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Chapter One

Joy

“Comin’ through.” I pushed through the swinging door with a tray of pumpkin spice donuts held high above my head.

Emily glanced over her shoulder as Hannah opened the display case’s sliding glass door. “Here ya’ go, boss lady.”

“Thanks.” Adjusting the tray in my hand, I started transferring warm donuts to the racks inside the case.

“Are you all okay out here?” I asked, glancing through the case. Just like every day since the grand opening six months ago, the line was clear out the door.

“Yeah,” Emily nodded. “We’re good now that you’ve brought more pumpkin spice donuts out. Those are going fast.”

She wasn’t kidding.

In fact, I was struggling to keep up.

Which reminded me, I needed to check my email and see if I’d had any hits on the job I posted a few days ago.

Sinful Sweets desperately needed another baker to keep up with all the business we were doing.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t complaining about the money we were bringing in, but I also wanted to have a life. I wanted to go on dates and spend time with my family, and I couldn’t do that if I had to be up at the crack of dawn every morning.

A girl needed a little downtime, too.

Sinful Sweets was popping.

Which I was grateful for. I wanted all the business I could get. My goal was to eventually open a second location on the other side of town.

I was beyond thankful that my brother took a chance on me. After graduating culinary school, he handed me the keys to this building and a check for fifty grand to chase my dream. And chase it I did.

Every single morning it was the same song and dance. I’d come down the back steps at two a.m. in a Sinful Sweets hoodie, switch on the lights, and get to baking.

Then, when four o’clock rolled around I’d unlock the front door, and there they’d be—construction guys, nurses coming off the night shift, cops about to start their day —all of them lined up on the sidewalk, waiting for me to open.

Not that I was complaining or anything.

Okay, I was complaining a little. My feet hurt, my back hurt, and I hadn’t slept past two-thirty in months.

I needed help.

“Incoming,” Hannah whispered.

Shit.

Dr. Walker stepped up to the counter with his hands shoved in his scrub pockets.

I plastered on my best smile. The good doctor had been coming in every morning for the last month, and let me just tell you, the man was easy on the eyes.

Tall and lean with sandy brown hair that always looked like he’d just run his fingers through it, a square jaw with just enough scruff to make you wonder how it’d feel in certain places, and beautiful deep green eyes, the color of moss. He was pretty.

“Hey, Joy,” he said, showing off a mouth full of perfect straight white teeth. “How’s it going?”

My smile widened. “Better than I deserve.”

“I doubt that.” He grinned, revealing the dimples I was sure had all the ladies swooning.

And yet… I felt nothing. Which really sucked, to be honest, because he was actually interested. He’d asked me out three times in the last few weeks, and I’d turned him down every time. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I mean, he was nice, he had a great job, and he was more than attractive.