Drool Worthy: Part 1 of 7 (Drool Worthy Series) Read online

  Drool Worthy

  Part 1 of 7

  By Tami Brothers

  Story Summary:

  Will all-work-and-no-play keep Marianne from finding a great guy? Or will the pastry chef be in exactly the right place when opportunity walks through the front door?

  ~~~

  Author Note:

  This is the same story previously published in 2012.

  This edition has been updated with a revised cover that ties into the newly created Drool Worthy Series. You asked and I listened. The top request I received was for “the rest of the story.”

  To honor that request, I’ve expanded this short story into seven individual parts, each with a little bit more of Marianne and Jason’s budding relationship.

  Part 1 is the original Drool Worthy.

  Part 2 brings the characters together again at his sister’s wedding reception. Unfortunately, Jason doesn’t leave the best impression on our heroine. Follow the series to see how this couple finds their happily ever after. Parts 3-7 delves deeper in to the story of their HEA.

  ~~~

  Contents

  Title Page

  Story Summary:

  Author Note:

  Copyright

  ~~1~~

  ~~2~~

  To the Reader:

  Connect with me online:

  About the Author:

  Drool Worthy

  Part 1 of 7

  Copyright © 2011 Tami Brothers

  All right reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Taylor Lake Publishing, LLC except for the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition published July 2012.

  Second Edition published August 2019.

  Original E-book ASIN: B008O38GE2

  Updated E-book ISBN - 13: 978-1-951387-00-6

  Print-book ISBN: 978-1-951387-01-3

  Original cover by Samantha Wiederrecht

  At FlutterbyDesign © [email protected]

  Updated cover by Elizabeth Bank At Selestiele Designs

  http://www.selestieledesigns.com

  Publisher contact information:

