The Sweetest Surprise
1150 Words
♡ Megan ♡
The scent of vanilla frosting filled the air as I carefully piped swirls onto a batch of cupcakes. The Rolling Pin was bustling with its usual morning rush, and I had retreated to the back to focus on decorating. It was one of my favorite tasks. A moment of calm amidst the chaos of running the bakery. I was so lost in what I was doing that I didn’t even hear Josh calling me until he was standing right in front of me.
“Megan,” he said, and I finally looked up to see him standing with his hands on his hips, a teasing smile on his lips as he eyed me closely. “You have a very sexy gentleman caller asking for you,” I frowned, my piping bag hovered over the last cupcake. My stomach twisted into knots. A sexy gentleman caller? Who could that be?
“Who?” I asked as I tried to sound as casual as possible. I set the piping bag aside and wiped my hands on my apron.
“I have never seen him before…he looks like he just stepped off the cover of a fitness magazine…girl, he is fine as hell,” he explained, and my heart skipped a beat. It had to be Shane. “Go on, don’t keep the guy waiting,” I took a deep breath and tried not to run to the front of the bakery. As soon as I rounded the corner, my eyes locked on Shane, and it was as if the rest of the world faded away. He was standing by the display case, his hands in his pockets and he honestly looked a bit out of place among the pastel-colored pastries and the cozy décor.
“Shane,” I said, my voice soft but steady. His gaze lifted and when our eyes met, a slow smile spread across his face.
“Megan,” he whispered, and I couldn’t believe he was here. After almost two weeks, he was here. In person. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him and here he was. “Do you have a minute?” he asked as he looked around. “I don’t want to interrupt,”
“Sure…” I said as I glanced over my shoulder. “Come to the back,” I added as I looked back at him. Shane immediately nodded, and I avoided Josh’s curious gaze as he watched us go into the back. The smell of freshly baked cupcakes and sugar surrounded us, but I felt a strange sense of comfort just based on the fact that Shane was in my kitchen. He looked around a bit before his gaze landed on me.
“This is nice,” he remarked with a nod, and I blushed.
“It is, thank you…so, what brings you here?” I asked curiously. I didn’t want to just assume that he had come to see me. Shane chuckled, a hint of nervousness in his posture.
“I have been to every bakery in Rockland. All three of them. I was…I was looking for you,” he finally admitted, and my heart fluttered at his words.
“You were looking for me?”
“Yeah,” he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face. “To be honest, I regretted not asking for your number that night,”
“Oh…”
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you and…yeah, I finally found you,”
“You found me,” I whispered, and he smiled as he stared at me.
“I’m glad I did,” he said, and for a moment we stood in silence, staring at each other. The unspoken connection between us felt as if it was growing. I couldn’t believe he was here. That he had been looking for me. It felt so surreal. Like something out of a romance novel. “So…can I have your number?” Shane then asked with a teasing grin, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I pulled out my phone from my pocket.
“Absolutely,” I said. We exchanged numbers and Shane smiled as he stepped back.
“I hate to run, but I have to get back to work…clients are waiting,” he explained, and I nodded as I tried to shove the sudden pang of disappointment aside.
“Of course,” I said. “Thank you for stopping by…I’m glad you did,”
“Me too,” he said with another smile, and without much thought, I picked up one of the freshly decorated cupcakes and held it out to him.
“For you,” I said. Shane hesitated for a split second before he accepted and I – thankfully – hid my shiver when our fingers touched.
“I’ll text you,” he said before he walked out. My heart pounded in my chest as I leaned against the counter. He was gone, but I was still on cloud nine. Things like this didn’t just happen, right? Josh then appeared in the doorway with a curious smile.
“Ok, who was that?” he asked.
“Shane,” I answered, and Josh let out a long, low whistle. “He went to every bakery to find me, just to ask me for my number,” I further explained.
“Aw, so sweet!” he exclaimed, and I nodded. Josh went back to the front, and I picked up my piping bag to finish off the last batch of cupcakes. However, it felt as if my phone was burning a hole in my pocket and my mind kept drifting back to Shane. Now that he had my number, would he use it? Or was I supposed to text him first? I shook all thoughts of Shane out of my head and concentrated on what I was doing. It wasn’t until later that I allowed myself to check my phone. Shane had not disappointed me. I found five messages from him.
Shane: Best cupcake ever!
Shane: I like the fact that I have your number now so that I can message you whenever I want.
Shane: Of course, only if that is ok with you.
Shane: I hope you aren’t mad that I hunted you down.
Shane: Do you want to grab lunch tomorrow?
I couldn’t help but feel absolutely giddy as I read his messages, and I certainly didn’t want to leave him hanging.
Megan: I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcake…and you can text me whenever you want to. No, I’m not mad that you hunted me down, I think it was very sweet of you. And lunch sounds great!
I sent off the message before I pocketed my phone once again. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t wait to see Shane again.
- Writer
