wheel and closed her eyes, Jennifer’s cries continuing to sound in the background. “Be quiet!”

Jennifer whimpered, squeezing her pink teddy bear. Her mother rubbed her shoulder. “Are you getting a headache?”

She nodded.

“Hold on, I’ll get you some aspirin. You shouldn’t be driving if your head hurts.” Taking a few deep breaths, she continued gripping the steering wheel. Nate approached from across the street. When did he get here? He ran over to her car, holding pink balloons, a dozen bright scarlet roses, and a small Styrofoam container. Great, she didn’t need this now. She’d already seen Nate twice this weekend. Both times he’d played with Jennifer and acted the perfect gentleman and he’d been completely sober during both visits.

Nate rushed to the car, leaning his head into her open window. “Hi, I’m glad I caught you before you left.”

Jennifer’s tears stopped when she saw Nate. “Hey, beautiful,” he cooed, looking at his daughter. Jennifer sniffed, but didn’t respond. He opened the backdoor to the car and gave Jennifer the balloons. “These are for you. Pink’s your favorite color, right?” A box of tissues rested on the floor of the car. He took a few of the Kleenex and wiped Jennifer’s face and told her to blow her nose. Jennifer complied and stopped crying once she spotted the balloons.

Her mother appeared with the aspirin and a paper cup filled with water. “Here you go.” She gave the items to Misty, spotting Nate in the backseat of the car. “Hi, Nate.”

“Hi, Ms. Stewart.”

Her mother returned to the house, leaving them alone in the car. Misty swallowed the medicine and sighed, recalling the conversations she’d had with her mother and sisters over the weekend. As they’d doted upon Jennifer, they’d pressed that it would probably be best to reunite with Nate. After all, he was Jennifer’s father and he was making an effort to clean up his life. Her sister pointed out that, far as she knew, he’d not been arrested in over a year – a feat that Misty didn’t really care about. Nate’s rap sheet was a mile long, and that’s one of the reasons why she still didn’t trust him to parent Jennifer like she wanted.

Her romantic feelings toward him just didn’t exist anymore. He’d let her down too many times, and she didn’t think he’d make a very thoughtful husband. However, he was Jennifer’s dad, so, maybe she needed to show him more grace and learn to let him be in his daughter’s life more often? The thought of hooking up with Nate again proved extremely unsettling, plus, she still didn’t know where he stood with God.

Jennifer played with her balloons and Nate got out of the back seat and came around to her open window. “Hi, Misty.”

She glanced at him, wondering what he was trying to prove by purchasing a dozen red roses. “Hi, Nate.” She again eyed the flowers. He handed her the blooms. The sweet smell of the blossoms tickled her nose. She loved roses and the entire time she’d been with Nate, he’d never purchased flowers for her. “
Why would I buy you flowers? You’ve got me, isn’t that good enough for you?”
he’d boasted. His lofty attitude had grated on her nerves like fingernails screeching across a chalkboard.

“Nate—”

“Don’t say anything. Just take the flowers.”

“But I don’t want—”

“Just take the flowers, Misty.”

She glanced at her watch. She really needed to get on the road. She was sure that Jennifer would fall asleep on the ride home. She’d also had to give her a bath and pack her bag for the daycare. Prayerfully, Jennifer would use the potty while she stayed at Ms. Lucy’s tomorrow. She didn’t have time to argue with Nate, so, it was just easier to keep the flowers. “I really need to get going.”

“Hold up. I’m not finished yet.”

She raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“I mean, I have something else to give you.” He held up the small Styrofoam container. “I know how much you like that homemade cookie dough ice cream down at the creamery. I bought you a half gallon.”

She frowned, still suspicious. While she’d been pregnant with Jennifer, she’d enjoyed several quarts of the chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream from the local creamery. The heavenly rich concoction had helped to ease her nerves while pregnant, plus, it helped to cure her craving for dairy products. Thinking about the luscious treat made her mouth water, and she, again, wondered if Nate would get the wrong idea if she accepted his gift. Another thought occurred to her. “Nate, just leave the ice cream for my mother and my sisters to enjoy. I’ll be driving for two and a half hours. Surely the ice cream will melt during that time.”

