Love and Betrayal

Chapter 5

Ashlynn's POV

I walked into Adara's apartment and I knew she was going to be mad about what I was about to tell her, but she would thank me later. She needed time with her husband, and I'd been at their apartment for two weeks. We spent every minute we could cleaning up my old apartment. Very little survived the wrath of Rick and so it all went into the garbage. We had to fix walls and paint, but it was all done and the apartment looked almost as good as when I moved in.

I had found an apartment to move into. I had to dip into my emergency fund that I had for the bakery. I hated doing it, but I had a plan in place to put the money back and also get everything I needed for my new apartment. I didn't make custom orders, but now I was, and wedding cakes seem to be where it's at. They were time-consuming, but people were also willing to pay extensively for that time. I had put it up on our website and orders started coming in like hot cakes. It was really making me rethink the bakery and hire some people to handle this if it kept going like this.

"Honey, I'm home," I yelled as I walked through the door.

"In the kitchen," Adara yelled back, and if she was in the kitchen that meant she was cooking dinner, and she should just stay out of the kitchen. The girl couldn't boil water to save her life.

"Please tell me you aren't cooking."

"I'm trying."

"Why don't you let me cook dinner, and you have a glass of wine?"

"Deal," she said all too happily. I went to the stove, and it looked like she was trying to fry chicken. I cleaned everything up really fast and got the rest of the chicken in the skillet and the potatoes going as well, and then I turned around to face her. She was sitting on the bar stool with her legs under her and a giant glass of wine in her hands and huge ass smile.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't and I already know what you are going to say and you really don't have to leave."

"Yes, I do. I found a nice apartment, that's closer to the bakery and it has great security."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have a plan to get my emergency money put back and if things keep going like they are now, I will have everything replaced in a few months' time and if the orders continue to come in like they are now, I might have to expand my business."

"I'm so proud of you. You never let anything get you down, and you have created this life for yourself that most of us don't get." She said, and I just smiled at her and turned back around. She was right though. We were both foster kids, that's how we met. She was lucky and was adopted when we were ten, and I stayed in the system my entire life. We usually just got forgotten about once we were older, but I had this one foster mom who loved to bake, and she taught me a lot and that is where I learned how to bake, but then I was moved out of her home after a year.

"Well, we can go see it tonight if you want."

"We will go to see it, and you will want to stay there and just like that you will be gone. Give me tonight please. It can be a girls' night?" she begged, and I easily gave in. Again, as foster kids we had separation issues. Some are worse than others.

I woke up the next morning with a slight headache from one too many glasses of wine, but I also had a great time. We had the best night. It had been a long time since we had done that. I quickly got ready for work while they were still asleep. I had so much to do today, including a custom order for a birthday cake, and I needed a bed. I could live without anything else, but a bed was mandatory. I had spent many nights sleeping on a floor in foster care and I vowed to myself that I would never do it again and I wouldn't.

I walked into the shop and, of course, Avery was already there working on dough.

"How was the first night in the new apartment?"

"I stayed one last night with Adara, so tonight. Besides, I have to get a bed today."

"Shopping?" she asked as her eyes lit up. This girl lived to shop. This is what happens when you grow up with a family that has a little bit of money. You don't have to worry about things.

"Yes, want to go pick out a bed with me?"

"Yes, as long as we can look at bed sets also. We need to find something pretty for you."

I just rolled my eyes at her and went to my office. I needed to check my email and see if we had any other custom orders that came in overnight. I needed to see how much time I was going to have this weekend, which I was hopeful that it wouldn't be much. I needed the money. Lucky for me, there were two inquiries. One was for a gala that needed designer cookies, as they called it, and they wanted them next weekend, and another was for a wedding cake which was way more up my alley due to the amount people paid for them. I replied to both asking more questions and closed my laptop and went back out to help get everything prepared for this morning.

