Chapter Four Cindy

“ Y ou look... tired.”

Claire is polite and sweet and I love her. When I show up to help paint the bakery that will one day take the world by storm (Cakes by Claire, remember it), I don’t look fabulous.

The only consolation is that I don’t have work at The River House or classes today. Last night’s failed frat party kicked off Spring Break.

“Why is Spring Break not even in spring?” I whine, grabbing a cup of the famous Cinnamon Streusel coffee that Claire and Georgia have gotten me addicted to. It’s the perfect thing for a late February pick me up—especially if you’re an idiot who barely got any sleep as you tried to chase a certain erogenous high that you just couldn’t catch. “I can’t afford to go to Florida, and I’m definitely not going home to Ithaca—they got thirteen inches of snow this morning! Whatever zany madcap fun I have will have to be around here.”

“Ohhh, that explains why you look so beat. Late night Spring Break bash?” Claire pulls her long brown waves up into a red bandana and pulls on one of her fiancé’s old white t-shirts.

Claire’s honey is perfect for her, being a chef with a heart of solid gold—and ridiculously drool-worthy. Georgie is this gorgeous blonde Nordic-looking god with a chest like a whiskey barrel that worked out, and he’s about seven feet tall. Even on Claire’s very pumpkin-shaped physique, his shirt hangs loose like an old smock, becoming the perfect painting outfit.

“Not so much a bash as a crash,” I say, pulling my own sandy blonde hair up into a sloppy bun. “You look like Rosie the Riveter’s much hotter twin.”

“Thank you! You look cute, too. Um. Are you sure you’re up to painting?”

“Hey, I want the job as your assistant. The sooner this place is up and running, the sooner I can transition out of waitressing and into... something else. This, I guess.”

“You don’t sound very excited.” Claire pulls out rollers and painter’s tape, giving me a sidelong glance.

“No! I am! It’s just that in three months, I’ll graduate—after forever-and-a-half. This is my last Spring Break. Ten days of freedom before ‘freebie’ vacations are a thing of the past. I guess at twenty-five, it’s about time.”

“Hey, my timeline was the same—but for different reasons. I guess Georgie and I won’t see you for a few days, huh? You’ll be living it up—or laying low.” Claire laughs with a wink.

I know she’s probably picturing me having an endless loop of swinging singles’ fun in my apartment or living at Jax Alley, which is a sexy-skeevy roadhouse bar outside of town. “Haha. No. Probably not much.”

I don’t want to tell Claire about how pathetic my love life has gotten. I’m supposed to be the sexy adventurous one, the one who is self-assured and brimming with confidence. Claire and Cathy don’t look up to me, exactly, but they’re the mild to my “wild.” Claire wouldn’t be happily engaged without Cathy and me. We told her to go for it and make a move when she met the hunk of hot chef who hides out in the kitchen.

I want that. Not necessarily the tall, beefy drink of water Claire has, but—

Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Yes, I want that. I want a big, strong provider and protector to wrap me in his arms and tell me that it’s okay that I’ve putzed around with my life for so long and that I don’t know what I’m doing. That it’s okay that I don’t know what to do with a freaking liberal arts degree, and who understands how much I dread moving back home just to be shunted along into my parents’ plumbing business.

“I really do love working with you. I love working in catering, and I would be crazy not to stay here and help out in this bakery. With your flavors and designs, it’s going to be big.”

“Maybe. It sure popped In December and January when you helped out at Jan and Diana’s wedding. We got lots of people lined up for tastings. If only we can get them to commit. If only we can get Cakes By Claire trending again once I actually have a bakery open and I’m not just working in Georgie’s kitchen where the coffee shop prep takes up most of the space! And a website. And social media. Oh, God...” Claire puts her head in her hands.

“Hey! Hey, hey. You should worry about your wedding day, babe. Leave the social media and web stuff to Georgia and me.”

“Oh! The catering department, too...”

“You. Georgie. Happily ever after. Wedding bells a-ringing. White dress. Fancy shoes. Tux.”

“He’ll be in a kilt.” Claire looks glazed.

I go over and firmly take her hands. “Ooh. I like. I thought he had Viking blood.”

“Orc.”

“What?”

“No-rth! Northern Scotland. The Hebridean area,” Claire stammers and stumbles over the words.

“Cool. Focus on that, okay? That’s what really matters in life.” I give Claire a big hug, expression pained where she can’t see it.

Love and a lifetime partner. A passion to follow. That’s what really matters.

Yeah, that’s right. That’s what I said. That’s what I meant.

“You’re right, Cindy. You’re totally right. I’ve got the person I love most in this world, and we’re getting married—and we have the money to make this place shine. We have the friends to help us. Oh, gosh. I’m going to start crying!”

I swallow a sigh and laugh instead as Claire hugs me and cries a couple of happy tears on my shoulder. I pat her back and roll my eyes heavenward.

No, not because this is a Hallmark moment.

Because I’m mad at myself.

Dang, I can dish out advice, but I sure as hell never learned how to take it.

Follow Cindy and Lennox as they find true love in Velvet Wings .