He shook his head. “No it won’t. The folks down at the creamery told me that the ice cream will last for a few hours if you keep it in this special container. They said they use dry ice to keep it cold. They use this when people buy ice cream for picnics.” He held the container toward her but she made no effort to take it. He finally leaned into the car, placing the thick container beside the fragrant roses. He refused to move, his face inches from hers. “I know I haven’t always treated you right, but, you can at least give me some credit for trying to change.” His lips were so close. Misty wondered if he were going to kiss her, and she shuddered at the thought. As if sensing her mood, he stood straight up, moved away from the car. “I didn’t mean to hold you up.”

Blowing air through her lips, she placed her car into reverse. “Bye, Nate.”

He waved as she drove away. Given Jennifer’s behavior that day, and Nate’s visit, she didn’t know when she’d be coming back to see her mother again.

Chapter 15

Misty placed the slice of cheese pizza onto Jennifer’s plate. Her child clapped her hands, excited to be in the restaurant, enjoying the treat. Sterling piled four pieces of pepperoni pizza onto his plate. Goodness, that man sure could eat! Misty enjoyed a slice of pepperoni pizza with a side salad. The noises of games and children’s voices rang throughout the air as they sat at Chuck E Cheese’s – Jennifer’s favorite place to play and eat. Machines and games dinged and lit up as children pulled tickets out of the slots when they scored points.

Jennifer’s pile of tickets remained by her plate. Misty had ordered their pizza as Sterling took Jennifer’s hand, showing her the different contraptions and assisted her in scoring tickets for her prize. Jennifer had giggled and laughed so much. Misty figured this was the happiest she’d seen Jennifer since they’d relocated to Miami.

She usually took Jennifer out to Chuck E Cheese when it was a special occasion, or, when she’d been invited to a birthday party. However, this week had proven to be cause for celebration. When Misty had returned from her mother’s house, she’d been afraid that Adrian had been proven right and that Jennifer would act worse after seeing her grandmother again. However, her behavior at the daycare had improved a great deal. During the week, she still spoke to her grandmother every night, and during the day, she no longer wet her pants when she was at the daycare. She used the potty and her improved behavior was an answer to Misty’s prayers.

She’d also received a confirmation email from Juliette’s, stating her application had been accepted. She’d been shocked when Juliette’s had called earlier that day. The advisor stated that they were having an open house for all of the applicants. It was strongly advised that she attend and that she bring Jennifer along. The director wanted to meet all of the prospective students. She’d taken a half day off from work, glad that Carmen didn’t object. She was still so new at this job that she didn’t want to make a bad impression by taking leave so soon after starting her new job.

Misty focused on Sterling while he gobbled his pizza and guzzled his cola. Adrian had insisted on her and Sterling going car shopping this weekend and Sterling had arranged for his assistants to run the bakery today so that they could visit used car dealerships. So far, the Saturday outing had been wonderful. It’d been a blessing for Sterling to assist with the selection. He knew which questions to ask the dealer and he’d even insisted on checking the engines himself. Misty had test-driven at least four vehicles that day, and as they’d discussed it, they’d felt they may have found a car that would suit Adrian’s needs. Sterling admitted that there were a few more places that they could look. The following day, after church, he’d agreed to take Misty to the few remaining dealerships. They needed to make a final decision soon since Adrian anxiously awaited her new car since she no longer wanted to pay for a rental.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Sterling gestured toward Misty’s slice of pizza. She chuckled, wondering if he were still hungry. She’d been covertly watching him eat for the past ten minutes and found that she liked hanging out with him. She glanced at Jennifer. She sat in her booster seat and her eyes were closed. Her deep breathing signaled she’d fallen asleep and she’d devoured her plate of pizza, too.

She bit into the cheesy pizza which was laced with garlic. The food tasted wonderful and she sipped her soda before responding. “Yes, I’m hungry. I was just sitting here daydreaming about Jennifer’s wonderful week.”

Sterling chuckled before finishing his soda. “Yeah, that is great that she’s acting more like herself. Are you still set on sending her to that school?”

Misty frowned. She didn’t want to share her news with Sterling. What if he started laughing again?

“What’s the matter?”

“The last time we talked about this, you laughed at me,” she reminded him.

He leaned toward her. “Hey, I’m sorry about that. I’m just not used to people talking about preschools the same way they talk about college.”

She told him about the open house. “I just hope Jennifer makes a good impression.”

