Sweet Surrender Read online

  “Really? That’s a great idea.” Shelby glanced around, looking a little lost. “What do you need me to do?”

  Caty rattled off the list of ingredients she needed for the frosting. Shelby was a great kid. At only sixteen she already had a knack for baking and mixing flavors that worked well together.

  “You should talk to my friend Alex Whitman’s aunt. She’s one of the wedding consultants out at the resort. Could you imagine if we had gotten to do Nate Ivory’s wedding cake? Talk about a dream—the cake and the man.”

  Caty sighed in unison with Shelby. Dreams. Once upon a time, she’d had those—an exclusive bakery in South Beach catering to the rich and famous, celebrity judge on Clash of the Cupcakes—but Aaron, her ex, had squashed each and every one like an uninvited ant at a picnic.

  “I’ve already looked into that option. The Barefoot Brides use The Sweet Spot for all their cakes. But it’s okay. We’ll make this work. There’s a big world just over the causeway, waiting for us. Naples is a small hop, skip, and a drive and has more business than the two of us can handle.” Caty whacked the bag of pretzels with her rolling pin. “There is life beyond Mimosa Key, my young apprentice.”

  Shelby laughed. “That’s what my mom always says.”

  “Imagine it. With a population of over twenty thousand…that’s a lot of birthdays. But we don’t have to stop there. We could do engagement parties, which lead to bridal showers, which—you’re old enough to know—lead to baby showers.”

  Shelby laughed again.

  The possibilities were endless and, in time, she could look for a storefront in Naples for her bakery. Mimosa Key would have been nice, but it wasn’t big enough for two bakeries. Although, she might be able to get Pete at The Sweet Spot to subcontract to her when things got too busy for him to handle. It was an idea she’d been playing around with for a while. Maybe after stopping to see Mandy she’d swing by the bakery.

  “We could also do corporate events—office parties, retirements, whatever. You name the occasion, we can bake for it. We just have to get our name out there,” Caty said as her mind kept swirling with ideas.

  Shelby set the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and imported Madagascar vanilla extract on the counter next to her. “Sounds like you have it all worked out and that we’re going to be very busy.”

  “That’s the plan, Shelby. That’s the plan.”

  Because really she had no other choice. She had to make this work. Failing wasn’t an option. Her parents might have given her the house when they decided to travel America by RV, but she had bills to pay and, well, every now and then food would be nice. But jobs on Mimosa Key were scarce and while Naples was a short drive, she didn’t really want to take orders from someone else. All she’d ever done was bake, and be someone’s wife.

  Sadly, she’d already failed at both of those once before. She had no intention of repeating either mistake. Ever. Again.

  Chapter Two

  “Oh mamma mia, these are the bomb.” Tricia, one of the housekeepers, exclaimed around a mouthful of food. “Why are you not baking the cakes for the Barefoot Brides? That last cake they had was dry and these are so moist and yummy.”

  Caty laughed as Tricia took another bite and groaned.

  Mandy looked up at her with those killer green eyes. “You know, she has a point. You should be baking for weddings.”

  She waved her friend’s words away. Mandy was just trying to make her feel better. “Thanks, but The Sweet Spot has the contract and Pete’s a good baker.”

  “Maybe so, but you’re better.” Tricia grabbed another cupcake and headed out the door.

  “Tricia’s right and you need to stop being so nice if you want to succeed in business, Caty.”

  Now that they were alone, Caty sat in the chair across from her friend and steeled her nerves. It was now or never to bring up the Barefoot Bay Bucks and her idea. Caty’s stomach rolled like the tide with a hurricane barreling down. It was a miracle her breakfast stayed. Maybe she should just forget the whole idea? Mandy and she had been friends for a long, long time, and there was a time she wouldn’t have hesitated to ask for a favor. But now, everything was different.

  Caty was different. She tried really hard not to let anyone see that she was no longer the sweet, bubbly, upbeat, most-likely-to-always-be-happy person she’d been voted at Mimosa Key High. If anyone would understand the struggle, it was Mandy.

