The Summer of Sunshine and Margot(29)

She wanted that, she thought wistfully. Not the losing part, but the love. She wanted to give her heart to someone and accept his heart in return. She wanted to be all in with a future and hope and affection and respect. One day, she promised herself. It would happen one day.

Sunshine grabbed her purse and pulled out her list. They had leftover steak from the weekend. She would use that in quesadillas tomorrow. Tonight she wanted to barbecue enough chicken for at least five meals. There were so many options for the leftovers. Salads and enchiladas or tacos. She had a couple of great casserole dishes that used cooked chicken. Having a freezer full of ready-to-go food made her happy.

When she’d first started working for Declan, the freezer had been as bare as the cupboards. There had been snacks for Connor and a few staples, along with breakfast items, but little else. She was on a mission to change that. The big stand-up freezer in the mudroom was slowly filling up.

She tucked her list into her jeans back pocket then started for the store. After collecting a cart, she headed for the bakery. Her recent stress baking had provided them with plenty of goodies, but they still needed bread.

As she walked to the display of Connor’s favorite bread, she passed a tall guy in a suit. She wouldn’t have noticed him except for the panic in his voice as he said, “But there are so many. How can there be so many?”

Sunshine glanced at him and saw he was staring at a three-ring binder filled with pictures of decorated cakes. He flipped forward a couple of pages, then looked at the clerk waiting impatiently for him to decide.

“Which one?” he asked desperately.

“Sir, I have bagels I need to take out of the oven. If you could please make your choice by the time I get back, that would be great.”

“But it’s not really my area of expertise.”

The guy was in his midthirties, more quirky looking than handsome. The suit was good quality and his shoes looked expensive, so an executive of some kind, she thought, telling herself to walk away. Instead she pushed her cart closer.

“Do you need help?” she asked.

The man turned to her and nodded vigorously. “Please. My sister is six months pregnant and was unexpectedly put on bed rest. Her husband is out of town and her daughter is turning three in two days. I need to order a princess cake for her. I thought it would be easy.” He held up the binder. “There are eight princess cakes. How is that possible?”

Sunshine laughed. “There’s more than one princess.”

“Why?”

He looked genuinely confused by the whole thing, which was kind of refreshing and she liked that he was helping his sister.

She held out her hand. “I’ll text her for you and find out.”

“Really? You know what to ask?”

“I’m very princess literate.”

She flipped through the binder, then quickly typed the names of the various princesses. When she was done, she handed him back the phone.

He read her text. “You know their names.”

“I know. It’s an impressive skill set.”

“And useful.”

His phone chimed. He glanced at the screen. “Belle. We need a Belle cake.” He frowned. “Does that help?”

“It does.” She turned to the correct page. “You want that one.”

“It’s Beauty and the Beast. That is not a princess cake.”

“The beast was a prince.”

“I don’t think so.”

She smiled. “Your niece is turning three. I wouldn’t argue that point with her if I were you.”

“Excellent advice. I’m Norris, by the way.” He grimaced. “I know, I know. It’s a family name, don’t judge.”

“Sunshine.” She raised a shoulder. “So not really in a position to judge anyone’s name.”

Norris held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sunshine. Thank you so much for saving me. And the birthday party. The wrong cake would have been a disaster.”

“I’m happy to help.” She reached for her cart.

“Wait.” Norris took a step toward her. “Can I thank you with a cup of coffee?”

“Not necessary.”

He hesitated, as if not sure what to do, then he blurted, “I’m a financial planner, divorced for two years, no kids and I’m a really nice guy.” He waved toward the cake displays. “Obviously. I’m helping out my sister. Just coffee.”

He pulled a small leather case out of his jacket pocket and handed her a business card. She took it and scanned the information. It looked official enough and had both a work and cell number on it.

Was being picked up in a grocery store any better than a random guy stopping her in a parking lot? Or was it really about the location? Maybe the guy was more important. Norris seemed like one of the good ones and he had been willing to pick out a princess cake for his sister. That had to mean something.

She pulled a pen out of her handbag, then held out her hand for another card. She wrote her number on the back and handed it to him.

“Coffee,” she said. “Sounds nice.”

“Excellent.” He beamed at her. “I’ll be in touch.”

Sunshine waved, then walked away. She wasn’t sure if she’d just taken a big step toward something better or had completely screwed up. Again.