Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Josie glanced at the clock for what must have been the hundredth time and sighed. She felt as though her workday was never going to end. It was her bachelorette party that night, and she hadn't felt so squirmy during a workday in a long time—perhaps not ever.

Outside, it was a beautiful sunny day. She knew that it was bitterly cold outside, but inside, it was warm and cozy, and the sunlight made the outdoors look pleasant and inviting. Josie took a sip of the peppermint tea that she'd made for herself and glanced back down at her to-do list. She'd already gotten everything done that she needed to do that day, and she tried to convince herself to start getting ahead on tomorrow's work. She felt restless and jumpy, however, and it was hard for her to concentrate.

I'm so excited, she thought. I can't wait for tonight.

Her bachelorette party was going to be a low-key affair—the plan was just to gather with her friends for games, drinks, and treats, but she still felt giddy with excitement over it. She grinned, realizing that most of her excitement stemmed from the fact that Paige was going to be there that night. She hadn't seen her little sister in a long time, and she couldn't wait to hug her and spend time with her.

She glanced at the clock again. Only a minute had passed, and she sighed, feeling as though her workday was never going to end.

She heard a laugh and glanced over at Alissa. Her friend was watching her, and it was clear that Alissa had seen the way she was checking the clock.

"You want to get out of here or something?" the other woman teased.

Josie grinned. "I have to admit I do. I feel so wiggly with excitement over tonight. I'm trying to convince myself to get started on tomorrow's to-do list, but I'm finding it hard to concentrate."

Alissa chuckled. "Girl, get out of here. There's no reason to stay if you've already gotten all your work done. You can leave a little bit early, that's totally fine."

Josie squirmed, feeling torn about it. "Are you sure? Shouldn't I be on hand in case something goes wrong?"

"During the last half an hour of the workday? We'll be fine." Alissa grinned at her. "Today's a big day for you! You go ahead and get out of here. If there are any unexpected fires, Dane and I can cover for you."

Josie bit her lip for a second, and then nodded at her friend. "Okay. Thanks."

Alissa gave an airy wave. "Of course! You're more than welcome."

"I'll see you later," Josie said as she stood up, downed the last of her tea, and went to grab her coat.

"Yes, you will! I can't wait. We're going to have so much fun. When does Paige get into town?"

"Really soon," Josie said, looking at the clock again. "She should be here in less than an hour."

"Amazing! I can't wait to see her, and I know you must be crazy excited for her to come home."

Josie nodded as she buttoned her coat. "I am! I'm so thankful she's able to make it. My bachelorette party wouldn't have felt complete without her."

Alissa nodded and smiled, and Josie grabbed her purse. Now that she was finally about to get out of work, she felt like a caged bird about to take flight. She couldn't wait to get home and start preparing for the party.

"See you later!" Josie called cheerfully, and her friend waved.

Once she was back out into the cold air, she smiled with excitement. There was a spring in her step as she walked to where her car was parked. She eagerly thought about everything she still needed to do in preparation for her party—she'd bought all of the food that she needed to already, but there were still some things to be done, such as arranging various treats on plates and setting out dishes. She grinned when she remembered that Paige had promised to make cupcakes for the party—red velvet ones with cream cheese frosting. She continued to mentally go through her checklist as she drove home through the snowy streets of Blueberry Bay.

Tonight is going to be so much fun, Josie thought as she reached her apartment.

Now that she was out of work, her restless feeling was gone, and she felt completely in a holiday mood. She hurried up the stairs to her apartment and set to work, laying a clean white tablecloth on the table and setting out her best dishes, which were made of pink glass.

She was deep in the middle of her work when she heard the buzzer ring. Her heart leapt up, and she let out a squeal.

"Paige!" she exclaimed aloud. She couldn't wait to hug her sister.

She raced over to the button that let Paige into the building and pressed it. Grinning, she went back to setting the table until the door of her apartment opened, and Paige stepped inside, carrying a duffle bag over one shoulder.

"Welcome home!" Josie cried and hurried over to her sister. She threw her arms around Paige and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, I've missed you," Paige said, sounding as if she was laughing and crying at the same time. "How excited are you for tonight?"

"Well, the most exciting part of my night is happening right now," Josie said, grinning at her. "I'm so happy you're here."

Paige clasped her hands together, her cheeks flushed. "I'm so happy to be here too."

For a moment, they both smiled at each other without speaking, and then Paige glanced at the clock. "But we can catch up while I make cupcakes! I'd better start now if they're going to be ready by the time the party starts."

"Are you sure?" Josie asked, following her sister to the kitchen counter. "You can take a moment to rest, you know!"

