Chapter Twenty-Five
“Don’t squeeze too hard,” Sophia instructed with a smile. “And try not to add too many sprinkles. We don’t want it overpowering the taste.”
“Don’t be a helicopter manager,” Emily whispered on her way past. “Come on; let’s step out, and you can show me those new ideas you had for the menu.”
Reluctantly, Sophia followed Emily out into the main part of the restaurant, which was covered in tarps and sheets. A few cans of paint were scattered throughout, and half of the windows were covered, only a few patches of sunlight pouring in and dancing on the floorboards underneath.
With renovations well underway after an unfortunate fire the previous week, Sophia was feeling far better than she had a few weeks ago. While she had her suspicions about the real reason the bakery caught on fire, she knew she couldn’t point a finger at Valerie without proof. All she knew was that she had to keep a closer eye on the place and ensure that none of the new hires were sent to infiltrate their ranks and report back to their biggest competitor.
News was already spreading that Valerie had secured the funds to start her own bakery.
Emily pulled out a chair with a screech. “You said it’s going to be another week of repairs, right?”
“Yeah, Nora thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the bakery being closed to make some changes, and I agreed. I guess the ‘gas leak’ came at a good time.”
Emily perched on the high chair and scoffed. “You still think it’s Valerie, don’t you? I’m telling you, she’s not that creative.”
“She is that petty, though.” Sophia folded her arms over her chest. “Come on, you’ve seen the looks she’s been giving my staff and me. I feel like she’s going to turn us into stone or something.”
“You watch too much TV, cous. You’re going to be fine. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone.” Emily linked her fingers together and grinned. “The bakery wars are going to be fun. Oh, I like the sound of that. Maybe it can be a reality TV show or something.”
“And you sayI’mthe one who watches too much TV.” Sophia shook her head and pulled out her own chair. “You know, you don’t have to be over here so much. I can manage.”
“Emily’s Decadent Treats practically runs itself; don’t worry.” She sat up straighter and gave her a smile. “Also, in case it wasn’t obvious, I’m trying to push you into moving forward with the mobile truck idea. You said Nora loves it, and didn’t Zoe help you figure out the logistics—businesswise, I mean?”
Sophia nodded. “Yeah, but I’m still not sure.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you should go for it. There’s already a lot of buzz about the renovations happening. So, with the new menu items and a truck that moves around, you’ll have all new clientele.”
“What’s wrong with the old clientele?”
Emily jumped off her chair and smoothed out the front of her blouse. “Nothing, but part of running a business is making decisions that’ll help you expand. This is one of them.”
“I don’t know. I think adding new items to the menu is change enough.”
“Kind of like how you and Darren have been sneaking out to make out like a couple of teenagers without actually talking about what’s happening?”
Sophia’s mouth fell open, and color crept up her cheeks. “How did you know about that?”
“The walls have ears.” Emily gave her a mischievous smirk. “Also, I’ve seen you guys creep out of your room a few times, and I saw the hickeys the other day. You two aren’t exactly being discreet.”
“We should talk about what’s happening.”
Except Sophia was afraid she wouldn’t like what Darren had to say. He hadn’t exactly declared his love for her.
And a part of her was worried that with all of the commotion because of the manager position at the bakery and the hired thug Eric had sent after them, the excitement was going to wear off, and Darren would realize he didn’t want to get back together with her.
It was easy to get caught up in the moment.
“Now’s your chance.” Emily peered at something over Sophia’s shoulders. “I see Darren going around the back. I’ll go let him in. Talk to him, please, and put us all out of our misery.”
With that, Emily disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a sheepish-looking Darren, who wore a pair of dark jeans and a T-shirt and was carrying a box of donuts.
Emily took it out of his hands and sauntered off. “You two don’t need this. You can have something else.”
Emily waved at them over her shoulders before disappearing through the double doors. Darren glanced at her over his shoulders and walked over to where Sophia sat, a blush still staining her cheeks.
He sat down in Emily’s chair and linked his fingers together. “How did she find out?”
