Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own any of the Twilight characters, the town of Forks, etc., etc. I do own my characters, but if you really felt you wanted to borrow them, well, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Work was slow and I busied myself with account sheets and whipped up a batch of cupcakes out of boredom, even though we were well stocked and my sous chef, Alicia, had it covered. I was mixing the icing and mentally debating what color it should be (green or orange) when Josh walked in. From his reflection in the glass door I could see a big bouquet of what appeared to be yellow daisies. Yellow icing, I decided.

"I hope you don't think it's forward or anything." His mouth was lightly tugged at the corners and his smile was sort of shy. He brought the flowers from behind him.

"Oh, not at all, thank you!" I rushed the flowers to a vase of water and displayed them on the counter near the register. Daisies were my favorite - he had been listening last night. "What are you doing all the way out here? Port Angeles isn't exactly a close drive."

"I thought I made that clear with the flowers. I wanted to see you." He said it simply, matter-of-factly. "Will you go to dinner with me?"

"Absolutely!" I said suddenly out of excitement. Probably should've prolonged it, in retrospect.

But if he noticed he didn't show it. "Cool! How about tonight?"

"Uhm, yeah, I mean..." I glanced back at Alicia who was giving me a wicked grin and two "thumbs up". I laughed. "Yeah, okay. Let me grab my things."

A few moments later we were out the door and on our way to one of the best dates I'd ever had.

*****

One month later

Jacob's POV

"You want to go to a bakery?" I wasn't just teasing, I was genuinely surprised. "I mean anything you want Emily could bake... And we wouldn't have to use my gas and travel 20 miles from the res'."

Embry shook his head. "No, dude. You don't understand. This place... This girl." He exhaled deeply and slowly. "It's better than sitting at Sam's. Way better."

"It's a bakery!" I argued. Embry had been going to this bakery for weeks and had been insisting Quil and I go with him. He had been talking about some girl that worked there or owned it... But honestly, I wasn't in the mood for girls. I mean, let's face it, Bella had broken my heart in the worst way and no matter how much I tried to convince her otherwise, she chose the ...ugh, bloodsucker... and they had a little bloodsucking family now. And I just didn't fit in that equation. And I didn't want to! Not really.

Drowning my mind in my frustration, I barely noticed when we arrived. The bakery was tucked in between a hardware store and a bank in "downtown" Forks. The small town vibe just oozed out of its bricks; it was a cozy place, the store shop window showed Valentine's Day decorations and large red and white paper lantern lights hanging over small, wooden bistro-style tables and chairs. When I stepped through the door I tapped my head against the bell hanging above it. Embry, obviously prepared, ducked slightly lower.

"Hello!" A voice rang out, a woman's voice. "I'm sorry; I suppose I should move that to the hand bar..." She smiled at us and came out from behind the display counter. "But, really, usually, our guests aren't so...tall." She laughed quietly, and blushed. She had to have been the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. For a moment it was as if the entire world had turned... fuzzy. The only thing I could truly see, clearly, was her. She wasn't necessarily short, in fact at 5'7" or so she was an average height. However I was roughly six and a half feet tall and everyone was short to me now. She had the ultimate hourglass figure, a real bombshell, and raven black hair that hung right to her trim waistline. Her nose was small and turned up slightly and her ice blue eyes were the exact color of the ocean on the sunniest spring day. They were so clear and light they were nearly transparent, like glass.

"Embry, right?" She spoke again, since neither of us was offering up anything. Embry seemed nearly as entranced as I was. She smiled a friendly smile and led us to a table in front of the window.

"That's right." He was grinning so big it was embarrassing and his cheeks looked flushed. "This is my friend, Jacob Black."

"It's nice to meet you, Jake." I loved how she used my nickname without knowing me. Like we were instantly close. Like maybe her insides went all funny when she looked at me too. She reached out her hand for mine and I noticed her nails were manicured and painted black. It wasn't off-putting or dark or gloomy, though. Instead, paired with her seemingly expensive clothes, her nails made her seem fashionable and sophisticated. I shook her hand and let it go, only out of politeness. If I had had my way I would've held it much longer, making sure the feel of it was burned into my memory.

"I'm Olivia." She said, touching her hand to her chest and shaking me out of my reverie. "What can I get you guys? I know Embry has an appetite."

Embry's laugh was hearty, too strong for such a small joke. "It's true! I do, I do." He was a mess, falling all over her and himself. I felt a twinge of guilt. I knew what was happening... what hadn't or may never happen for him. I had imprinted on the girl of my best friend's dreams.