2
" Business the old-fashioned way worked in present-day Moonbright. The front window showcased a tower of stacked vitamins and supplements, children's games and toys, locally made treats- benne wafers, taffy, and lemon biscuits- as well as specialty bath and body products. The store owner was faithful to elderly female customers and did his best to keep them happy. He continued to stock their favorite retro perfumes- Emeraude, Tabu, Chantilly, Moon Drops, along with their preferred Mavis talcum powder and Bigelow Rose Wonder facial creams. Items the ladies refused to live without. "
― Donna Kauffman , The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (Moonbright, Maine #2)
5
" I had also planned to stop at Herbert's Orchard and pick a basket of apples."
He could do apples. There was a small family store on-site that featured homemade fudge, pies, jams, jellies, and maple syrup, plus Maine-made crafts and gifts.
"Do you have a favorite apple?" he asked.
"Two favorites, actually. The Honeycrisp for sweetness and crunch, and the Ginger Gold, sliced with sharp cheddar cheese on salads. How about you?"
"Macintosh, all-around good. The best for pies, in my mom's opinion. "
― Donna Kauffman , The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (Moonbright, Maine #2)
7
" She thought about all the baking therapy she and Char had done together during that time. Usually in the wee, wee hours. Those sessions never had anything to do with their respective jobs.
And everything to do with salvation.
Their worlds might be uncontrolled chaos, but baking always made sense. Flour, butter, and sugar were as integral a part of her as breathing.
Lani had long since lost count of the number of nights she and Charlotte had crammed themselves into her tiny kitchen, or Charlotte's even tinier one, whipping up this creation or that, all the while hashing and rehashing whatever the problems du jour happened to be. It was the one thing she truly missed about being in New York.
No one on Sugarberry understood how baking helped take the edge off. Some folks liked a dry martini. Lani and Char, on the other hand, had routinely talked themselves down from the emotional ledge with rich vanilla queen cake and some black velvet frosting. It might take a little longer to assemble than the perfect adult beverage... but it was the very solace found in the dependable process of measuring and leavening that had made it their own personal martini. Not to mention the payoff was way, way better.
Those nights hadn't been about culinary experience, either. The more basic, the more elemental the recipe, the better. Maybe Lani should have seen it all along. Her destiny wasn't to be found in New York, or even Paris, or Prague, making the richest, most intricate cakes, or the most delicate French pastries. No, culinary fulfillment- for her, the same as life fulfillment- was going to be experienced on a tiny spit of land off the coast of Georgia, where she could happily populate the world with gloriously unpretentious, rustic, and rudimentary little cupcakes. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
11
" He'd thought a lot about that kiss. A whole lot about that kiss.
He wished he felt more sorry about it than he did, as it could likely prove to be his downfall in his mission. But he couldn't. It had been to... perfect. Like a souffle that combined airiness and light, with that rich, dark, kicky finish. Yes, that kiss had lingered on his lips... and permanently in his memory, ranking up there along with the richest, most decadent desserts he'd ever had the pleasure of sampling.
Just like those decadent desserts, he was equally driven to taste her again. As passionate as he'd ever been to create the most amazing flavor combinations, the richest and most unique desserts, Lani was like that to him. For as long as he could remember, that passion had always been everything. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
12
" She let him kiss her, let all the sensations he brought with his kiss course through her freshly relaxed body. His mouth was warm, strong, and he tasted sweet and spicy, partly from the ginger-laced cupcakes they'd been baking and testing, and partly because she knew that's just how he tasted. Under his continued exploration, she relaxed further, opened her mouth to him, took him in... and sighed as he filled her so perfectly. She groaned softly, or maybe it was him, as he took the kiss deeper, and it slowly turned more ardent. She realized she'd dug her nails into his shirt, pressing her knuckles into him as she clutched the linen in her fists in her urgent need to get closer to him.
"Wow," she gasped against the skin of his jaw as he left her mouth to kiss the corners of her lips, then her cheek, her temple, and dropped his head down to nuzzle at the tender side of her neck. It was the sweetest seduction and a primal rush, all at the same time. She rose up on her toes, wanting more heat, more contact, more... Baxter.
"How can this not be the right thing, Leilani," he whispered gruffly against the sensitive skin below her ear. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
13
" He glanced down at the movie poster art that had been skillfully airbrushed not his custom apron, thanks to Lani's interesting assistant, Dre. He had thought the eclectic collection clever and a fitting contribution to the tone the show was trying to strike, being set in a cupcakery, and featuring its whimsical owner.
'Whimsical she might be,' Baxter thought, 'but when it comes to smoldering sensuality, even Marilyn Monroe in her movie star prime doesn't hold a candle to little Miss Snow White.' He'd been attracted to her drive, her focus, her steady demeanor and steadier hand. She'd been steel wrapped in sunshine, a dependable beacon of light he could rely on and trust in his always loud, rushed, chaotic world.
Now he looked at her, with the warm, buttery, bakery sweet scents filling the air, accented with rich, dark, chocolate undertones... and all he could think about was adding the taste of her to the mix. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
14
" We've been making solidarity cakes this morning in support of you, ma chere," Franco said. "We're featuring your to-die-for black walnut spice cakes with cream cheese and cardamom frosting as today's special."
