Bittersweet - Sweets and Second Chances Book 1

His coffee food truck + her bakery = a perfect combination. Or could exes working together be a recipe for disaster?

Harper Hensley’s greatest joy is baking. She’s co-owner of a cute little bake shop, creating delicious treats to her heart’s content, and happily dating a successful lawyer. Life seems perfect. Until Logan Riggs, the man who walked out on her without a word four years ago, rolls into town in his new coffee food truck, living the dream they were supposed to share together.

The last thing Logan ever wanted was to leave Harper, but unforeseen circumstances forced him to make that choice. He never meant to hurt her or ruin their plans of starting a food truck. Now he’s back to make things right, hoping to convince her to work with him, and longing for a second chance with the woman he loved from the start.

Coffee and cupcakes belong together. But is the truth about Logan’s disappearing act too much to forgive? Can Harper move past the bitter to get to the sweet?

* Bittersweet was formerly part of the Second Chance with You multi-author series.

What Harper Hensley felt when she stepped through the doors of Sweets on the Grand was always overwhelming and nearly impossible to describe.

Happy. No, that was too simple a word. The feeling was more than that. Blissful.

Some days she still couldn’t believe it was real. She had loved baking for as long as she could remember—all the way back to her Easy Bake Oven days—and she’d always known she wanted to run her own business someday. It was the reason she’d chosen to study business management and entrepreneurship at college. So when the time came, she’d be ready and fully capable of making it happen.

But that wasn’t what led to the fulfillment of her dream. It was the day near the end of junior year when
she’d ventured into a baking class on a whim and met Savannah—six years her senior—not knowing then that
they’d become the best of friends and decide to go into business together.

Three years it had taken to get this little bake shop going. They had started talking about it and planning
for it before Harper graduated. They’d been working their tails off until the timing was just right, until the money was in place, until the perfect spot opened up in downtown Grand Rapids.

When she’d first toured this building, she’d instantly fallen in love with its tall front windows, old tin tile ceiling, and original wood floors. In her mind’s eye, she pictured a long display case filled with goodies, a quaint seating area up front, and an open kitchen in the back so customers could watch them work. The space was perfect, and she knew without a doubt that it would make the most charming bakery.

And now, they were nearly a year into running their shop, and it was better than she’d imagined it would be. The layout was just as she’d envisioned. They had made a plan and stuck to it and their dream was now a reality.

Proud.

Blessed.

Hungry?

Harper’s stomach growled as the door closed behind her. The comforting aroma of cupcakes and scones and brownies and every other decadent delight imaginable filled the space. It was a wonder she hadn’t gained twenty pounds with all the cookies and muffins she’d “sampled” on days like this, when she’d rushed out of her apartment, anxious to get to work, and completely skipped breakfast.

“Taste this.” Savannah held out a spoon with a smooth, creamy substance the color of peanut butter
about to drip over the edge. She didn’t have to ask twice. Everything Savannah made was mouthwateringly good.

Harper’s mouth closed over the spoon, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head.

“Chocolate butterscotch to fill the croissants.” Savannah smiled proudly.

“Mmm, that might be better than sex.”

Savannah’s eyebrow raised. “Like you would know.”

“Some might say it is.” Harper shrugged and went to work organizing the display case with fresh pastries and muffins and all things delicious. This wasn’t normally her job, but Ginny, who manned the counter most mornings, was off sick, and she didn’t mind taking on the task. She’d always felt such great pride in lining everything up, knowing people would buy the treats they’d made, that each creation would satisfy their taste buds and bring a smile to their face.

She stood in front of the counter as if she were the customer and admired her organizational skills. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the display, she tucked an escaped strand of golden blonde hair back into her bun. Her eyes raised and glanced around, taking in the shop, making sure the place was presentable before the doors opened.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, that coffee truck called me back,” Savannah informed her.

“What coffee truck?” She had no idea what her business partner was talking about.

“I told you, the food truck festival is coming up, and that coffee truck, Bittersweet, was looking for a local
bakery interested in partnering with them.”

Harper shook her head, a little annoyed at the mention of food trucks. “You told me nothing about that.”

“I did,” Savannah replied as a section of her dark toffee hair fell from under the white, puffy baker’s hat she’d insisted on wearing since the day they had opened. She blew it away from her face. “That might’ve been the night you and Brett went out, though. Maybe you were distracted.”

Harper thought about Brett. Sweet, handsome Brett. One of Grand Rapids’ most successful lawyers.
They didn’t have much in common, but she enjoyed his company. And he was the first guy Harper had dated
seriously since ... well, in quite a while.

“Are you guys going out again this weekend?” Savannah asked.

Harper shrugged her shoulders and straightened a few chairs.

“Harper.” Savannah was giving her the look—the perceptive one she’d been giving her for months when
it came to her relationship with Brett. “Just tell him you aren’t into him.”

“What? I am.” She avoided eye contact, because Savannah was incredibly intuitive, often picking up
on how Harper really felt about something, sometimes before she even admitted it to herself.

Savannah snorted. “Whatever. I know you’re never going to care about him like—”

“Don’t say it!” Harper snapped. “Don’t say his name to me.”

“Maybe Brett’s not the one, but—”
“Who says Brett’s not the one?”
Savannah’s eyebrow arched again.
“I like him, Vanna. You know I do.”

“But ...”

“No but.” She wasn’t lying to her friend. She did like Brett. But it wasn’t easy to open her heart after the way she’d been burned in the past.

“I can tell you’re holding back, Harper. It’s okay for you to be happy with someone else, ya know? It’s been a long time. It’s okay to fall in love again.”

“Yeah, falling in love again sounds great.”

Savannah perked up.

“It sounds about as great as sticking my head in the oven with that batch of muffins right now.”

Savannah rolled her eyes and went back to working on the croissants.

“Or maybe sticking my hand in the blender.” Harper moved behind the counter and took long, quick strides
across the kitchen, motioning dramatically toward the kitchen appliances. “Do I really need both hands?”

“Stop.” Savannah gave the same exasperated look she always did when Harper went off on one of her
sarcastic rants.

Harper laughed to herself.

“I don’t mean to be insensitive. But isn’t it time to move on?”

“Who says I haven’t moved on?” Harper came up beside Savannah and threatened to stick a finger in her chocolate butterscotch creation.

Savannah smacked her playfully on the hand and pressed her lips together. Her furrowed brow gave
away her uncertainty. “If so, then I’m happy for you. He’s nice, Harper. Really.”

“But ...” Harper waited for her friend’s true opinion. She valued it more than any other person in her life right now.

Pausing in the middle of filling a croissant, Savannah looked at her seriously. “It just seems like after eight months, your relationship would’ve progressed a little
more than it has.”

“We’re going slow. He understands.”

“You told him about—?”

Harper’s sudden head tilt and narrowed eyes stopped Savannah from saying his name. “Brett knows I
had a bad breakup, and that I’m a little gun shy. Besides, he’s busy with his caseload. We see each other when he’s got the time, which works fine for us right now.”

“If you say so.”

“It does.”

Savannah gave her an amused look and went back to work.

Harper sighed. She knew Savannah was only being a concerned friend, but she was ready to change the subject. She looked around the shop once more. No matter where she was at in her dating life, this was her one
constant. The one thing in her life that made her truly happy and proud. The one area she had control over.

The shop would never abandon her like he had.

But if he’d stuck around, none of this would’ve happened. Not a single thing they’d planned for had come to be. He’d been all talk, and she hadn’t needed empty words and empty promises. She’d needed drive and determination and action. She had needed someone who would be in it for the long haul.

If only she’d known Logan Riggs wasn’t a long haul kind of guy.