  Both had married well. Well, they’d married what had appeared to be good men. In reality, Mandy’s husband had cheated people out of millions and fled the country, leaving her to face the consequences. Caty’s husband, Aaron, hadn’t broken the law—at least not one that had the feds hunting him down.

  Maybe there was a better way to do this?

  Mandy had remarried, this time to the class geek, who had taken his gifts and made billions before he’d returned home and won the heart of the girl he’d loved since high school. Mimosa Key had thrived with Zeke’s return because not only did he bring money, he also brought investors who’d built the minor league ball stadium. She could only image how many people asked them for help.

  And man, did Caty hate asking for help.

  According to Aaron, it was a sign of weakness.

  But she had to suck it up and ask. It wasn’t like she had a choice. She couldn’t imagine sitting in an office all day, staring at a computer. Granted, she had a degree in hospitality and there were plenty of resorts around that she could apply to for work. But her heart was set on owning her own baking business.

  “Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you,” she hesitated, hoping to gauge Mandy’s reaction.

  “Oh my gosh, yes. You don’t even have to ask. Of course I’ll introduce you to the Barefoot Brides organizers and we’ll take some of these scrumptious cupcakes with us. One bite and they’ll be ready to hire you, Caty.” Mandy jumped up from her chair and selected several cupcakes to put on a plate.

  “Mandy, slow down.” Caty laughed at her friend’s enthusiasm. “While I appreciate the offer, that’s not what I was going to ask. Beside, I wouldn’t want to go behind Pete’s back and try to steal the business away from him.”

  “Oh, yeah. I can see how that might look. However, I do happen to know that the Brides use multiple suppliers. It wouldn’t hurt for them to just sample your wares.”

  Caty really laughed now. “Sample my wares, huh? It might come down to that one of these days.” She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Actually, what I was hoping is that you’d get me an introduction with your husband or whomever I’d need to talk to about getting CatyCakes on the menu at the stadium.”

  Please don’t let me have overstepped our friendship.

  She held her breath and waited.

  “That’s a brilliant idea.” Mandy hugged her. “I’ll talk to Zeke tonight. He was talking about adding a party option, you know for like birthdays and such. You’d be the perfect choice, plus you could have a kiosk there during the games too. And none of that means we can’t pop into the Barefoot Brides office and offer them some chocolaty goodness.”

  “Well…” It wasn’t really trying to steal Pete’s business because she did plan to stop by and see him when she left the resort. It was more like an audition, right?

  “Oh, and let’s drop off a few to Lacey. Chef Ian may make the desserts for the resort, but Lacey has lots of friends who have kids, and we need to get the word out that CatyCakes is in business.”

  Caty laughed and grabbed another plate. “You’re pretty good at this marketing thing. Maybe you missed your calling?”

  “I’ve picked up a thing or two from Zeke and the guys.” Mandy stepped out of her office, which had started out as a staff bungalow, and waved to an older gentleman going into the next bungalow. “Hang on.”

  Mandy walked up to the man and handed him one of Caty’s cupcakes, pointed her way—Caty waved—and gave him a hug before rejoining her friend.

  “What was that about?” Caty asked as they continued down
the path.

  “Spreading the word. That’s Nino Rossi. If it weren’t for Zeke, I’d run away with that man in a heartbeat. He makes the best marinara sauce. The thought alone makes my mouth water. You’d swear you were in Italy. And he has a grandson.”

  “Maybe I just need to bake a couple dozen cupcakes and let you hand them out for me.”

  Mandy linked her arm though Caty’s and grinned. “I have no problem with that plan, and it will help, but let’s aim higher. Oh, and don’t forget to send me a bill for the cupcakes you made for me.”

  “You are not paying me.” Mandy opened her mouth to argue and Caty came to a dead halt, stepping away. “No. You’re spreading the word.” She gestured to the plate in her hand and back toward the bungalows. “And you’ve promised to introduce me to Zeke or whoever I need to talk with at the stadium. You’ve gone above and beyond, living up to your name of Mandy the Magnificent.”

  “Ouch.” Mandy blanched at the name. “I’ll tell you what, Caty the Courageous. I’ll forget your high school moniker, if you forget mine. I was anything but magnificent back then, unless you count how much of a bitch I was.”

