For Emme, Baked with Love

For Emme, Baked with Love — page 3 — Best Bakery Ever boring Lost In Frosting huh So the naming was tough but the decision to open was easy I love this bakery as if it were my own child True story My Nana Belle was the original baker in my family She gave my sisters and me a love of all things sweet and baked And bread She could bake loaves of the most wonderful warm bread that was perfect squish on the inside and crusty crisp on the outside Is there anything better Unless you’re gluten free of course But I have learned to be a friendly baker for all my friends we cater to your special needs In fact I think I know exactly what kind of cake I am going to bake for you Come and find out Daisy Duncan at your service

For Emme, Baked with Love — page 4 — Chapter 1 Sweet Dream Come True It was a Thursday morning a cool blue-sky kind of regular morning and Emme stood across the street from the old brick building with the raggedy spotted awning at the end of her city block Her thick black hair glistened in the sun Emme tugged on her oversized sweater and readjusted the enormous flowered backpack on her back What was going on over there Emme squinted from under her brand-new brand-new make me look real smart tortoise-framed glasses at the painted wooden sign that had been placed out front Dive into Daisy's Desserts OPENING REAL SOON A bakery This was a dream come true A sweet dream This corner store had been many things over the years a café that only served noodles a shmancy boutique most people couldn't afford a dusty comic book store a hardware store and a bunch of other things Mom and Dad had told Emme they remembered from when they were small They'd both grown up in this neighborhood too childhood sweethearts

For Emme, Baked with Love — page 5 — Her mom’s parents owned a Japanese restaurant and her dad’s first job was as their busboy Kamiko and Charlie had been together ever since actually since they were just a few years older than Emme’s age now Weird But if there was one thing in the entire universe that did make sense it was dessert Sure Emme had her best friends Lizzie and Trish but Emme’s first love was sweet stuff cookies candy and all things sugary In the mixed-up crazy universe of Emme Remmers dessert was a bona fide food group She had to get a closer look at that bakery Looking both ways Emme ran across the street toward the shop She pressed her nose to the window and peered inside through an enormous rip in the brown paper that covered it Were people in there Was that music playing Emme felt a deep drumbeat through the glass Inside was a whole world of vintage posters antique display cases and little pink and white lights strung all over Someone had transformed this boring old hardware store seemingly overnight Through the rip in the paper Emme spied round and square wooden tables already set up for customers each one decorated with a different brightly colored tablecloth An enormous chalkboard had been hung behind one of the glass cases on a side wall Painted at the top was Try One Or Two

For Emme, Baked with Love — page 6 — Below this was a wide blank space that Emme guessed was for the daily list of baked goods Her tummy rumbled loudly at the notion of all that wonderful butter and sugar and glazed everything that would soon be for sale She could spend an entire year’s allowance here no problem All at once the door to the bakery burst open with a loud squeak A rush of warm air swirled around Emme like a hug Mmmmmm Warm cookie smell Nothing better A man flew out with boxes in his arms Whoa he yelped balancing the boxes on his wide hip while he fished in his pocket Didn’t see you there kiddo In that moment Emme could smell the cookies and so many more things coming from inside caramel and strawberry and roasted almonds and chocolate And now energetic music poured out of the bakery door too in a river of sound The notes lifted up and out onto the pavement twangy guitars and bass drums Someone inside was wailing along with the song For a brief moment she felt like the bakery was literally calling out to her in every way that it could begging her to come see listen and especially taste You like cake the man asked His apron which was covered with stains and flour had the name Carlos printed on the front There was even flour dusting his salt and pepper tuft of hair

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