A/N: Thank you all for your continued reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 12: A Little Funfetti
Claire and Ana headed back to the bakery in the Uber, Claire talking to Ana excitedly about some of the beautiful and unique designs she saw in the floral arrangements that she wanted to try incorporating into the cake. Ana mostly listened to her talk, smiling and nodding along, though her mind was a million miles away.
Christian had actually admitted to her that his and Gia's relationship wasn't real and that this wedding was a farce, and then the two of them had almost kissed. It was almost surreal to think about… they had almost kissed! In his parents' house, with at least a dozen people in the other room! What on earth had they been thinking? Ana tried her best to keep the blush out of her face as she thought about it, but it was proving to be difficult.
"Ana," he had whispered to her, staring into her eyes.
Remembering the way he had whispered her name like that caused her to shiver.
It was pretty clear to Ana now that Christian liked her, whether or not he wanted to admit it yet. She most certainly was attracted to him too, but where did that leave them? It wasn't like he could take her out on a date or anything. Christian was engaged to Gia, and considering the sheer number of vendors at the Grey Estate today, it really seemed like this wedding was going to move forward whether he wanted it to or not.
What if he wants to go through with it?
The thought caused a pit to form in Ana's stomach. She still had no idea why Christian and Gia were getting married in the first place, and she wished more than anything that she could know Christian's feelings about it. However, she didn't know how to bring it up to him in a way that didn't sound pushy or invasive.
Whatever Christian's reasons were for getting married to Gia, Ana doubted she was reason enough for him to not go through with it. The thought was depressing, but there really was nothing she could do about it.
They arrived back at the bakery close to one o'clock, and it was still rather busy with customers. Ana was eager for her and Claire to get back to work, but once the two of them entered the shop, Ana immediately noticed a familiar face behind the counter.
"Mia?"
Mia Grey's head popped up over the top of the display case, which she was standing behind, and grinned brightly upon seeing Ana and Claire. "Hey guys! Welcome back. How was my parents' house?"
"Mia, what are you doing here?" Ana asked in bewilderment. She and Claire wended their way through the crowd of people and stepped behind the counter, near where Kate was ringing up customers. "Kate, did you call her?"
"Of course not," Kate said, giving her a commiserating look while raising an eyebrow. "I have everything well in hand, thank you very much. She just stopped by to say hi like half an hour ago."
"Not just to say hi. I actually have news to share with the three of you," Mia insisted, and Ana saw that she was wearing an apron while refilling the glass display cases with baked goods. "I can share it with you guys when we're less busy."
Ana glanced over at Claire as they shared a smirk. Mia coming in and acting as if she were employed here (again) was rather amusing, though not entirely unexpected. But whatever news she had for them, Ana knew she wanted to hear.
"Alright. Let's get to work then," Ana conceded, and she and Claire headed back into the kitchen.
For the next hour or so, the four women worked busily to help all the customers who came in. The bakery was still rather busy up until closing time, which Ana was grateful for: the last thing she wanted to do was dwell on thoughts of Christian more than she already was today. Baking was always a great distraction.
Finally, the last customer left after closing time, and Kate closed the bakery door before locking it.
"Thank God," Mia sighed, untying her apron and slipping it off over her head. "It was so busy again today! I thought after a few weeks the customers would die down. I didn't realize my article was going to continue bringing in so many people."
"At least it's better compared to when your article first came out," Ana said sardonically, also taking off her apron, which was smudged with flour and frosting. "You said you had something you wanted to tell us?"
"Ooh, yes!" Mia said excitedly, also turning to Kate and Claire. "This is for all three of you, actually. Have you ever heard of Dessert Wars?"
"Of course," the three of them said together. Every baker knew about the famous food festival that hit multiple major US cities throughout the year. Ana had always wanted to have a Dessert Wars booth, but they never came to Seattle.
"Well, I got some insider knowledge that a Dessert Wars pop-up will be at the Seattle Expo Center tomorrow," Mia said, grinning in excitement. "And I got a free ticket with three extra passes! Would you guys like to come with me?"
"Oh my God!" Kate said excitedly, clapping her hands together and bouncing on her toes. "Are you serious? That sounds incredible!"
"Dessert Wars in Seattle?" Claire asked curiously, voicing Ana's thoughts. "They don't usually come here, do they?"
"It's not an official Dessert Wars event, but they are looking to soft-launch one of their locations here," Mia explained. "That's why it's not being as heavily advertised. A lot of important people in the Seattle baking industry got invited, including myself, and they gave me a few extra passes. It's in the afternoon, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for you ladies of The Royal Treatment to come by after the bakery's closed and check out some of the booths."
"I'd be down for that," Ana said, exchanging a smile with Claire.
"Me too," Claire said. "I went to a Dessert Wars down in California one time and it was amazing. I'd totally like to go to one again."
"Sweet," Mia grinned brightly, and she whipped out her phone before typing feverishly on it. "I'll email you guys all the details. I'm so excited – we're gonna have an awesome time!"