  Caty relinked arms with Mandy and walked. “You were never one to me. Besides, none of us were at our best in our teens. Thank goodness those days are over. No more worrying about what we’re wearing, if our makeup and hair are perfect, or trying to be the cool kid. Now, we can just be us. Caty and Mandy.”

  “Hear, hear.”

  As they continued their walk to the Barefoot Brides’ office, Mandy occasionally stopped staff and handed out cupcakes. Maybe Caty really should think about baking more and just walking around Mimosa Key giving out free samples? So far, the reactions had all been positive. When they reached the office, Caty stopped at the sound of laughter and a man’s voice mingled with several women’s.

  “We should come back. It sounds like they might be talking to a client.” Caty tugged Mandy in the opposite direction.

  “Perfect.”

  “Mandy, we can come back later. They’re clearly busy.”

  Her friend held her ground, but did lower her voice. “I never figured you for a coward. Look, I know this is a scary step. Believe me, I’ve been there, but if you really want this venture to work, then I need you to channel your inner lion and be brave.”

  “Ha, funny. I think I’m going to get you a dog for Christmas and call him Toto.” Caty took a few calming breaths, turned her frown upside down, and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  They’d no sooner stepped through the doorway than Caty froze.

  It couldn’t be him. Not Ian O’Malley.

  Please, let me be wrong, she silently begged.

  “Hi, I hope we’re not interrupting,” Mandy said.

  “Not at all, especially if those are for us.” An exotic-looking woman with onyx eyes and ebony hair nodded toward the plate Caty now held.

  “As a matter of fact, they are. We had leftovers from a little birthday celebration, so we’re sharing the love. These are the ladies of the Barefoot Brides: Ari McBane, Gussie DeMille and Willow Hershey,” Mandy said.

  Caty couldn’t take her eyes off of him, which was fair as he stared at her.

  Mandy introduced the women to her as the plate made its way around the room, with everyone but the tall blonde, Willow, accepting one. Caty found it interesting that Mandy skipped the Ian lookalike, which also told her that he wasn’t a normal fixture around town.

  If it is him, he’s even better looking now. So not fair.

  “Oh wow, these are good,” Gussie, the shorter blonde, exclaimed. “I’m not sure which are better, the cookies Ian brought or these cupcakes. Either way, this is my lucky day.”

  Ian. She didn’t know if she was happy to see him or not, but her stomach dipped and dove, flipped and flopped at the emotions flooding her system. Why was he here? Hopefully he was just a guest and by this time next week he’d be gone and she’d never have to see him again and remember what her life might have been like if not for him.

  “Gus, you can’t compare cookies and cupcakes. That’s like apples to oranges. They’re both divine.” Ari licked a bit of frosting from the corner of her mouth and blushed. “And I’m so sorry, we forgot to introduce Ian O’Malley. Give me sugar and my brain goes on vacation. Welcome to Barefoot Brides.”

  “That’s okay.” Caty laughed. “I consider it a compliment on my baking skills. I’m—”

  “Caty Kennedy,” Ian said.

  Her heart tripped as her name rolled off his tongue. She couldn’t believe he remembered her.

  “You guys know each other?” Willow, a tall blonde with freckles, asked.

  At the same time, Mandy blurted out, “Caty is the owner of CatyCakes Bakery.”

  Ian smiled, probably because she was beet red, which she knew because she felt like she had been standing under the mid-day sun.

  “So you did it? Opened your own bakery. Congrats.”

  “You remember?” Caty asked Ian.

  “Yes.”

  All eyes were on the two of them, along with a few puzzled looks.

  “Ian and I were on Clash of the Cupcakes a lifetime ago.” Caty didn’t really want to think about that fateful day and the disappointment, but she’d never forgotten the man standing before her. “What are you doing here? Are you getting married?”

  For a moment, she imagined baking Ian O’Malley’s wedding cake. The irony wasn’t lost, but no, it wouldn’t be her.

  “No. I’m the new owner of The Sweet Spot.”

  “Oh. Wait!” The full impact of his words fully sunk into her brain. This can’t be happening. “Pete sold the bakery? I never even heard it was up for sale.”

