Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter Ten

Rhea pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building. She removed her suitcase as well as the empty cookie plate. Before leaving the retreat, she’d returned to the room in the lobby where she’d met with Martin. She’d taken the cookies that Zora had delivered with her. She’d munched on the treats on the drive home. She entered her apartment and dropped onto the couch.

Man! What a weekend! Now what was she going to do? She still needed to get the loan from Raven, but, she couldn’t tell Raven that she was attracted to Martin. But, from what Martin had said, Raven had blatantly lied. She dropped her forehead into her hand, thinking. She hated lies. That’s why she finally had to come clean with Martin and let him know why she’d gone to the retreat. Withholding the truth was the same as lying, as far as she was concerned.

She groaned, rubbing her forehead. But, wouldn’t she be lying to Raven as well? Raven would have a fit if she discovered that Rhea was attracted to Martin – she’d probably refuse to loan her the money.

Martin, her attraction to him was so totally unexpected. She’d initially figured she’d be spending time lamenting about Stan, wishing she could come home and work in her bakery. But, spending time with Martin made her feel warm and comfortable.

Now, she needed to decide what she’d tell her sister. Raven was so high-strung and emotional that Rhea needed to be careful about what she said when she saw her tomorrow.

She stood up and prepared for bed. She pulled the covers back, lying between the crisp, cotton sheets. Sniffing, she caught the faint whiff of fabric softener. Maybe if she slept on it, she’d figure out what she’d say to Raven tomorrow. She closed her eyes. Visions of Martin Lane danced in her head. Groaning, she recalled the way his eyes sparkled as he talked about his ministry in the church. Again, she thought about his advice regarding her bakery—what would happen if he helped her to turn a profit? Would they consider one another as friends - or would they become more than that?

Pushing that thought from her mind, she tossed and turned, replaying the conversations she’d had with Martin over and over again in her head. Stunned, she still surprised herself that she’d told Martin about her mom’s old church. She rarely told others about that experience. The last person in whom she’d confided about that had been Stan.

Talking with Martin had seemed so easy. His kind, dark brown eyes and deep voice were soothing and encouraging. She’d found that she wanted to talk to him. He made her feel comfortable, and during the retreat, she’d discovered that this was the first time that she’d gone for more than a day without lamenting about Stan.

Martin reminded her so much of Stan! They shared a deep passion for God and ministry. She sat up in bed, staring at the clock—three AM. There was no way she’d fall asleep tonight. She got out of bed and went into her kitchen.

Yawning, she removed eggs, butter, and milk from her refrigerator. Over her crazy weekend at the retreat, she’d intermittently pondered about her raspberry cupcake recipe. She still needed to perfect it, and had come up with an idea. She might as well put her sleepless night to good use. Maybe her efforts would help in profiting her bakery. She pulled out her sugar and flour canisters. She then opened her cupboard, removing a jar of her homemade raspberry preserves. How would a dab of this taste inside her cupcakes?

She opened the jar before removing baking powder and salt from her cupboard. As she measured ingredients into her mixing bowl, she hummed softly, focusing on her task.

When the pink batter had been mixed, she poured the thick liquid into the cupcake pan and placed it into the oven. After setting the oven timer for twenty minutes, she started a pot of coffee.

Sipping her coffee, she sniffed, relishing the delicious scent of raspberries mingled with chicory coffee. Once the timer buzzed, she pulled the cupcakes out, and after they’d cooled, she frosted the treats. She took a large bite, consuming half of the cupcake. The sweet, fruity flavor of raspberries and vanilla exploded in her mouth. Delicious. Licking her lips, she shoved the rest of the cupcake into her mouth. She washed her cupcake down with a gulp of coffee. Was there anything she could do to make the recipe better? What would Martin think about her cupcakes? She needed to take these to the bakery tomorrow when she met with him.