Paige shook her head, smiling. "You know I love to bake. Besides, I practiced this recipe a couple of times already, so I don't have to think about it as much. We can talk while I start to whip these together."

"Okay," Josie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let me know if I can be of assistance."

"Copy that."

"And tell me all about how school is going, please. I want to know every detail."

The two sisters began to catch up as Paige started making the red velvet cupcakes. Every once in a while, she would ask Josie to get something for her from the cupboards or refrigerator, and Josie would hurry to grab it. As she worked, Paige chattered away happily about how well her classes at Flourish Baking School were going.

"You're amazing," Josie said proudly as she watched her sister whizz around the kitchen. "It's clear that you're even better at baking than you were before."

"Psh," Paige said as she mixed the batter, but she was smiling happily over the compliment.

"I mean it, I'm really proud of you," Josie said warmly. "You definitely made the right choice when you decided to pursue your dreams instead of going to regular college."

Paige paused to look at Josie, her eyes shining. Josie remembered how much her sister had felt torn about going to Flourish Baking School instead of attending the university that had given her a full scholarship. She'd struggled with telling Josie how she felt, but she'd finally told her sister that what she wanted to do was attend baking school instead of going to college, and Josie couldn't have been more proud of her. She had no doubt her sister was going to succeed in owning her own bakery someday, even without a full college education.

"How about you?" Paige asked, smiling as she began to spoon batter into the cupcake pans. "How's wedding planning going?"

"Really well." Josie smiled, helping her sister by spooning batter into the second pan. "We've just about got everything ready. I'm so excited."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Paige asked quietly, "Is Mom still planning on coming?"

Josie glanced at her sister and her heart went out to her. Paige was frowning a little, and Josie guessed that her sister was feeling the kind of sinking feeling in her stomach that she herself knew all too well. "I'm not sure," she said softly. "I haven't heard from her in a while."

Even though their mom had agreed to come to the wedding, Josie wanted to make sure that Paige didn't get her hopes up too much.

"Well, at least she hasn't said no," Paige said, smiling a little too briskly.

Josie reached out and gave her sister a hug. "All we can do is wait and hope for the best."

Paige nodded, lingering in their hug. She took a deep breath and smiled again, more sincerely this time. "You're right. Let's get back to work."

Before long, the cupcakes were safely tucked inside the oven, beginning to give off a rich, sweet aroma.

"Want to help me with the frosting?" Paige asked, grinning. Her spirits seemed to have lifted again, and Josie was glad.

"I'd love to. Let's dye it a fun color. How about pink?"

"Oh, I love that! I learned how to make really vivid colors in one of my classes. I'll show you."

Soon the frosting was made—and dyed a bright, delightful pink—and the cupcakes came out of the oven to cool. The sisters finished the remaining party preparations, such as setting out games and lighting scented candles, and then they frosted the cupcakes, talking and laughing as they worked.

"There," Josie said with a sigh of satisfaction as she placed the last cupcake down on the serving plate.

"Wait!" Paige said. "I have an idea—do you have raspberries?"

"Oh! Yes, I do—you mean to put on top?"

Paige grinned. Josie hurried to get the raspberries out of the refrigerator, and together they placed a raspberry on top of each cupcake. There were just enough, and the effect was charming.

"They look darling," Josie said in approval, and at that moment her apartment buzzer rang again. She hurried over to the intercom. "Come on in!" she called, and pressed the button to let her guest inside.

Less than a minute later, the first guest proved to be Alissa. She hurried into Josie's apartment and gave her friend a big hug.

"I'm so excited for this—hey, Paige!" Alissa hugged Josie's sister as well, and as the two of them started to catch up about Paige's school and Alissa's baby, the buzzer rang again.

Soon Josie's apartment was filled with her friends. They sat together in the living room, already digging into the snacks and cupcakes despite the fact that pizzas were going to be delivered for dinner soon. Each of the women tried one of Paige's cupcakes, and everyone proclaimed them to be even better than Paige's baking had been before.

"Paige, this is so delicious," Olivia said, placing her hand on her heart as if she was going to faint.

"It really is," Caitlin agreed, nodding emphatically at the young baker. "I find it hard to believe your baking could get even better, but here's the proof."

"Thank you," Paige said, blushing and smiling.

They started to play a board game and were soon laughing and talking excitedly. When the pizzas arrived, they took a break from the game to eat at the table, and each of the women gave a short toast, wishing Josie happiness in her coming marriage.

When dinner was over, they returned to the living room and continued their game. Everyone had a second helping of Paige's cupcakes, and before long, they started another board game.

Josie's heart felt full as she looked around the room, listening to the voices of her friends. In that moment, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.