Read Online Adore Me by Darcy Lundeen - Free Book Online Page B

corner and reached for an apron. “Vladimir Wiznitsky happened.”
    “You had a fight?”
    “More than a fight. A screaming match par excellence.” Meredith yanked the apron around her waist and tightly secured the strings. “We are, as the gossip columns love to phrase it, dunzo …completely, mutually, and irrevocably.”
    Dana rushed over and grasped her in a comforting hug. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry.”
    Meredith took a sniffling breath to keep any more useless tears from falling. “Thanks, but everything’s fine. I can handle it. The most important thing now is that we’ve got a ton of cakes to make and only four days to make them in.” She eased out of Dana’s embrace and headed to the fridge. “So let’s get moving.”
    ****
    “That’s the end of it,” Dana said, sounding every bit as tired as Meredith felt. “The last order just went out and should reach its destination in…” She glanced at the kitchen wall clock. “…fifteen minutes.”
    Meredith nodded as she shucked her apron and prepared to call it a day—Valentine’s Day, to be precise. “Just in time for the customer’s party.”
    “Yeah, thank God.” Dana stored a stack of bowls in a cabinet before removing her own apron and hanging it up.
    Meredith sighed and scanned the room to make sure everything was in order after their recent whirlwind of almost nonstop activity. Thirty-nine orders in the past week—twelve of them that had to be shipped to nearby areas, twenty-one that were delivered to various parts of the city, and six local emergency requests they’d received just a day ago.
    But at least it had somehow all worked out well. The customers would be happy, Divine Desserts would have a little more loot in its meager coffers…Meredith exhaled another weary sigh…and she’d spend the rest of Valentine’s Day alone.
    “Jake and I plan to have dinner at that new Italian restaurant near our house, then take in a show,” Dana said as she put on her coat. “What about you?”
    Meredith shrugged. “I’m a little tired, so I think I’ll just go home, have some wine, then check on our current finances and watch a movie.”
    Dana frowned. “Vlad’s still a no-show?”
    Meredith nodded, knowing there was no use in lying about it. She’d mentioned their disastrous head-butting session to Dana, so his continued absence wasn’t really surprising.
    “Hey, I basically kicked him out, so yes, he’s still gone.” She shrugged as if she couldn’t care less.
    Dana grinned and snapped her fingers as though the greatest idea had just come to her. “Hey, come with us. We’d love having you.”
    Meredith took a breath. The last thing she wanted was pity, even from someone she loved as much as she did Dana. “Thanks, you’re a real friend. But Valentine’s Day is for duos, not trios. Come on, don’t worry about me. Just get out of here so I can close up.” She hugged Dana. “Kiss Jake for me, and have a great evening, both of you.”
    Dana didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
    “Positive. Now go home and enjoy.”
    After Dana left, Meredith gave the kitchen one more brief inspection. Then she locked the place up securely and went home, unlike Dana, who had Jake waiting expectantly for her, completely alone.

Chapter Eight
    As soon as Meredith entered her apartment, she poured herself some wine and went to her office so she could fire up her computer and look at the cake she’d created for Julia Ogilvy’s wedding.
    “Perfect,” she murmured. “A masterpiece. My masterpiece.”
    At least the cake would have been her perfect masterpiece if Julia hadn’t demanded a retired candy-heart saying…or else no sale, no valuable customer referrals, and soon probably no Divine Desserts. Unless she found another way of earning enough to pay the bills.
    Then to add insult to injury, Vlad had acted like the ultimate jerk just because she was understandably concerned about the situation.