Sweet Pleasures ✔︎

[25] 𝑫𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆

Status : Unedited

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The initial surge of excitement over the Declairs lasted for a week after the news report aired, but the flow of customers remained steady, with intermittent lulls throughout the day allowing them to restock and regroup before the next rush.

Jupiter and Isabelle both woke up at three so they could go downstairs and start prepping the Declairs, and then Jupiter either worked through the morning or until she had a class, after which Clementine took over. Through it all, Jupiter hoped against hope for a call from Josh, promising he would give as much, if not more, to them as he did to Candy King. But the call never came.

Rather than close for renovations and risk losing momentum, Pendergrass and Peabody Designs sent in a crew to work overnight, and soon the interior was freshly painted with new shelves and tables stenciled with mandala designs, bright hammock chairs, an array of earthy plants, colorful lanterns, an antique birdcage, and framed art from local artists.

Julia Bennett strode in one morning and told Jupiter it was imperative that she didn't succumb to 'mass production' of the Declairs.

"Keep your batches small and stick to a limit of three per customer," Julia said. "Not only will that maintain consistent quality, it will let people know that they have to come back if they want more. And when a person has to work a bit for that which they desire, they will value it even more."

She gave Jupiter a pointed look, which made her wonder if the other woman was also talking about Josh. But she didn't ask about him, not wanting to even think about him over in Switzerland, touring a building site and burying himself in work. He's responded to her text with a shot 𝖢𝗈𝗇𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗍𝗌 - 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝖽𝗈 𝗂𝗍, but there was a massive distance between them now, one with little chance of meeting in the middle. Jupiter wasn't sure there even was a middle.

The Rainbow Palace accounts began to show a significant profit, and because of the business structure Josh had helped her put in place, the bakery could maintain the momentum to the point that she could hire more employees. He was part of the reason the bakery was able to handle the sudden influx of customers and production.

Jupiter set a fresh batch of doughnuts on the front counter, enjoying the conversation from the customers who were sitting at the tables, talking and eating. The strains of "Here comes the sun" drifted from the speaker.

After cleaning a few smudges from the glass counter, Jupiter looked up when a young man with a scraggly beard approached.

"Hey," he pushed his overlong hair away from his face. "I'm looking for Belle."

Apprehension flickered through Jupiter. "Hold on, I'll get her for you."

She went to the kitchen, where a Isabelle was piping éclair dough onto a tray. "There's someone here to see you. I think it's your friend Dave."

Isabelle almost dropped the pastry bag before setting it down. She wiped her hands on her apron and followed Jupiter to the front.

"Hey."Dave smiled at the sight of her." You ready to hit the road again?"

"Yeah, sure." Isabelle glanced uneasily at Jupiter. "Um, can you give me some time to get my stuff together?"

"Sure, but I'd like to get going early tomorrow morning," Dave said. "A friend said we could crash at his place when we go through Eureka."

"I'll be ready." Isabelle out a cranberry muffin into a bag and passed it across to him. "Come back here around six tomorrow morning, okay?"

Dave nodded, peering into the bag as he headed back out the door. Isabelle pulled a few dollar bills out of her pocket and out them in the cash register.