"It would be even more awesome if we got to have our own Dessert Wars booth," Ana joked, and Kate and Claire both giggled.
"That's true. But hey, if this pop-up is a success, you guys might actually get an opportunity next year," Mia stated, looking up at Ana with a grin. "Fingers crossed."
Ana smiled back, unable to help feeling excited at the prospect of someday being a part of a famous food festival.
~/~
~The next day~
The Seattle Expo Center was absolutely packed.
Ana remembered the trade show she had participated in here a few weeks ago had been pretty busy, but today, this place was filled well beyond capacity.
"Holy shit, it's crazy in here!" Kate shouted to Ana over the crowds. She, Ana, Mia, and Claire were all pushing their way through the swarms of people milling around the foyer of the expo center. "I thought this event was invite-only?"
"I guess a lot of people were invited," Ana said, glancing up at the huge Dessert Wars logo above the interior doors of the main room.
"It should be a bit less crowded inside!" Mia shouted from the front of the group, and she pointed toward the doors. She slowly led them through the crowds toward the doors, and Ana made sure to stay close to Kate as they walked.
Finally, they made it to the main doors, and Mia showed the four passes to the female security guard standing there. She nodded at them and opened the door, allowing the four of them to walk inside.
Ana stopped and gazed at her surroundings, feeling both delighted and shocked at how different this place looked compared to when she was last here. It was thankfully a little less crowded here, and dozens of booths and tables were set up throughout the large space, containing some of the most delectable treats and baked goods imaginable. Off to the side, Ana saw a backdrop wall with the Dessert Wars logo and some large plastic ice cream cones where groups of people were posing and getting their photos taken.
"Um… Ana?" Kate said, looking awkward, and she pointed toward the backdrop.
"What is it?" Ana said, looking toward where Kate was pointing. A moment later, however, she saw what Kate had seen, and her face paled:
The photographer taking the pictures… it was her ex-boyfriend, Jose.
Oh God, why me?
"Shit," Ana muttered, turning away so her back was to him. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. "Did he see me?"
"I don't think so," Kate said quietly, surreptitiously glancing over at him. "He's facing the opposite direction. C'mon, let's go before he turns around."
"What's going on guys?" Mia asked curiously, gazing toward where Kate was looking. Kate quickly shushed her and led them all toward the booths.
"We just saw Ana's ex," Kate explained simply as they walked. "He's a cheating scumbag and we don't want to interact with him."
"Oh my God," Mia's eyes widened with surprise and concern as she looked at Ana. "Holy shit, I'm so sorry Ana. I had no idea."
"It's not your fault," Ana assured her, though she still felt sick to her stomach. She refused to have Jose's appearance ruin her day, however. "Let's just go check out the desserts."
The four of them began moving their way through the various dessert booths and stalls, looking at all the delicious treats around them. Ana wished she could taste all of them, but visitors were allowed only a limited amount of samples. They were each given a container big enough to carry only four treats, and by the end they had to vote for their favorite one. They all agreed they would try to get different treats for their respective containers so they could all sample each other's.
They made her way through the booths, and Ana gazed at all the beautiful displays of elegantly-decorated cakes, delicious-looking frosted cookies, tiered platters of multi-colored macarons, and rows upon rows of every donut imaginable. Ana couldn't help but feel inspired by all these amazing desserts, and she mentally planned what she would serve if The Royal Treatment ever got to have a booth here.
The four of them continued moving through the various stalls, debating with each other about what looked best. Ana ended up settling on a miniature strawberry-mango cheesecake, an interesting chai cookie spiced with cardamom, a decadent dark chocolate cupcake brushed with gold leaf, and an adorable marzipan candy shaped like an orange slice.
"Does everyone have their four treats?" Mia asked after about an hour. Ana noticed Mia's container held various treats, including coffee cake, which made her smile.
"Yup, I think we're good," Claire said, looking at her own container, which were all macarons of various sizes and colors. "I can't wait to try these – they all look so good!"
"I know, right? Come on, let's go find a table," Mia said, leading the way through the crowds back toward where they had come in. Ana felt a bit nervous walking back over here, knowing Jose might still be hanging around, but she kept her mouth shut as she followed.
"Here we are," Mia said, finding an empty standing table that could fit the four of them. They all set their containers down, preparing to taste each treat and swap them with each other.
Just as Ana was about to pick up her cupcake to take a bite, she heard a familiar voice speak up behind her: "Good afternoon, ladies. Do you mind if I get a picture of you four?"
Ana felt as if ice had settled in her chest as she slowly turned to look at who had spoken. Jose, who had his large professional-looking camera held up in front of his face, slowly lowered it as he stared at Ana, his face pale with shock. He clearly didn't realize who she was when he approached the table.
"Ana," he said her name after a moment.
"Jose," Ana said back.
An awkward silence hung over them for several protracted seconds.
A/N: Dessert Wars is a real thing, but I have no idea if it's actually this popular lol. For my story's purposes, though, it is.
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