Maid to Order (2 page)

Chapter One

“Date? You’re kidding, right?” Amy Carlton asked.

Her best friend and only full time employee, Renee Jennings, smiled and nodded enthusiastically. The woman was delusional. When would Amy possibly have time to go out on a date even if she did happen to find an attractive man around her own age at the Miamisburg Summer Daze Festival?

“You never know what you’ll find at the festival. Maybe they’ll have a booth where you can pick out your ideal man,” Renee replied with a smile. “And at a reasonable price, I might add.”

It was bad enough that kids from the local high school would be running the cupcake booth during the event in exchange for a share of the profits to help fund their annual band trip. To think Amy would have time to actually roam around the event, shop and meet people was laughable at best.

No, instead she would be
delivering
all those cupcakes because the smart-mouthed college punk she’d hired upon opening her bakery last summer had up and quit two days ago. His reasoning was that the final call of summer sunshine and free time far surpassed any fun he might have driving a van full of cupcakes a few blocks up the road, unloading them, re-loading any empty trays and then driving back to the bakery. Rinse and repeat those steps as needed.

Whatever had possessed her to take on this latest project in the first place? Just keeping the display cases of her little shop stocked with cupcakes, cookies, other baked goods and enough fresh coffee was a feat in and of itself most days. Add in orders for birthday cakes, wedding cakes, specialty orders for anything from cakes and pies to super-sized cookies or dessert bars and it was like having three full time jobs.

With school still out for the summer it was even more difficult because every kid within walking distance looking for a sugar rush had free time to come in and eat…
and eat.
It was great for business but, along with everything else going on in her life, it was a little much to handle.

“I know this is going to sound… bad… but I’d rather shop online with a reputable company that specializes in the perfect boyfriend. One that also boasts a no hassle
return
policy,” Amy replied with a laugh.

Renee was her age, but married, with the cutest little five year old boy ever. She and Amy had been friends since junior high school when Renee’s family had moved in next door. They somehow managed to keep in touch over the years, even when Amy went off to learn the fine art of decorating all the cakes, cookies, cupcakes and various other desserts that Amy’s mother and grandmother had perfected the recipes for over the years.

The two older Carlton women and Amy had dreamed about owning a bakery for as long as she could remember. That dream had become a reality for one of them at least…
her
. She and her mother had started AmyCakes out of their kitchen right after Amy had graduated high school. Unfortunately, now Amy was reduced to little white lies whenever her mother would ask about the how the business was doing.

When her mother had sold her house last year and signed the lease on a new condo across town, she’d given the majority of the profits from the house to Amy… to open the bakery with. So now in addition to the normal stress of owning her own business… Amy also had the added stress of living the dream for
both
of them. Their very own cupcake shop… complete with trendy little tables and gourmet coffee.

Having come across the cute little store had been the last ray of luck she’d had where the business was concerned. The place consisted of essentially three rooms, four counting the small pantry off of the bakery that was the size of a mop closet. There was the bakery in the very back of the building where all the goodies for the shop and any specialty orders were made. Then there was the decorating area that doubled as her office
located behind a fake partial wall. The third room was the store front where customers placed their orders.

The shop was decorated with trendy little signs and brightly colored paint meant to make people smile. The place was as sweet to look at as the confections housed in the display cases at either end of the counter where people placed their orders. Small white metal tables sat
off to left side of the entrance to the shop as well as outside on the cobblestone patio area.

Teenagers and young adults especially enjoyed her gourmet coffee and cupcakes while they socialized with their friends. It was fashionable and upbeat but a lot more work than Amy would have ever imagined when she first opened the place. At the end of the day though, she loved it. It was just what she, her mom and grandma had always dreamed of and talked about.

“Tall, dark and handsome could be roaming around searching for the perfect dessert on a hot summer day… bump into
the
master confectioner and BAM! Love at first bite,” Renee said as though commentating for a sappy romance movie while measuring out powdered sugar into the smaller mixer.

“Yes, because he secretly dreams of a woman who smells like sugar, is inevitably sticky in places that defy logic and can often be found with more than one stain on her clothing at any given time,” Amy replied with sarcasm and a laugh as she walked through the opened double doors that led to the bakery area. “All men get hot for such a seductress as that.”

Frowning, Renee said, “If I looked like you, I’d coat every inch of myself in the icing flavor of the day, sticky or not, and offer myself up to the hottest hunk in Hollywood. Why? Because I could and it would garner the kind of results every woman dreams of…”

Renee was cute… even after rounding out a little with this pregnancy. Looks weren’t everything but too much or not enough of them could cause problems for any woman… or man for that matter. In Amy’s case, she was often described as pretty to the point of being unapproachable. That meant that because of her long blond hair, hazel eyes and a smile complemented by a dimple, men often wouldn’t even bother to ask her out because they assumed they didn’t stand a chance.

The ones that did ask were typically quite nice looking themselves… and complete assholes. More than a decade of dating those types,
after
having been burnt quite a few times while still in high school, and she just no longer had the heart for it. In fact, at thirty one years old she no longer even made an effort to look for Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome or Mr. Right… either one.

She’d actually dated a normal guy once. If he hadn’t been so captivated by her it might have actually went somewhere. At first it had been nice that anything she wanted…
anything at all
… was granted in right short order. After a while it got…
boring
. No one wanted to be given in to every time regardless. Fighting wasn’t really what she wanted either but a man with a backbone would certainly be nice.

“Well, if I don’t find us some help by this weekend, forget coating me in icing… those kids are going to tar and feather me,” Amy replied as she loaded up a batch of freshly baked and decorated cupcakes that she’d managed to make in addition to the endless preparations for this weekend’s event onto a tray to take out to the display cases.

