LITMIR.BIZ

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realized he wasn’t interested in marriage or commitment. They assumed he was in the market for a wife and mother for EJ, but were sorely disappointed by the end of the evening, or in some case by the second or third date, when they realized he wasn’t budging.

      It wasn’t as if he was still mourning for Sara. He’d finally gotten over the tragic loss and had picked up the pieces of his life. He just hadn’t been sure he was ready for another serious commitment, until today, when he’d seen Mariah Drayson. He wasn’t sure why meeting the woman had him reevaluating his stance on marriage and commitment, but he was.

      “Dad’s day was good,” Everett finally responded. “I found that new bakery.” He pointed to the box. “Has me thinking of new ideas.”

      “Like what?” EJ sat cross-legged on the ottoman and propped his head in his hands with rapt attention.

      “Like expanding our coffee business at the bakery.”

      The idea had come to him almost immediately as he’d watched the large crowd at the bakery. What if he offered Myers coffee there for folks to buy along with their pastries? It would be a win-win for both firms, but especially Lillian’s. Having the Myers brand for purchase on-site would only authenticate Lillian’s promise that they offered the best and highest quality of products, given that Myers coffee was available only in high-end restaurants and coffee shops throughout Seattle.

      “Sounds cool, Dad.”

      “Thanks, son.” Everett smiled. “How about we get cleaned up and have some dinner?”

      “Sounds like a plan.”

      Everett only hoped that Mariah and her brothers approved of his idea. It was good business and it would also give him the opportunity to spend some time with Mariah and get to know her better. He knew his play was somewhat obvious, but if she wouldn’t agree to have dinner with him as a man, perhaps he could appeal to her as a business colleague. Time would tell.

      * * *

      “It was a wonderful turnout,” Shari Drayson told Mariah after all the guests had gone and they were cleaning up after the grand opening. “I’m sure Lillian’s of Seattle will be a great success.”

      “Thank you.” Mariah smiled from ear to ear. It was great to hear such high praise from her cousin, given that Lillian had entrusted the flagship location to Shari several years ago. Mariah greatly respected Shari not only as baker, but as a businesswoman. When she’d lived in Chicago, Mariah had sat in on one of the family board meetings, and she could see it wasn’t easy wrangling with all those personalities and big egos. But Shari did it with ease. Heck, she made it look simple, when Mariah knew it was the opposite.

      Her cousin Belinda hadn’t been happy with Lillian’s decision for Shari to run Lillian’s of Chicago. Mariah had always suspected that Belinda was Aunt Lillian’s favorite because she’d followed behind their aunt when she was a child and was always in the bakery as her helper. And even though Mariah was closer in age to Shari, she’d always favored Belinda, who was several years older, and she’d wanted to be just like her. Belinda had a great sense of style, dressed in designer duds and never went out of the house without her makeup on. It also hadn’t helped that Shari had gotten pregnant when she was in college, and had a son, Andre, while Mariah had been unable to conceive. Why was it so easy for some women to conceive without even trying, while she desperately wanted a baby and had struggled to get pregnant?

      “Mariah?”

      “Hmm...?” She drifted out of her reverie.

      “I was asking about your parents,” Shari said. “They didn’t seem excited by the opening.”

      Mariah nodded. “They don’t really support our endeavor, but that’s fine. I intend to prove them wrong. Show them that Chase, Jackson and I have what it takes to get the job done.”

      “That’s admirable,” Shari said. “But I have to tell you it’ll be a challenge, especially having two brothers involved.”

      “Because I’m a woman?” Mariah offered.

      Shari nodded. “Sometimes it’s hard for men to take direction from a woman.”

      “Was it like that for you in Chicago?”

      Shari chuckled. “That and then some,” she replied, “Everyone thought Carter, as the oldest grandchild, would have been chosen to run Lillian’s, but instead Grandma picked me. Why? Because I have the business acumen, with my degree, and the creativity, thanks to the cake mix idea I came up with, to run the front of the house at Lillian’s while Carter runs the back. And it’s also why she chose you for the helm here.”

      Mariah smiled. “How do you manage running the front of the house and baking? Because you make it look easy.” She’d already felt herself somewhat stressed at the prospect, even though she found it incredibly rewarding, more so than she ever had when she’d worked as an advertising executive.

      “It’s about balance,” Shari said, “Trust me, it’s not easy running the bakery business and being a wife and mother, especially now.”

      “Why now?” Mariah inquired. Unlike Jack, she had a healthy curiosity about her Chicago cousins and was eager to learn more about them.

      Shari rubbed her stomach and then looked into Mariah’s eyes with a huge grin, “Grant and I are expecting our second child. We’re about to make Andre a big brother.”

      All the air in the room seemed to vanquish, as if sucked out by a backdraft in a fire, and Mariah thought she might expire on the spot. Not that she didn’t wish Shari every happiness, but this was the last thing she wanted to hear.

      Yet there was nothing she could do except stand there and fake a smile, because Shari was still speaking.

      “We didn’t want to announce it yet,” she was saying, “until I was in my second trimester, but I think it’s safe now to tell the family.”

      Mariah pasted a smile onto her face even though deep down she knew it was less than genuine. She so desperately wanted to be in Shari’s place, pregnant with her own child, but it wasn’t in the cards for her. “That’s wonderful, Shari. I’m very happy for you.”

      “Anyway, it looks like we’re just about finished up here.” Her cousin glanced around the nearly empty kitchen.

      “Yes, it would appear that way,” Mariah responded.

      Carter had already quietly sneaked off, no doubt to call his wife, Lorraine Hawthorne-Hayes Drayson, who was at home with their twin boys in Chicago. Not only was Lorraine a twin herself, but apparently twins ran in her family. Given that Carter had been a committed bachelor, it had surprised the family when he’d wasted no time starting a family with the former debutante, whose career as one of Chicago’s most sought-after artists allowed her to stay at home with their boys.

      Mariah had hoped to spend more time with Belinda, but she had somehow disappeared, too. She was probably trying to catch Malik at the bakery, since he and her brother Drake were holding down the fort in Chicago.

      “Let’s get out of here.” Mariah headed toward the door, with Shari on her heels, and turned off the lights.

      As she locked up the bakery, it was hard for her to believe that she’d actually done it. She’d started her own business with her brothers’ help. Now what?

Chapter 3

      Mariah was the first to arrive at the bakery the next morning. Unlike Chase, who had a set morning routine of cardio and weight training, followed by a healthy breakfast, or Jackson, who was no doubt rolling out of bed late because he’d spent the night having too much fun with some unsuspecting female, Mariah didn’t have any of those options. She was alone.

      It wasn’t that she liked it that way. She’d loved being married and all that it had meant. She’d loved being Mrs. Richard Hems and being part of a couple,

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