  Taylor Lake Publishing, LLC

  P.O. Box 22 Bonaire, GA 31005

  Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy. Thank you for your support.

  ~~~

  ~~1~~

  “Come on, Marianne! You’re wasting away here.”

  Marianne Michaels blew a stray lock of hair out of her eyes as she straightened. Heat immediately began seeping through the hot pad she was using to hold onto the Snickerdoodles she’d just pulled out of the Convection oven. “How am I wasting away, Lizzy? I’ve gained five pounds since I opened Drool Worthy.” Six months of sampling the treats she’d created in her own pastry shop would do that to a girl. The time she’d spent getting her business up and running had seriously cut into her exercise routine, but she’d known the drawbacks of starting up a new business and lack of time to exercise was definitely one of them.

  “Five whole pounds? I’ve gained ten and I don’t even work here.”

  “It’s all those Hot Tamale Lattes you drink.”

  “Hell no. It’s the honey drizzled croissants you bake to go with those Lattes that have done it to me. “

  Marianne shook her head as Lizzy reached over and grabbed another cookie from the cooling rack. “Those and the ‘samples’ you sneak every time you stop by.”

  “Ohhhh. But it is soooo worth it.” This was mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.

  The buzzer went off on the cake oven and Marianne stepped around her friend to grab the heavier hot pads. “I’m glad you like them.”

  “What’s not to like? Everyone in town loves your pastries. Trust me when I say I think you’ve made it.”

  Marianne grunted her response as she pulled a 10 inch round lemon cake from the oven. This was the middle layer for a three-tiered wedding cake she was making for the coming weekend. Who could have imagined a Halloween wedding, let alone two? And with the Alexander family being one of those orders, this was shaping up to be one of her more profitable weekends.

  Yes, she was baking for THE Alexander family! Heck yeah she’d made it. The Alexander’s didn’t normally shop in their small middle Georgia town. They didn’t have to. They could afford to buy the best. The fact that they’d ordered their only daughter’s wedding cake from Drool Worthy was incredibly impressive, and scary as hell. Their order of a four-tiered wedding cake, multiple ‘groom’s’ cakes and 800 individually-boxed mini cakes to be sent home with the guests would cover the rent on the building for the coming year. Definitely a very big deal. “Yeah, well. We’ll see.”

  “Oh, now you’re just being modest. You seriously need a night away from it all. Come to Jessie’s party with me.”

  Marianne shook her head as she placed several pans holding the mini cakes into the oven and set the timer. Jessie Alexander was the bride-to-be and just the thought of attending her pre-wedding bash had Marianne’s head swimming. She seriously disliked crowds and it was a sure bet that the Magnolia Queen herself would draw a big one. Or at least her mother thought so if she were to judge from the Petit Fours order.

  “Come on, Marianne. Think of the contacts you could make. The high society of middle Georgia will all be there and as a new business owner you can’t afford to miss out on that.”

  “Why do I need to attend? My Petit Fours can represent me.”

  She glanced over at the stack of boxes that held the pastries and then up at the big clock on the wall. Where in the heck was he? She’d dreaded the visit from the hunky fitness trainer since Mrs. Alexander said her son would stop by to pick up the pastries on his way to the party. Now that he was over an hour late, she was beginning to worry. The matriarch of the Alexander family was known for her strict timelines and Marianne was fairly certain the woman wasn’t going to be happy about her son’s tardiness.

  “Come on, girl. You need to get away from this shop every once in a while. Have some fun. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet Mr. Right. Oh! Maybe Jessie’s older brother, Jason, will be there. Have you met him yet?”

  An image of the muscular hunk that’d helped her navigate her way around the jungle of free weights two weeks ago popped into her head. The whole town had been ecstatic about the 50,000 square foot fitness center under construction the past seven month. The idea that it would be outfitted with an indoor and outdoor running track as well as a swimming pool had only fueled the admiration the town had for the stoic businessman. “I may have seen him around town.” Yeah, right, around town. Just like every other woman in Brisbing, Georgia, she’d been suckered into purchasing a three month trial membership for the chance to ogle the sexy owner.

  “Trust me. You’d know for sure if you’d seen him. He’s a walking billboard advertisement for sex. Not that any of us have a chance with him. From what I’ve heard, he’s shot down every woman who’s asked him out.”

  That was an understatement. Jason Alexander had been the hot topic each time a group of women, single or married, had gotten together to gossip. With Drool Worthy located in the hub of the downtown district, she’d been privy to quite a few of these sessions. Marianne also had a front row seat to a number of the humiliating rejections. Because she'd been setting up her pastry shop at the same time he’d been procuring building permits for the gym, she’d ran into him on many occasions. The crash and burn of some of Brisbing’s crème de la crème had been almost comical to watch. She could see how the man’s lack of interest alone would fuel these women’s need to conquer him. But not her. She had absolutely no time for that, no matter how sexy the guy. Shaking her head to convince herself as much as her friend, she muttered, “I’m just not interested.”

  “Come on, Marianne. This is the only chance we get to bring in new blood to this hole in the wall. You know as well as I do you aren’t going to meet someone around here. Half the men are married and the other half are, well… Let’s just say they’re unmarried for a reason.”

  The corners of Marianne’s lips twitched. As much as she loved this ‘hole in the wall,’ she had to admit Lizzy was right. Her date with the pond scum who owned the hardware store summed that up for her. Just because she’d agreed to dinner and a movie DID NOT mean she’d agreed to a quickie in the back seat of his Volvo. Her knee in his groin had resulted in a three mile walk home that night. The look on his face had been well worth it, even if it had meant walking in heels. “I’ve got way too much going right now.”

  “You can’t be serious. You’ll never meet anyone new stuck in this kitchen. At least come and see what’s out there. Besides your regulars, no guy is going to walk in the front door and say, ‘Hi. I’m here for some pastries’.” Lizzy snorted at her own joke as she slid off her stool. After slinging her purse over her shoulder, she wiped the crumbs from her hands and eyed the remaining cookies on the rack. “At le
ast think about it, will you? If not for the men, then come to promote the shop. I know you’re swamped right now, but it would be good to make new contacts for the bakery.” She chewed her lower lip as she glanced at the cooling rack. “Can I take a couple of these back to the office?”

  “Sure.” Marianne had already grabbed a bag from the stack on the counter anticipating her friend’s request.

  “Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  She sighed as she scooped up a handful of the cookies. “I promise I’ll think about it. ‘Think’ being the key word.”

  Lizzy leaned in and gave Marianne a quick hug. “Thank you.”

