would think it was her bakery having its grand opening and her lifelong dream coming to pass. Which would be an honest enough mistake, since Tanyalee wasn’t known for her outpouring of genuine happiness on someone else’s account.
Life sure was full of unexpected twists these days.
Candy popped out from the kitchen, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. She was headed across the hall toward her office when she noticed Tanyalee behind the counter. She hurried her way.
“Tanyalee! Thank you! Thank you for everything!” Candy pulled her into a quick and tight hug and kissed her cheek. Tanyalee tried not to react with surprise, and instead returned the embrace, noticing that Candy was clearly getting rounder and softer by the day.
“Maybe you should sit for a minute and put your feet up.” Tanyalee knew that Candy had been baking all night for the grand opening, and the last thing they needed was for the pregnant baker to be too tired to enjoy her big day. “I’ll just get you a sweet tea and—”
“I’m absolutely fine, but thank you.” Candy pulled back and smiled at her. “I wanted you to know that I couldn’t have done this without you, Tanyalee. Your design instincts were perfect, and it has been such a comfort to know I could rely on you to show up on time and do what needed to be done and then some. You kept me on schedule, and I feel lucky that you’re going on this journey with me.”
“Oh!” Tanyalee must have sounded like a dullard, but she could think of no way to respond to all that praise. Though many had admired her taste through the years, no one had ever accused her of being reliable and hardworking. Yet another first.
“And you look very pretty today.”
“Thank you!” Tanyalee touched the neckline of the vintage cocktail dress and fiddled with her pearls. The touch of her fingertips against the smooth, individually knotted gemstones always seemed to center her. “You look beautiful as well, Candy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so beautiful.”
Candy patted Tanyalee’s forearm and smiled, then glanced around the dining room. “Are there any last-minute issues I need to know about?”
Tanyalee shook her head and gestured widely. “We’re fully stocked with product and ready to refill from the back. The register is prepped and we’re online for credit authorizations. Five different coffees are ready, along with hot water and cold tea, and our refrigerated case is loaded with all the juice and soda we could need. Fern will be clearing off the café tables during the event and the Asheville TV news crew is set to arrive at about twelve-thirty.”
Candy took a deep breath and brought her knuckles to her lips, as if she were about to break into tears. Frankly, Tanyalee felt damn near waterlogged from all the crying lately, her own and that of others. No one ever mentioned that living honestly would require stocking up on tissues and handkerchiefs.
“It’s going to be wonderful, Candy. Please don’t worry.”
She whipped her head around, eyes wide, then broke into a huge smile. “Oh, I’m not worried in the least! It’s just that … well, this is the happiest day of my life, Tanyalee.”
As if on cue, Turner Halliday burst through the front door. The instant he made eye contact with Candy, he whipped out a huge bouquet of flowers from behind his back and made a beeline right to her, eyes flashing. Tanyalee worried she was about to witness a private moment, so she made herself busy stacking menus that didn’t need to be stacked and fluffing napkins that didn’t need to be fluffed. But she couldn’t help but sneak a peak.
The handsome sheriff grabbed his lovely fiancée, gently supported her back and dipped her as he laid a spectacular kiss on her lips. Tanyalee nearly gasped—it was a kiss worthy of a Hollywood romance. And she immediately thought of Dante.
Dante.
Tanyalee grabbed her cell phone from her bag and moved from behind the display case and into the dining room. She stood by the picture window, looking out from behind the glittery letters that spelled out CANDY PANTS BAKERY. What she saw was a pretty enough scene—the Great Smokies serving as the backdrop to the quaint brick and clapboard buildings of her little mountain town. And for the very first time in her nearly thirty years, a question found its way into her mind. Was this was where she planned to spend the rest of