The Davenport Christmas Chronicles - Piper Davenport Page 0,75
out. “This looks amazing.”
When we’d drawn up the plans for the space, Doom had suggested I plan for a café set-up, offering coffee and pastries, along with cakes and confections. The area only had one large chain coffee shop, unusual to say the least, so I was in a prime location to get even more business if I offered breakfast. I’d worried it would be a lot more work, but I had a club full of young men trying to earn their dues, and Doc had informed me that they were available to use and abuse, so I decided to go for the moon.
I now had seating for twenty, with gorgeous little tables and chairs that felt very Parisian, especially with the fresh flower centerpieces Parker had provided.
The glass case at the front of the store had been cleaned, so it displayed the cakes, cupcakes, and pastries beautifully. Parker had placed flowers in various spots in the case as well and I loved everything she did.
“How am I going to replicate this every day?” I cried, pulling Parker in for a hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“I’ve taken pictures,” Parker said. “You got this.”
I chuckled. “Thank you.”
“Ten minutes, Lace,” Mouse warned. “Do you need anything?”
“No, honey, this is perfect.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “Better than I could have imagined. Thank you.”
He kissed my temple and gave me a squeeze. “You’re welcome.”
“Right, let’s flip that sign,” I said, wiping my tears of gratitude away.
“Wait,” Mouse said. “I want to take a video of this.”
He grabbed his phone and I made a Vanna White play of turning the sign and unlocking the door, then hugged everyone again.
That was the last second of breath I had.
The first person through the door was Doom, followed by every single biker and their significant other (if they had one). Some also brought their kids, so every table was filled, and there was a line to get in the door.
I tried to give Doom and his wife, Lyric, a free breakfast, but they were having none of it. They’d brought their darling children who oohed and aahed over their food and told me I was the best baker they’d ever met. They paid, then left a huge tip and by the time I turned the sign back to closed, and locked the front door, I was nearly in tears with the gratitude I felt.
I was alone with Mouse, and I wrapped my arms tightly around him and dropped my head into his chest.
“You okay?” he asked, hugging me back.
“I am just so... overwhelmed. I love you. Thank you for taking this risk with me.”
I’d come to find out that Mouse had taken ten-thousand dollars out of his life savings to make this dream happen for me, so the risk for him was just as big. Maybe bigger.
“I will do anything with, and for, you, Kennedy.”
“I know,” I breathed out. “I will never take that for granted.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
“Merry Christmas indeed.”
I kissed him again and we spent the rest of the evening prepping to do it all again the next morning.
This man, this biker, had healed me on a level I had not expected, and I was the luckiest girl on earth.
My doorbell rang and I opened the door to find a large box on the porch. I frowned. I recognized the logo because the ads for the recipe and ingredient company were constantly popping up on my social media accounts.
The problem was, I hadn’t ordered it.
“Oh my god,” I breathed out.
But I knew who had, so I locked my door, carried the box into the kitchen and called my mother.
“Did you get it?” she asked.
“No, ‘hello my beautiful girl, how are you’?” I admonished.
“Hello, my beautiful girl, how are you? Did you get it?”
I laughed. “Yes, Mama, I got it, but I don’t know why you’re trying... again. I can’t cook. I celebrate the fact I can’t cook, and I don’t want anyone to change me.”
“But you have to cook for your husband.”
“Oh, my lord, Mama, it’s not nineteen-fifty! I don’t want a husband.”
“Yes, you do. You just can’t cook so you don’t think you can find one.”
My mother had absolutely no filter.
“This is not true, and you know it.” I ran a knife down the seam of the tape keeping the box closed. “If I find a husband because some man drops in my lap and says he can’t live without me,