Lost and Found

Chapter 7

After a few left turns, she pulled into another parking lot. She turned and looked at him. "We're here." They got out of the car, and he looked up at the store sign.

"The Sweet Spot?" He looked at her with a puzzled look.

She held out her hand. "Come on, trust me."

He walked around the car to meet her, intertwined his fingers with hers and walked to the door. As she opened it, he was hit with the smell of sugar and coffee. He looked around and saw a dozen café tables and a full bar filled with cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods. Off to one side was a coffee bar while off to the other was a regular bar. He looked at her. "What is this place?"

"A dessert bar. They're open until 1am." She pointed to the bar. "They make some of the best dessert drinks."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. You have to come back at Christmas for their Sugar Cookie Martini. It is fantastic." She gave his hand a little tug. "Come on. I only have you until midnight Cinderella."

He laughed and walked to the dessert cases. His eyes went immediately to the cupcakes. There were about two dozen different flavors, all topped with a generous helping of frosting. Bryce smiled and continued to look. He finally settled on a Chocolate Dream cupcake while Sydney chose the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake. They each ordered a fruit infused water and sat down at a table. Bryce took a bite of his cupcake and sighed happily. "You really know the best food places around here."

"What can I say? I like to eat." She took a bite of hers and moaned. He stiffened at the sound, his heart rate speeding up. She looked at him and smiled.

He smiled at her. "That good, huh?"

She nodded. "This is my favorite one here. Want a bite?"

He nodded as she held out the cupcake towards him. He took a bite, the sweet whipped cream frosting complimenting the strawberry vanilla cake. His eyes went wide before he closed them. He swallowed and looked at her. "Wow."

"They're the best."

"So, this is why you asked what my favorite dessert was. You had this planned the whole time?" Bryce asked as he took another bite of his cupcake.

"Guilty as charged." She sipped her water.

"I have to say, you have set the bar pretty high for me now."

"How so?" she asked between bites of her dessert.

"Well, I'm going to have to try to top this date, and this has been an amazing night." He grabbed her hand.

She smiled. "I'm glad you had a good time. I did too, but mostly because of the company." He kissed her hand and smiled before letting it go to finish his cupcake. "I have to be honest, I was a bit scared that it was too simple. Like I said, I'm not really a fancy person."

"See, I don't believe that. I think you have a few fancy dresses in your closet."

She smiled. "Always back to fashion with you. Yes, I do, but it's because I throw a fundraiser every year to help the library."

"When's your next one?"

"In about three weeks. I have a meeting tomorrow with the public relations person from the mayor's office. On Monday I have a meeting with the PR person from the governor's office."

"So, what goes on during these fundraisers?"

"This year, it's kind of a two part deal. We'll be showing off some art from the children of the local schools based on their favorite books at the library in the morning. Then, in the evening, it's a sit down dinner and dancing, a grown up thing."