  When the back door slammed shut, Marianne turned back to her kitchen and the mountain of work she still had to do tonight. The batch of Snickerdoodles she’d baked for the Elliots’ baby shower brunch the next day had dwindled considerably, so she started pulling the ingredients back off the racks.

  Life was just too crazy for her right now. Lizzy meant well, even if she did go off on a tangent and tend to nag. Still, it was nice to know someone cared enough about her to worry. Being orphaned at fourteen and then raised by an aunt who couldn’t wait to be rid of her, Marianne cherished the few people who actually cared. Still, there was another batch of Snickerdoodles to make, as well as a boat-load of Buttercreams. That left no time to party with the rich and famous, no matter how much networking she could do.

  The bell on the front door jingled, and her traitorous heart skipped a beat at the thought that maybe this was the resident hunk. Straining her ears, she listened for the voice of the teen running the café section of the shop. The ringing tones of a false laugh had her pausing as she measured out the ingredients for the cookies. Definitely not the easy going, contagious laugh Amber was known for.

  After a few heartbeats she heard the words she’d hoped to hear. “Ms. Michaels? There’s a man here to see you.” Amber’s voice warbled as she called in through the opening between the kitchen and the shop.

  “Be right out.” The slight crack in her own voice was too telling and Marianne took a second to tamp down the excitement she couldn’t suppress. After wiping her hands on a towel, she grabbed an armful of boxed Petit Fours and stepped through the swinging doors. A quick glance showed the only customers were two regulars sitting at the corner table. Both women wore dazed expressions and their eyes were glued to the backside of the man standing in front of the display case.

  Oh, dear heavens! What a back-side it was. Damn, he looked better than when he was dressed for the gym. Gone were the baggy shorts and body molding tank top. In their place was a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt with a sea green tie that matched his sister’s bridal colors. Oh, did he wear it well.

  Clearing her throat, Marianne looked down in an attempt to hide the interest she knew was obvious to anyone who looked at her face. “Good afternoon, Mr. Alexander. Here are two of the boxes. I have eight more in the kitchen. Did you want to drive your vehicle around to the back door?”

  “Ten boxes? Are you sure?”

  The disbelief in his voice drew her gaze back to him. The frown wrinkling the skin between his chocolate brown eyes was a familiar expression she’d noticed several times when she’d seen him around town. “I’m positive. One hundred and twenty cakes per box in ten boxes, that’s 1,200 Petit Fours. Plenty for the estimated guest count.”

  Jason let out an exasperated sigh as he propped his hands on his hips. The action pulled the fabric of his shirt tight against his chest. Marianne stuck her tongue against the side of her cheek and raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic show of emotion. From what the ‘gossip chain’ proclaimed and the little experience she had around this guy, he was a robot. Clipped words and military orders were his usual response, whether he was dealing with contractors or training someone at the gym; as well as his responses to the blatant advances made towards him. This show of human emotion, no matter how slight, was a complete surprise. And a tad confusing.

  “Is that a problem?”

  Still obviously frustrated, Jason sauntered back to the counter. He ignored the two women who were openly listening to the conversation as he tilted his head and leaned in as if he was about to reveal a secret. “It is if you drive a two passenger convertible.”

  “Ahhh.” Marianne nodded. “Yes, that would be an issue.” She’d seen the little silver Ferrari Spider whipping around town a time or two, and it was obvious the boxes would not fit into that car.

  “Don’t you have a delivery van or something?” Jason asked.

  “Yes, I do, but I’m swamped in the kitchen, and haven’t hired a delivery person as of yet, which is why your Mother suggested you could pick up the pastries on your way to the party.” Suppressing a frustrated sigh, she pasted a smile on her lips as she mentally calculated how long she’d be spending here at the shop later tonight. “But, it’s not a problem. I’ll load them into my van and drive them over.” Turning to Amber, she started issuing orders. “I have cakes in the oven with the timer set. As soon as it goes off, pull them out and leave them on the cooling rack. I’ll take care of them when I get back. Okay?” If anything went wrong that she couldn’t catch by actually being here, then she would just add more time onto her to-do list.

  “Sure. Umm, will you…”

  Marianne nodded. “I’ll be back soon, so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready for your date.”

  “Thank you. Do you want me to come back by after the dance and help you finish for the baby shower?”

  “No.” The offer alone made Marianne smile. The girl had been anticipating this dance for three months. There was no way she was going to be the reason Amber cut it short. “I’ve got it covered. You just have a good time.”

  Turning back to Jason, Marianne continued to smile even when his questioning gaze stayed on her. “I’ll bring these over to your parent’s house shortly. Don’t worry about it.”

  He continued to stare. “You weren’t planning to come tonight?”

  Marianne shook her head. “No. I’m not able to make it this evening.”

  “Why?”

  She had to work to keep the surprise out of her expression. The only person who cared enough to question any of her decisions was Lizzy and that was because Lizzy was Lizzy and they’d been friends forever. To have someone else question her decisions left her momentarily speechless. After a few seconds, she was finally able to stutter, “I… I’m pretty busy.”

  “Aren’t we all? Wouldn’t this party be a great place to network and make connections for your business?”

  There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but Marianne had regained her composure and fixed her business mask back in place. “I’m sure it would be. I already have quite a few orders to fill right now, but I’ll do my best to make it to the next gathering.” Which, with this attitude, wasn’t going to be his wedding anytime soon.

  Okay, that wasn't fair. She'd seen a different Jason when she'd met with the Alexander family at their home during the planning stages for Jessie's wedding. She'd been thrilled when they'd asked her to bring over samples. The way he'd treated both his mother and sister had been touching. Although he'd still been distant with her, she'd seen the teasing and gentle way he’d interacted with them. That glimpse into his personal life had been why she'd relegated herself to the masses, as one of his many admirers.

  Jason stood staring at her, his confusion obvious. She just wasn’t sure which he would question; the fact that she had the gall to blow off an Alexander party or that she was giving up the opportunity to pimp her business. This was only the second time they’d spoken to each other in all the times they’d both been dealing with building their businesses, so she really had no idea why it would matter to him if she showed up or not. Could there be a reason he wanted her there?

  She quickly dismissed that idea. Not comfortable with the direction her thoughts were going, Marianne pulled her gaze away from his and shot another encouraging smile to her employee. “I’ll be back within the hour, Amber. I’ll have my cell with me if you need anything.” Turning back to Jason, she nodded at his stony expression. “Excuse me.”