"Thanks, you guys," Lani said sincerely.
"Every detail! Call me!" Charlotte ordered before clicking off.
Lani stood there, pastry bag still at the ready, and looked at the racks in front of her. And thought about her friends in New York. Solidarity cakes. Salvation cakes. "Healing the disgruntled, displaced, and just plain dissed," she said, smiling briefly. "One cake at a time. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
15
" Any plans for supper?"
"A take-out sandwich from Franklin's Diner."
"I'd like to celebrate your first day of work," he slowly said. "I was hoping you'd join me at Enzio's." While most locals and visitors to Moonbright chose lobster rolls, fried haddock, and steamers, Jack liked Italian cuisine.
Enzio's was wedged between a bank and a real-estate office. Small and intimate, the ristorante brought Italy to Maine. Stone columns and pillars supported the entryway. Low lighting muted the Tuscan-style colors, marble floors, and murals of the Italian countryside. Candlesticks flickered in wine bottles.
Lara stood still before him. She'd yet to respond. "Enzio's never disappoints," he attempted to convince her. "I called ahead and checked on the evening specials. The chef recommended four courses: Garden Minestrone soup, Olive Caprese salad, Brown Butter and Sage Ravioli, and Raspberry Gelato. "
― Donna Kauffman , The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (Moonbright, Maine #2)
16
" She'd never been anything other than absolutely professional with him. Always in a good mood, the calm in the center of every storm. And there had been many. He could depend on her to be consistently cool, competent, and focused. Aside from her rather amazing talent, the way she handled the day-to-day chaos of the kitchen with such smooth aplomb was the thing he'd admired most about her. He'd been convinced that bombs could be going off, and she'd been steadily working away with that quiet smile of hers, truly content, as if she existed inside her own personal sunbeam.
To him, she'd been the perennial Snow White, kind to one and all, always making life easier for those around her. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
18
" He admired the vintage ambiance, as well as Lara's backside as they headed down the center aisle. She was graceful, curvy; her hips hypnotized. The gentle sway of distracted him, and he walked into the corner of the soda fountain counter. The edge jabbed his hip. Painfully. Embarrassingly.
Fortunately, Lara hadn't noticed. She'd lowered herself onto a red leather stool and picked up a laminated menu. He rubbed his hip and dropped down beside her. The stools were close together, and Lara and he seemed almost attached in the small space. The slightest shift of their bodies and their thighs brushed. He stretched, reaching for a menu just as she withdrew a napkin from the metal holder. It was a moment neither of them could've expected or predicted. Yet one that would be imprinted in time. Forever. Her shorter legs parted and his knee pushed in. Way in. Connecting with her crotch.
She was jarred forward. Gasping. Her arms flayed. She clutched his thigh with one hand and saved herself from falling off the stool. Her fingertips inched near his zipper. So very close. An innocent reflex pressed her legs together, which only rooted him deeper into her. Her softness held him. Sensually snug.
His thigh muscles flexed, bunched. His stomach knotted. Awareness heated his body, and he stiffened. Her blazer parted, and he saw that her nipples were puckered beneath her white silk blouse. Responsive feminine points. "
― Donna Kauffman , The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice (Moonbright, Maine #2)
19
" On closer notice of her apron, he said, "Is that-?"
"The Mad Hatter," she said. "I told you, I have a collection."
"You collect aprons?"
"Since I was little and my mom taught me to bake." When he smiled, she arched a brow. "Some find it charmingly quirky."
"You never wore any to Gateau."
"Shocking, I know. Because I'm certain the staff would have greatly appreciated the humor in them."
His smile twitched wider at that. "You have a point, I suppose. I must say, this dry side of you is surprisingly appealing. What does it say?" He nodded toward her apron front.
She lifted her arms away so he could read the script that accompanied the copy of an original pen and ink art rendering of the Hatter seated at a long table, holding a teacup aloft.
"YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO HAVE A TEA PARTY," he read out loud, then smiled at her. "I rather agree. You make a charming and somewhat more quirky Alice than I'd have expected. I seem to recall Alice spent the better part of her time being irritated and flustered, too. Perhaps if I'd come bearing tea and crumpets, with a bewildered, bespectacled white rabbit clutching a pocketwatch in his paw, you'd have been more willing to give me the time of day. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
20
" Even after baking that afternoon while Dre covered the counter, she'd been left with very few cupcakes to refrigerate overnight, as she routinely did, selling them as day olds the next day, for a reduced price. She still had fresh frozen extra batches of unfrosted cupcakes, her base vanilla bean cake and semi-sweet chocolate, which she'd thaw, then pipe fresh frosting on in the morning. Even with those she'd still be behind with her freshly baked trademark flavors, no matter how early a start she got. She'd whipped up some of those frostings this evening, but everything else would have to be made fresh from scratch in the morning.
She should be in bed, sleeping. Not standing in the shop kitchen, experimenting with a pavlova roulade she didn't need and couldn't sell. But therapy was therapy, and she needed that, too. "
― Donna Kauffman , Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club #1)
