Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39513 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Somehow, my sisters have figured out the magic formula, but I can’t. It drives me crazy sometimes. I want to be brave like they are and fall headfirst into love. Instead, I hide from even the possibility of it. I’ve never seen a man naked. I’ve never been kissed. Hell, I’ve never even been on a single date.
I’m a bona-fide coward.
“I am in Houston, but I am not spoiled,” Adalynn sniffs, recalling my attention.
“Right.” I roll out the last ball of dough and then wash my hands. “Razor spoils the crap out of you, and you know it.”
“Lies.”
I laugh quietly. She’s full of it, and she knows it. “Why are you bugging me, anyway? I thought he’d have you tied to the bed by now.”
“I made him untie me because I had something to tell you.”
“TMI!” I cry, earning a savage little laugh from her. “Do not tell me about your sexcapades.”
I already know way too much about my sisters’ sex lives. Gemma is a member of a freaking BDSM club. Naturally, sex comes up a lot when we all get together…mostly because the rest of us are rabidly curious about what happens there.
There’s no way I’ll ever step through the doors, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know all the juicy details. I may be a virgin, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious. Just, you know, not about anything my sisters do with their husbands. Gross.
“That’s not why I called.” I can practically hear Adalynn’s eyes roll.
“Thank God,” I say dramatically.
“I’m going to hang up on you.”
“No, you aren’t.” I smile at the empty threat and lean a hip against the counter to cover the dough balls to give them time to rise. My stomach growls again. I seriously cannot wait to finish these things. The best part of cooking is getting to taste-test everything. “What do you want?”
“I’m supposed to tell you to check the paper. Leia gave Sassy & Sweet a shoutout.”
My heart skips a beat. "What? No, she did not!”
"Yes, she did. Go look."
I dash to the living room, leaving a trail of flour footprints behind me. "Hang on, I'm pulling it up on my laptop."
As I wait for the Silver Spoon Falls Gazette site to load, I can't help but grin. Leia is a genius. My marketing budget is non-existent right now. My brothers-in-law keep offering to give me money to help get the bakery up and running, but I don’t want to rely on my rich in-laws to help. I want to do this on my own.
Of course Leia found a way to help me out anyway. She always does. And I’m not even mad about it. I owe her so big for this.
"Found it!" I exclaim, scrolling through the article with watery eyes. "Oh my gosh. She called Sassy & Sweet 'the most anticipated addition to Silver Spoon Falls this decade.' Can you believe it?"
"You deserve it," Adalynn says softly. "You’ve worked so hard for this, Heidi.”
“Don’t you dare make me cry!”
“I’m not trying to make you cry, I promise. I’m just saying that we’re proud of you, and I know the bakery is going to be a massive success. How could it not be when you’re in the kitchen?”
I'm about to respond when a thunderous crash echoes from the kitchen. "What the—?" I spin around, nearly dropping my phone.
“What the heck was that?” Adalynn asks.
“I don’t know!” I’m already racing toward the kitchen with my heart pounding against my ribcage, only to skid to a stop in the doorway. My mouth pops open as I stare in shock.
A massive black Labrador, easily the size of a small pony, has his enormous paws planted firmly on my kitchen island with his head buried in the mixing bowl. Obscene slurping noises echo around the room as he practically inhales the meat meant to go inside the kolaches. He somehow managed to smash most of the kolache dough that I just rolled out. Some of the balls even have paw prints on them.
“Oh no,” I whisper.
“What? What’s wrong?” Adalynn says, her tone rife with worry.
“There’s a giant dog in my kitchen eating my kolaches!”
“What?”
“A giant freaking dog is eating my kolaches!”
Adalynn snorts laughter.
“This is so not funny,” I hiss.
“Are you kidding me? This would only happen to you. It’s hysterical,” she says, still laughing.
I choose to ignore her. Mostly because she’s right, this would only happen to me. It’s utterly ridiculous.
"Hey!" I shout to the dog, my voice an octave higher than usual. "Those aren't for you, buddy!"
The dog lifts his head, strings of saliva dripping from his jowls, pieces of meat stuck to his black nose. He gives me a look that can only be described as pure, unrepentant joy.
Then he dives right back in.
I can't help but giggle, even as I lunge forward to stop him. "Oh no, you don't! That’s not for furry freeloaders!"