She spent the next two hours sipping coffee, poring over dessert cookbooks, trying to get ideas about how to make her cupcakes even better. She stood, leaned back, closing her eyes. Maybe she could lie down and go back to sleep for a little while before it was time to go to church.

She placed the cupcakes into a container when her cell phone buzzed. Glancing at her cake-shaped wall clock, she noted the time. It was almost six AM. Raven’s name flashed on her caller ID. Raven always woke up early when she was upset about something. Groaning, she answered the call. “Hi, Raven.”

*

“Why haven’t you called me all weekend? What is your problem?” Raven whined. “I’ve just been in a bad car accident. What if I’d gotten sick or needed your help?”

“Calm down and stop complaining. You were the one who sent me on this retreat in the first place.” She hated starting this day by arguing with Raven, but, she felt the need to defend herself. Raven seemed to think that the only person that mattered in the world was her, and the thought was sickening.

She plopped back into her chair. There was no way she was going back to bed now. Once Raven had finished with her long list of complaints, she’d be wide awake.

“Well, you still should’ve called me.”

She was not ready for this. Overnight, she had not come up with a plan about how to deal with Raven. She wanted to be honest with her sister, but, she didn’t want Raven getting angrier. Communicating with Raven was almost like walking a tight rope, if you were careful, things could turn out well, but one wrong move and then, Raven would explode, losing her temper or crying.

She gripped the phone, cringing at Raven’s whiny voice.

“It’s six o’clock. You should be sleeping.”

“Sleeping? I want you to get over here, now. You’ve ignored me all weekend, and I don’t appreciate it. If you still want that loan, you’d better come.”

Groaning, Rhea ended the call. After she brushed her teeth and got dressed, she eyed the cupcakes. Raven was always watching her weight, but occasionally she indulged in sweets. Maybe she’d like a cupcake, as a peace offering.

She boxed up two of the cakes before heading out the door. Now she wouldn’t be able to go to church. Hearing a sermon, and listening to the choir’s wonderful voices lifted in song would’ve soothed her, offering her a shred of comfort. Just focusing on God among a body of believers was what she needed right now.

Visiting Raven would not heal her shattered soul. As a matter of fact, visiting with Raven would put her in a bad mood. She’d probably have to spend some time pacifying her sister, and it wouldn’t surprise her if Raven wanted her to run a few errands while she was there. From what she’d recalled from her visit to the ER, Raven had broken her right leg. She recalled her mentioning that she’d be unable to drive until her leg healed.

When she arrived at Raven’s, she unlocked the door with her spare key. Raven sat on the living room couch, her leg propped up.

Her hair stuck up on her head and dark circles were beneath her eyes. She eyed Rhea, gesturing toward the box. “What do you have there?”

“Cupcakes. I baked them this morning.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You know better than to bring those in here. I have to watch what I eat, especially since I can’t exercise.”

Rhea set the container on the counter. “You might change your mind later.”

Raven gestured toward the couch. “Sit down.”

Good grief. She didn’t need Raven talking to her, giving her a command as if she were her boss. Pausing, she resisted the urge to lash out, giving Raven a piece of her mind. Staring at the couch, she walked toward it and stopped, still holding her tongue. She couldn’t get angry at Raven. Not now. She needed Raven’s help, and if Raven were mad at her, she’d probably refuse to help her. She finally settled onto the couch, trying to get comfortable even though her heart was beating a mile a minute. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.
Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Please help me through this.

Raven’s mouth drooped and Rhea knew something was wrong. She looked like she didn’t get much rest. “You couldn’t sleep last night?”

Raven shook her head. “My ribs hurt.”

“Did you take your medicine?”

“No.” She took a deep breath. “It makes me feel weird.”

“You might want to take it and then try and get some rest.”

Raven waved her comment away. “I will, later. So what’d you find out about Martin?”

Rhea folded her arms in front of her chest, studying her twin. Why had Raven lied about “dating” Martin? “Why didn’t you tell me that Martin was a pastor?”