This day ended up being busier than normal, and we sold out of so much more than normal. Not that I was complaining, but if this was going to be a new thing, we would have to make more each morning. I finally sat back down at my desk and pulled up my emails and I had more emails for more custom orders that were smaller but still profitable. I replied back to them and the two people from this morning got back to me and the bride wanted an eight tier cake, but their wedding wasn't for another four months, so I had plenty of time for that but the cookies, they wanted a thousand cookies by next Saturday night and because it was the richest of the richest in town putting this on they were going to pay way more than I should charge, but they had the money, so I would take it and besides I was going to need extra help and I would have to pay overtime in order to get this done.

The last email I had was from the courthouse informing me that there was a court date for next Friday as well. It just meant that I would have to really buckle down and get things done next week. I wasn't going to miss this chance on these cookies and I also wasn't going to miss this court date. I needed to see him behind bars.

"Are you ready?" Avery asked.

"Yes, and do you want some overtime next week?"

"Always."

"Good because I have a thousand designer cookies to make by next Saturday at three."

"What are designer cookies?"

"Sugar cookies with specific designs they have sent me."

"Perfect!" she said sarcastically.

The next week went by in a blur. If I wasn't at the bakery making cookies, I was at my apartment trying to find used furniture and clothes to wear. I didn't have much of either, but I was slowly getting there. My face was healing up as well and the bruising had faded enough that I could cover them with enough make-up. By the time that Friday rolled around, I had to make a tough choice. I wasn't nearly close enough to being done with the cookies and if I left to go to court I wouldn't make it. I will have to see if I can file another protection order or a restraining order.

"Are you OK today?" Avery asked as we sat there frosting cookies. So many cookies.

"Yes, just tired." I told her, but it was a total lie. I was worried about what would happen if Rick found out where I lived. Since he trashed my apartment, he has left me alone, and I was hoping that this was the end of it.

"How about drinks tonight? Celebrate getting these all done."

"I think that I'm going to sleep for the next twenty-four hours."

"Do you want me to start loading this up?"

"Yes, and I will finish the last of these cookies."

I was thankful for her help because if it wasn't for her this wouldn't have gotten done, and she was also filling her car with cookies along with mine that was running again thanks to Brent. I finished the last twenty cookies and got them boxed up. Avery had both our cars shoved clear full of cookies, and we had thirty minutes to get there and had to get across town in that time.

I pulled into the fancy hotel. I went inside and grabbed one of those carts that people put their luggage on, and we started stacking boxes of cookies on them. It took us several trips, but we finally got them all to the hall it was being held in, and we were shown the table that they needed to be set up on. All we had to do was display them on a table and the staff would refill them as needed. I sent Avery away as soon as we had them all inside. She had put in so much extra time that I knew she was ready for some downtime.

"Oh my god, these are amazing." A very happy blonde came over, looking at them.

"Thank you."

"I love your bakery and when I saw that you were taking custom orders, I had to jump on it for this party and also my wedding cake."

"Are you the eight-tier cake?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Congratulations on your wedding. I will have time to sit down with you soon about the cake now that the cookies are finished."

"No big rush. The wedding is still a few months away, but these cookies look amazing. I can't get over them."

"Thank you."

She took one off the plate and started eating it and walked away. I hate women like her. She had everything I never did. She probably came from the perfect family and had the perfect fiancé with the perfect house. She has probably never known heart ache or struggle. There were days that I wished for nothing but to be someone like her. OK, most days growing up I wished I was someone like her.

I finished getting everything placed on the table and pushed the cart into the back room where people were running around to get things ready, and then I heard her voice. The girl from earlier. I didn't get her name and I don't remember it from the email.

"Oh honey, you have to meet the baker. She will be making our wedding cake," I heard her tell her fiancé, and when I looked up at them, my mouth dropped open. The man was nothing but walking s*x. Tall, muscular but not too much, dark hair, sharp jaw, dark brown eyes and this half smile that was panty melting.

"Ashlynn, please meet my fiancé," she squealed as they both walked over to me. I wiped my hands on my apron. I was so gross and dirty from baking and frosting.

"This is my fiancé Barrett, and I'm sorry I'm Lilly," she said as I shook both of their hands.

"Nice to meet you Ashlynn," he said and, God that voice, so deep and masculine.