Coffee Cup Confessions - Trish Williford Page 0,27

more dates with you and see where things could go. Can’t live in fear forever, right?”

You could, but it would be a pretty shitty way to live. “Historically, I see something I want, and it’s a race to get it. I’ve been burned so many times that you’d think I would have learned. But this time, for my sanity, I need to take the walking path instead of the racetrack. It already feels like I could easily get on the same trajectory again, but I can’t fall for her too fast. I don’t want us to burn out before we get started, but I think there could be something here, Misha.”

“I think there might be too. We’ll take this slow, and if it goes somewhere, then great. If you decide it’s too soon for you later, we can at least be friends. You set the pace, and I’ll follow. Deal?”

Without hesitation, I agree, “Deal.”

We stay on the phone until she falls asleep, turning a shitty evening into a better night.

13

Misha

Jake: Free for dinner tonight before you leave for vacation?

It’s not until an hour after I receive it that I realize I have a text from Jake, and when I do, I feel like I could cry. It’s already nine in the evening, and I’m so far behind. Drew and I leave for Curaçao the day after tomorrow, and I’m finishing the last of my orders. I was hoping to have everything baked and boxed by this point, so tomorrow, I could deliver these orders and then shop, pack, and clean up around the apartment. From the looks of it, it’s going to be a late night.

Misha: So sorry. Just getting this. I have three cakes to finish and two pies to make tonight for delivery tomorrow. I’m going to be pulling an all-nighter, so I can’t go out. I’m sorry.

It’s been over a week since I last saw Jake, and even that was only for a few minutes while I dropped off the order that Mama Java’s put in for. He’s been putting in more hours at the coffeehouse recently, and I’ve been very busy with the orders coming in and keeping the coffeehouse supplied. Jake needs to replenish the baked items on average every two to three days.

Over the last few weeks, Jake and I have only been out a handful of times because our schedules. When I come back from vacation, my schedule doesn’t look like it’ll be letting up anytime soon. Wedding season is upon us, and my schedule is booked with plenty of cakes on top of my regular orders from the farmers market.

His response comes over almost instantly.

Jake: I’m on my way over with pizza. Pepperoni okay?

His thoughtfulness makes me smile, and I’m happy that I’ll get to spend a little time with him before heading out on vacation.

Misha: Sounds amazing. Can’t wait.

I have one of the cakes completely decorated and boxed by the time Jake arrives. The pizza smells so good, and it’s probably because I haven’t eaten since breakfast. But more so, Jake looks mouthwatering.

He sets the pizza on the kitchen table and comes up from behind me to wrap his arms around me. He kisses me on the cheek and looks at the cake I’m working on. “Wow, this cake is freaking awesome.”

“Thank you. It’s for an eight-year-old boy’s birthday, hence the cake being shaped like Spider-Man. I’m about five minutes from being finished, so if you want to grab some plates, I’ll be over to the table in a few.”

“You got it.” He opens the cabinets until he finds the plates. “So, how did you learn to decorate cakes?”

“I took some classes at the community college a few years ago. Prior to that, I worked at a bakery downtown, and I heard how much the cake decorators were making compared to what I was making by baking. I figured if I could do both, I’d be set.”

“Do you decorate wedding cakes too?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m crazy busy in the spring and summer. I’m completely booked for five months once I come back from vacation. Wedding cakes are my favorite, but they’re so much work. That’s when I make quite a bit of my yearly income.”

Once I’m satisfied with the Spider-Man cake, I fold up the edges of the box and close the lid. “Done. I only have one more cake to decorate and two pies to bake, so I can take a quick break.” I wash my hands and sit beside him