Babycakes Read Online Free PDF Page B

turtle a serious once-over. “I’m good with it.”
    “Okay.” But clearly, she didn’t agree.
    Stifling a smile, he kept coloring and tried not to laugh every time she sighed when he went outside the lines. He might have done it a bit more than necessary, telling himself it was good for her to be exposed to new ideas. At least he’d learned it was her natural inclination and not something that had been drilled into her.
    He signed his name at the bottom with a flourish when he was done, then spun the book around to face her. “There. What do you think?”
    She studied it every bit as seriously as he’d pretended to earlier, then looked at him. “You did your best job, Uncle Moggy.” She reached over and covered his big hand with her tiny one. “Can we go show our pictures to Dr. Langley? Maybe he will give you a book so you can practice and get better.”
    Morgan barked out a laugh, then lifted up her hand and kissed the back of it. “That sounds like a good idea.” Maybe it’s just as important for me to be exposed to new ideas, too.

Chapter 3
    “ A s you know, I’ve been planning this for almost a year, but with everything going on, running the shop and finishing the cookbook with Baxter, making Babycakes happen was just one too many things to tackle. So, we’re still in the beginning stages. Charlotte has said so many good things about you. I’m really glad it’s working out for us to meet, though I’m so sorry about the reason for it.”
    Kit hadn’t known what to expect from Leilani Dunne—Lani, as she’d asked Kit to call her—other than Charlotte’s gushing about how amazingly talented she was and what a good friend she’d been. Kit was relatively close to her in age, and both had achieved a fair amount of responsibility and success already. Lani had made her own way, whereas Kit had been born into her career, but both paths resulted in the forging of two women who weren’t afraid to tackle a big project and had the confidence to believe they could pull it off.
    Lani had already proven that with Cakes by the Cup. For Kit, the question of whether she could build something entirely on her own, without the Bellamy women and Mamie Sue’s team supporting her, was far more in question. For so many reasons, it was vital she find out what the answer would be. She needed to make amends for the loss she’d allowed to happen and to prove to herself that she wasn’t a complete failure.
    She was nervous bordering on slightly terrified, taking on such a big responsibility for someone to whom it clearly meant so much, but Kit couldn’t deny she was a lot more intrigued and excited than she’d been when she’d rapped on the door almost an hour ago. Alva had made introductions, then gone out front to man the shop counter so Lani could conduct the interview. Kit had expected a thirty minute or so conversation . . . leading to a more serious, lengthy talk later if she took the job. Or a long drive back to Atlanta, if she didn’t.
    But an instant connection had occurred between the two, beginning with their mutual affection for Charlotte, extending into their shared love of pastry, and progressing into the more serious conversation about the trials and tribulations of running a business, though their individual endeavors had been on somewhat opposite ends of the spectrum.
    They were finally settling in to the heart of the actual meeting.
    “We’ve leased the space next door,” Lani continued. “Used to be a tailoring shop, but when the owner became ill and had to move, Baxter and I snapped it up, thinking it might be our only chance, if we want to expand.” She grinned. “Folks here don’t run businesses for only a few years. It’s a life commitment, sometimes for generations. We weren’t sure when we’d ever get another chance.”
    “I understand all about generations of commitment,” Kit said, her smile somewhat bittersweet.
    Lani surprised her by reaching across the desk and taking Kit’s