He squeezed her hand. “Jennifer’s a bright kid. I’m sure she’ll do fine.” He gestured toward the fountain soda machine. “I’m going to get a refill.” Misty watched the strong plane of his back as he walked away. It was still kind of hard to accept Sterling’s help. Adrian kindly let both her and Jennifer stay at her place for a low rent, and Misty wanted to do all that she could to help Adrian. Initially, she’d wondered if she could purchase the car on her own without Sterling’s assistance. However, as she’d thought about it, she figured it was best that Adrian had asked Sterling to assist with the purchase. Misty knew absolutely nothing about used cars and having Sterling along to help had proven to be a blessing.

Sterling returned to the table, guzzling his soda. Misty again wondered about his life. There was so much she didn’t know about him, and she again recalled when she’d asked about his twin brothers a few weeks ago, how he’d avoided the subject. She finished her slice of pizza and he looked up and caught her staring. He grinned. “What?” Removing a napkin from the dispenser, he wiped his mouth. “Do I have pizza sauce on my face?”

Shaking her head, she pushed her paper plate away, leaned back into the booth. Relief flowed through her like warm honey since Jennifer continued to sleep, allowing her to speak to Sterling without any interruptions. “I was wondering about something.”

He took another drink of soda, glancing at Jennifer before focusing on her again. “Really? What were you wondering about?”

She gave him a frank, honest answer. “You and your life.”

“Huh?”

“Weeks ago, when we were coming back from my mom’s house, I asked about you about your brothers and you changed the subject. How come?”

His voice hardened. “Misty, I don’t like talking about my brothers.” He looked away for a few seconds. “Not with the way things are going.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t get along with one of my brothers. I get along with Louis, but not Leon.”

Now they were getting somewhere. Maybe she could find out more about him and his family after all. “Louis and Leon? That’s the names of your twin brothers?”

He nodded. “Leon has…issues. He’s got a lot of problems and he won’t get any help.”

“What kind of problems?”

He glanced around the crowded play area. “You know, we were having such a good time earlier. I hate to ruin a perfect Saturday by talking about my hard-headed brother.”

Misty’s heart skipped. Although the Saturday had been perfect, she still craved to know more about his life. She swallowed, choosing her words carefully. “Well, I just wanted you to know that if you ever wanted to talk about anything, just let me know.” Goodness knows he’d helped her out enough times that it was the least she could do.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, but, she sensed he wasn’t too crazy about telling her about his life.

Once they were ready to leave, he lifted snoozing Jennifer and carried her to the car. After he’d strapped her into her car seat, they got into the vehicle and he started the ignition and pulled onto the road. The drive home was silent, and Misty wondered if she’d upset him by asking her nosy questions. Once they arrived at Adrian’s, Sterling unbuckled Jennifer and Misty unlocked the front door. Sterling followed her into the house, placing Jennifer on her bed. Adrian wasn’t around, so Misty assumed she was in her bedroom or out with some friends from church. She escorted Sterling back to the front door, and her heart thudded when he leaned toward her, his full, beautiful lips coming closer to hers.

She stepped back, sensing he was about to kiss her. With her recent move to Miami, Jennifer’s see-sawing behavior, and Nate’s erratic attitude, the last thing she needed was to become emotionally involved with Sterling Richards. She enjoyed his company, but, she wasn’t sure if their friendship could turn into something more serious.

He frowned, looked away, and she wondered if she’d hurt his feelings. “I’m sorry.” The apology rushed to her lips before she could stop it.

He shook his head. “Don’t apologize.”

He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “You know you were asking me about my brothers earlier?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t like talking about Leon because, well, it’s hard to talk about my brother because he hates me.”

Misty gasped. That couldn’t be true. Could it? “Why?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it another time. But, I didn’t want you to think I was just being stubborn about not answering your question. I want things to work out with my brother, but, I don’t know if we’ll ever reconcile.”

“Don’t say that. Siblings argue sometimes.”

He shook his head. “This is worse.” Heat rushed to her face when he touched her cheek with his finger. “Good night.”

“Good night.” She watched him while he walked to his house. She shut the door, leaning against the closed portal. Why in the world would Leon hate Sterling? He was one of the kindest men she’d ever met. She continued to lament about his situation as she got ready for bed later that night.