Read Online Just Desserts by Barbara Bretton - Free Book Online

daughter drew up a perfect contract. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. I still have all of my hair. If I’m missing something, I’ll be damned if I know what it is.”
    She stood there, pen poised, and still didn’t sign. What was her problem? All she had to do was bake a cake, not hand over the keys to the bakery. If the goddesses of sugar, flour, and pure creamery butter didn’t rain blessings (and contracts) down on her head after the party in Atlantic City, her world wouldn’t come to an end. But something continued to hold her back.
    â€œI’ve been on the payroll almost fifteen years, if that’s what’s worrying you,” Anton offered. “They haven’t bounced a check yet.”
    Bless the bald-headed drummer for breaking the tension. The laughter came as a welcome relief.
    â€œYou’re right,” Rafferty said to Lizzie. “She is a worrier.”
    â€œTold you,” Lizzie said. “She even worries about Katie Couric’s ratings.”
    â€œElizabeth!” she said through the new burst of laughter. “I explained that to you last week. I’m not worried about her ratings, I’m just…concerned.”
    â€œYou worry about news anchors?” Rafferty asked.
    â€œWorry is good,” Anton said, still laughing. “When it comes to his kids, even Tommy’s a worrier.”
    She pointed toward Rafferty. “What was that look?”
    â€œWhat look?”
    â€œYou shot Anton a look when he said, ‘even Tommy’s a worrier.’ What’s that about?”
    â€œYeah,” said Anton, “what’s up with that?”
    â€œRemember that confidentiality agreement you signed last year? Personal observations are off-limits.”
    â€œToo late,” Anton said cheerfully. “I already spilled everything I know.”
    â€œHe’s joking,” Hayley said, amused by the look of intense horror on the attorney’s handsome face. “I tried to get him to spill everything he knows but he refused.”
    â€œI owe you,” Anton stage-whispered as he mopped his brow with the back of his hand.
    Rafferty laughed with them but the uneasy look in his eyes lingered. Something was definitely off. She didn’t know what it was exactly but her instincts were rarely wrong and she couldn’t let go.
    He wore an Armani suit, but once upon a time he had also worn an earring. The faint dot left from the piercing caught and held her attention. There was definitely more here than she knew.
    â€œHere’s the thing,” she said. “I’m not a glass-half-full kind of woman. My glass isn’t just half empty, it has a hairline crack and it’s about to shatter. This whole thing seems too good to be true and it probably is, and I wish I could figure out exactly what’s bothering me about it but I can’t, so maybe you could help me out here.”
    They were all staring at her like she had lost her mind.
    â€œToo much information,” she said. “I always do that. I get started talking and I can’t stop.”
    Lizzie groaned and buried her face in her hands.
    â€œThis is like winning the lottery, Mom,” her daughter pleaded. “Who cares why they picked you? They picked you! Work it!”
    â€œYou have a recommendation from the governors of two states,” Rafferty said. “Unless you’ve been passing off Entenmann’s as your own, you’re damn good and you’re the one we want for the job.”
    â€œYou’re right. I’m a culinary genius, the Van Gogh of baked goods, who would be decorating cakes for Charles and Camilla if I didn’t live in New Jersey.”
    They continued to stare at her.
    â€œThat was a joke,” she said. “Yes, it’s true but I meant it as a joke.”
    â€œDon’t make jokes, Mom,” Lizzie said from behind her hands. “I’m begging you! Just sign the contract,