  Vaguely, Caty registered the women exchanging looks and whispering about something that sounded like Curly Wurly and Super Ropes, but her focus was on the man before her.

  The man who had now stolen her dream for the second time.

  “Yeah, he wanted to keep some town busybody from mucking things up.”

  “Bet he means that witch, Charity Grambling,” Mandy said under her breath, but loud enough that all in the room could hear.

  “Well, congratulations. Looks like you won again.” Caty balled up her fists, digging nails into the palm of her hands. Be nice, be a professional.

  She smiled at Mandy and gave a little nodded toward the door, hoping her friend would get a clue and get her out of there. At that moment, she wanted to simply curl up in her bed with a large stash of chocolate and lose herself in a book. Right after she screamed and hit something and maybe cried a bit, too. Of all the people for Pete Jackson to sell his shop to, it had to be Ian. Not that he had been a jerk when they’d gone head-to-head on the reality show competition.

  Just the opposite.

  Ian O’Malley had been a gracious winner, much to her dismay, because she had wanted to hate him. And couldn’t. Throughout the weeklong contest he’d joked around with her, and complimented her technique, presentation, and style in the kitchen. If she hadn’t been involved with Aaron at the time, she might have even fallen a little for the man. And, maybe she had. Who could blame her?

  Tall, dark hair, those killer baby blues, and a smile that lit up a room and everyone around him—that was Ian. Throw in the fact that he was nice, and funny, and could bake—really well—and you had a winning combination.

  Even the judges agreed. After all, Ian had won.

  The man had taken home the title, a huge check, a new job—and her chance at opening her own bakery. Not that she could or would blame him for the train wreck that became her life in years following the show.

  “Hey, I have an idea.” Gussie drew everyone’s attention to her. “The two of you should enter the Barefoot Bay Baking Bonanza next month. It’d be a great way for all of the locals to get to know you.”

  “Gussie, that’s a great idea.” Willow turned to the two of them. “It’s a four-day event. Each day you have to bake a different item, like cookies, then pies, and so on. Our own Chef Ian fro
m Junonia is the main judge.”

  “I don’t know,” Caty hedged. Been there, done that, had the scorch marks to prove it.

  “It’s great PR.” Ari cocked her head in what looked and felt to Caty like a deep study of the two of them. “Plus, the judging isn’t just our chef. You’ll have to make multiple versions of each item and those in the community who want to judge will be buying samples. All proceeds from the Bonanza go to buy new books for Mimosa Key Elementary.”

  She’d always been a sucker for a good cause and the MKE library held some of her best childhood memories. Plus, it’d give her a second chance to prove she was the better baker of the two.

  “I’m game. What about you, O’Malley?

  He hesitated and all eyes turned to him.

  “You’re not afraid, are you?” Caty asked.

  Ian’s eyes narrowed, which surprised her. She’d been joking, and he didn’t seem the type to get in a huff or go all Marty McFly over a challenge as if someone had insulted his manhood.

  “Not at all,” he said after a few moments. “Trying to figure out what’s in it for me. Everyone in town knows The Sweet Spot, so I’m not sure if I need to spend the time or the money on the event.”

  Mandy peeled the wrapper from another cupcake, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply before opening them and pointing at Ian. “But they don’t know you.”

  “Point taken.” He grinned, his blue eyes sparkling. “May the best baker win…again.”

  ~*~

  “In your dreams, Doughboy.”

  Caty wished the ladies a good day and sauntered out of the office, shaking her head. Ian didn’t know whether he should laugh or be offended at her comment. He was pretty sure she didn’t know how close to home her comment had hit.

  Not that he didn’t have faith in winning, again, but that he’d dreamed of her that week they were on the show, and many nights since.

  There was something about chocolate and Caty Kennedy that went hand in hand. Or, in his dreams, drizzled down that sweet body of hers. Maybe that was why he found himself chasing after her. Oh, he had no intention of trying to make those dreams a reality. He had enough on his plate right now. A year, two years down the road, he might think about dating again. The last round hadn’t gone so well and when he did take that step again, it wasn’t going to be with another baker.