Raven’s mouth tensed into a thin line. “I didn’t want to hear your judgmental attitude about my dating a pastor. You already made a smart comment about my wanting to go to a Christian retreat.”

Well, that made some sense. Since their mother’s experience with the cult, Raven had separated herself from organized religion. Rhea would’ve made a negative comment about Raven’s dating choice, and she figured her opinion would upset her sister. She nodded, placing her hand on Raven’s arm. “I’m sorry if my comment about the retreat upset you. It’s just that…” she removed her hand from Raven’s arm, leaned back onto the couch. “I worry about you sometimes. You don’t seem very happy—”

“I don’t want to talk about my mood. I asked you about Martin and I want an answer.”

What could she say? She needed to be honest without accusing Raven for lying about her “relationship” with Martin. “Martin was busy studying during the retreat. He’s almost finished with divinity school, and he’s worried about taking over as lead pastor at his father’s church. You realize he’s not sure if he’ll be voted in as lead pastor in August?”

Raven shrugged. “I’d heard a little bit about that.” Had Raven heard about it when she attended Martin’s church, or had Martin mentioned it to her?

Rhea leaned toward her. “He appears to have a lot on his mind and from what I gathered he didn’t seem interested in dating right now.”

“Humph, whatever.” Raven rolled her eyes, rubbing her ribs. “He didn’t say anything about calling me?”

Pursing her lips, she resisted the urge to groan. Raven was going to keep asking her questions about Martin until she got her answers. Her sister acted as if Rhea were an investigative reporter, sent on a mission to glean as much information as possible. If Rhea didn’t give her a likeable response, then, somehow, she could imagine Raven blaming
her
for not digging deep enough to get the responses that Raven felt that she deserved. How could she be helpful when Raven didn’t give her truthful information to begin with?

This conversation was more difficult than she thought it would be. Should she tell Raven that Martin was not interested in her, or should Martin deliver that news himself? “I believe Martin plans on calling you soon. He’s just so worried about his church, and his divinity school studies, that he has not had much time for phone calls.” She stood, placing her purse over her shoulder.

She needed to get out of here before Raven asked more questions, grilling her incessantly until she was satisfied with her answers. She needed to go home and continue perfecting her raspberry cupcake recipe. But before she left, she needed to clear the air, make sure Raven knew about Martin’s offer to help with her bakery. If Rhea kept it a secret and Raven were to somehow discover that Martin was advising her, she could imagine Raven mistakenly assuming that Rhea had “stolen” her man. “Did you know that Martin used to own a bakery?”

Raven’s eyes widened. “No. He didn’t talk much about his past. We mostly talked about…” She bit her lip, looking away.

“Talked about what?” Rhea softly prompted. Would Raven tell her the real reason behind her “dates” with Martin?

Raven shook her head, still looking away. “Nothing,” she mumbled.

Raven needed to be truthful and let Rhea know that Martin was giving her spiritual advice, not dating her. But, it wouldn’t help for Rhea to probe that subject any further. Raven never spoke about something until she was ready to discuss it.

“Well, Martin has offered to help me.”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “Help you? How?”

Rhea held the strap of her purse. She had to say this in such a way that Raven wouldn’t get offended. Raven would be envious if she discovered that Rhea was spending time with Martin on a regular basis. She really needed to approach Martin about contacting Raven and clearing the air about their ‘relationship.’ “He says he might be able to help me with my bakery. His business was successful. He sold it before he joined the ministry.” She took a deep breath. “He has a lot of knowledge about the food industry. I’m hoping if I use his advice, I can start making a profit again.”

Raven yawned, pulling a sheet of paper from the nearby table. “I’m tired. We can finish talking about this later. I need to decide what I’m going to do.”

“Do? About what?”

“About Martin.” Was that all Raven had to say? No more questions or comments about her working with Martin? Something was off about Raven’s reaction. Perhaps Raven was too tired to get upset? Once she’d gotten some rest, she’d call Rhea with more questions about her working relationship with him?