11. Espresso Cupcakes

Espresso Cupcakes

Nova

31 Days Until New Year’s Eve

I came into work early to get a jump start on the day and focus more on the festival I wanted to plan. After finishing all the baking work, I retired to my office. Instead of getting to work, I’ve daydreamed about Lincoln and his hands on my body. Lincoln inside me. I shifted in my seat as I felt myself get wet. Sex had never been that good for me before. Lincoln made sex with Paul downright laughable. And I had a feeling his brothers would be just as talented. I spent half the night thinking over Linc’s comment on sharing and ultimately decided that he was the one who told them, so if they weren’t concerned about how this would work out, I wouldn’t be either. Or at least I would try not to be.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I checked the time and called the Mayor. His secretary put me through and greeted me warmly when he answered.

“Nova! How are you this morning? I wasn’t expecting a call from you, was I?” I smiled at his question. He was intelligent and good at business but a little scatterbrained sometimes.

“No, you weren’t. I had an idea that I wanted to pass by you,” I replied. I launched into explaining the orphanage and my idea to host a Christmas festival.

“Personally, I love the idea,” he replied when I finished, “but we stopped having the annual festival because attendance remained low, and it was costing the town too much to continue.”

“What if I get the local businesses to sponsor it?”

“If you can get businesses to sponsor the cost, and it doesn’t cost the town money, I’ll approve any permits you need,” he promised.

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. That’s all I needed to hear,” I said excitedly.

“Good luck, Nova. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I hope you can pull this off,”

I hung up with him and immediately called the newspaper to place an ad for local businesses to meet at Icing next week. It would be a mad dash to get it all done in time, but it would be worth it. I made a list of what I wanted to have at the festival if we could afford it. We needed a massive tree for a tree-lighting ceremony—cookie decorating, maybe even a contest. We would need a Santa to attend, and perhaps we could even put up an ice skating rink.

I spent the rest of the morning researching the different things I wanted to do and sourcing what we would need to pull it off so that I had a detailed proposal for the rest of the businesses at the meeting next week. People are always more inclined to contribute when they know where their money will go. I would need to sit down with my finances later and determine how much I could contribute. I was pretty sure that Triple Tech would be willing to put up what we couldn’t, but I didn’t want this just to be a Triple Tech-funded project. It was time for our community to remember its roots.

I was so lost in what I was doing that I was bleary-eyed and somewhat confused when Stef knocked on my door. “Paul is here to see you and doesn’t look happy.”

“What on earth could he want?” I asked. I took a sip of my cold coffee and sighed. “Send him back.”

She disappeared, and Paul came storming into my office thirty seconds later with a piece of paper. “Care to explain what the fuck this is about?” he yelled, throwing the paper at me. I caught it and looked at it. It was a printout of an article about the ribbon cutting yesterday and a large picture of Lincoln and me together. The caption read, “Triple Tech CEO and Icing on Top owner attend ribbon cutting ceremony together to open a new orphanage.”

“It’s a press release,” I replied, holding the paper out for him to take back.

He slapped it out of my hand. “I know what the fuck it is,” he yelled. “It’s on Triple Tech’s home page. I mean, why the fuck were you there with my boss? Is this your way of getting back at me for leaving you?”

“Lower your fucking voice,” I growled. “And not that it is any of your business what I do, but we’re dating.”

Paul’s eyes bugged out of his head before he doubled over in laughter. “Right,” he said once he had composed himself enough to speak, “you’re dating. God, you’re fucking delusional. Why the fuck would one of the richest men in town want to date a worthless cow like you when he could have anyone he wanted? You aren’t even good enough for me.”

“Do not call her a cow, you piece of shit!” Stef yelled, stomping around the corner where she had been standing as she listened to our conversation. “You’re the one who isn’t good enough for her!”

“Stef!” I reprimanded. “Back out front, this doesn’t concern you.”

“I’m sorry, Nova, but he shouldn’t talk to you like that,” she replied, glaring daggers at Paul as she retreated.

“It’s time for you to leave, Paul,” I said firmly.

“Fine. But whatever the fuck is going on here, end it. You better not fuck up my career, or you’ll be fucking sorry!” I watched him storm out of the kitchen before I shut my office door and sank into my chair.

I took several deep breaths to keep the tears at bay. I didn’t want him to be right, but he voiced every insecurity I had already been thinking. What the fuck were any one of them doing with me when there were far skinnier and far sexier women they could have at the snap of their fingers? It didn’t make sense. Hating how Paul’s words and my thoughts tainted my time with Lincoln yesterday, I decided to channel all of my feelings into Espresso Cupcakes.

I didn’t make them often since they took much longer than other cupcakes. I loved the challenge they gave me with all the steps and precise measurements needed to make them correctly. It forced my chaotic brain to settle down. Usually, by the time I’ve finished making them, I’ve calmed down enough to make more rational decisions. Plus, they’re gorgeous and absolutely divine.