“Did that Ian guy ever call you back?” Renee asked.

No sooner had the words left Renee’s lips then Amy caught the faint but distinct sound of her cell phone ringing at the far end of the decorating area. Quickly placing the remaining cupcakes onto the tray and taking them out to the front counter, she set the tray down gently. Then she raced back to the little room. Skidding around the corner on the hardwood floors of the shop, she snatched the phone up from the end of the last decorating table and hit the answer button in one movement.

“AmyCakes…” she said breathlessly out of habit as she raised the phone to her ear. Then she cringed since it was her personal cell not the phone for the shop.

“Hi, Amy. It’s Ian finally calling you back. Sorry… things have been nuts lately. How’s your mom?” he asked politely.

“She’s doing
a lot
better. Thanks for asking. They changed her medications around a little and that seems to be working out well for her,” she replied, moving her arm around and attempting to figure out where she’d managed to pick up the streak of tan peanut butter icing from which now coated a good portion of the exposed skin below her right sleeve.

Ian had worked for her mother for a while doing yard work, cleaning house, and running errands while Amy had been away at a culinary school specializing in desserts and pastries. When she came back home several months later she realized all too quickly that the dream she’d shared with her mother would end up being achieved alone. Amy’s mother helped out as much as she could but a bad scare with her blood pressure upon Amy’s return from school meant that assistance from her was only part time at best. The new medication was helping tremendously but so was less stress in her mother’s life.

They’d put the house on the market after finding a smaller place for her mom in a condo that was well maintained by the property owners and which didn’t boast two flights of stairs. After helping them move her mother into the apartment, it was obvious that Ian’s help had no longer been needed. It hadn’t stopped her mother from raving about the man though…
even now
… and even trying to fix them up at one point, much to Amy’s embarrassment since Ian was already dating his wife at that point.

“Well, listen, I got your message and I’d love to help you out if I could but I have a fight this weekend in another state. I’m sorry… I hope you understand,” Ian said.

Crap!
Attempting to keep the disappointment out of her voice she said, “Oh yeah… sure. That’s okay… I
completely
understand. You don’t happen to know anyone else that would be interested in being used and abused for almost the entire weekend, do you? I’m really up a creek without a paddle if I can’t get someone to either help back here in the shop or deliver cupcakes up to the festival. I’d throw in a free dozen cookies, some dessert bars or even cupcakes as a bonus…”

Ian sighed as though in thought and Amy’s heart picked up an extra beat when he said, “My buddy, Rusty, owns a commercial and residential cleaning company called Man Maid, the place I used to work for when I was cleaning your mom’s old house. The company’s slogan and advertising brags about being able to come in and do whatever needs done. Deliveries and baking might be a stretch but I’m sure if you asked him nicely… he’ll help you out. Just tell him you’re a friend of mine and that I told you to call.”

“My mother was right… you
are
a lifesaver! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she said excitedly.

She managed to jot down his friend’s name, business phone number and cell phone number as Ian recited them to her only to have the paper then stick to the side of her hand when she straightened back up. Pulling the paper off she sighed upon realizing that along with the icing on her arm, she now sported cream colored… batter… by the smell of it… on her hand.

“Keep in touch and tell your mom I said, ‘Hi,’ the next time you see her,” Ian said before disconnecting the call.

She immediately called the cell phone number listed for the man and the deep voice on the voicemail ordered her to leave her name and number and he would return the call when it was convenient. After having done so, she set the cell phone back on the table only to notice that it now had a smear down the back of the case
of the same cream colored batter that was now partially dried to the side of her hand.

Where the hell did this stuff come from?

Sighing again, she headed back to the bakery area.

“Speak of the devil… that was Ian Hamilton on the phone. He can’t help but he gave me the name of a business that just might be able to. A cleaning business no less… go figure!” she said, holding up her arm to showcase the newly adorned smear for Renee who only laughed and shook her head in amazement.

“Maybe she’ll end up becoming your new full time employee once she gets to experience the satisfaction of working her ass off for days on end only to discover there is still plenty left that didn’t get done,” Renee smiled.

Renee was now expecting her second child and wanted to cut back her hours in order to spend more time at home with her husband and children. Amy could completely get that. If she had someone waiting at home for her in the evenings… she doubted scrubbing mixing bowls and cupcake tins would rank high on her priority list either. Especially since Renee didn’t really need the job and mainly did it to hang out with Amy and to help the business succeed.

“The name he gave me was for the
owner
of the business so I called and left him a voicemail message. Who knows… today might be my lucky day. Maybe I’ll get someone to clean
and
someone else to help over this coming weekend,” she smiled.
Think positive.

“Well, speaking of cleaning… we might want to get started if you still plan to run out and visit Danny this evening,” Renee said. Glancing at the clock, she knew Renee was right and that she’d be pushing it on time.
Double crap!

Danny was a whole other matter that she hadn’t expected to have to worry about for several more years yet. Her half-brother from her father’s first marriage, Danny, was twelve years older than her but equally as stubborn. He also had Down Syndrome… a chromosomal disorder
that meant some learning and cognitive delays, which their father had never really accepted.

When the marriage fell apart, Danny had remained in his mother’s care. To say Amy didn’t really know Danny was an understatement since he hadn’t been around much when she was growing up. That had all changed about six months ago when Danny’s mother died from a massive heart attack.

By the time their father remarried her mother and Amy had come along, Danny rarely visited or even spoke to him anymore. Then when their father passed away from an undetected blood clot, Amy’s mother had tried to help Danny and his mother in any way that she could, since Danny’s mother was also ailing.