Sweet on Wilde Read online

  Copyright © 2015 Fabiola Francisco

  All rights reserved

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, names and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Design by Kari Ayasha, Cover to Cover Designs

  Cover Images by © Sivilla, Shutterstock

  Formatting by Tami Norman, Integrity Formatting

  For Alina Rocha, my sister from another mister.

  You inspired this book with one, not so simple yet intriguing, conversation.

  No matter the distance, we’ve been able to maintain our solid friendship.

  This one is for you.

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Books by Fabiola Francisco

  It’s been eight months, two weeks and three days since I made a deal with my best friend. If I were still single by this day, I would sign up for online dating. The thought alone makes me cringe. When did we lose the personal touch of meeting someone face to face? When you’ve been single for far too long and can’t meet someone in person. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Not that I’m desperate to be with someone. I’m very content on my own, doing what I want when I want it. Sure I miss the intimacy of being with a man, but B.O.B. and I are doing just fine these days. I’m independent and don’t need to have a man around to take care of my needs. But sometimes, I want to feel the touch of one. His hands caressing me and his lips on mine.

  Okay, Savannah, stop before you need to pull out B.O.B. for a less than satisfying orgasm. Lately, he just hasn’t been cutting it.

  My friend and I were supposed to embark on this journey together, but she met someone, leaving me to battle the online world alone. Humph. Online world? What the hell am I supposed to do to meet someone online? Isn’t it just the same as social media? Another way for creepers to send you messages and “poke” you. I don’t want to be poked, physically or electronically.

  Here goes nothing.

  Name: Savannah Gardner

  No. Scratch Gardner, no need to give so many details out at once.

  Age: 28

  Occupation:

  Does this really matter? I wonder what people would think if I put Space Monkey. Maybe my humor doesn’t translate the same through online dating. Okay…

  Occupation: Pastry Chef

  Describe yourself:

  Hmmm… Okay. I can do this. I can sell myself. Now I sound like a hooker.

  I have brown hair, gray/blue eyes, 5’4”, slim body. I love going to concerts...

  Ugh! I sound like some boring girl next door that’s not sexy. But then again, I don’t really consider myself sexy. I don’t think guys look at me and think, Wow, I want to run my tongue all over her body. An unwelcomed chill runs down my spine. Do I really want a guy who thinks that? That may be kinda creepy.

  Okay. Let’s try this again.

  I’m a fun-loving girl who enjoys the outdoors and trying new things.

  That’s a little better. I keep going.

  I have a quirky personality.

  Maybe I should not use quirky. That just makes it sound like a nicer way of saying weird. I’m startled when I hear the sound of Miranda Lambert’s voice coming from my phone. Grateful for the distraction, I answer the call.

  “Hey!” I’m sure Emily is wondering if I’ve filled out my registration. This plan sounded fun when we first made the deal. Now, I’m wondering why I ever agreed. She found herself a hottie who adores her, but I still need to keep up my end of the deal and try this out for a few months.

  “Hey Sav, how’s it going?” I hear the real question in her voice. She doesn’t care how my day’s been. She cares if I’ve signed up already or not.

  “Good. I’m just starting to fill out the form. God, I hate having to describe myself. I don’t know how to word it where I don’t sound like a nerd or I’m trying too hard. Why did you have to go find yourself a boyfriend and leave me to live through this alone?” She chuckles, knowing I’m joking. I know Wes is good for her.

  “You’re an amazing person. Just portray that through your words. Describe yourself as you’d describe one of your pastry creations.”

  “So scrumptious and delectable are acceptable words? I’m sure I’ll get a few hits using those words.” I laugh at my own joke.

  “Oh yeah, most definitely! Just be true to yourself. Don’t over think it.”

  “Easy for you to say, you met a guy in the flesh. How do I know I won’t end up with a robot?”

  “Really, Sav? You know you won’t. These are real people. Plus, it will be fun to experience the hype of online dating. Wondering throughout the day if you have a message waiting in your inbox. Chatting back and forth without any real commitment holding you down. Enjoy it.” She has always been the wiser of the two of us.

  “Yeah, yeah. If I can make myself sound as scrumptious as one of my cupcakes, but not in a creepily edible way. No need for a cannibal to come after me, I just need to be appealing.”

  “Exactly. Sell yourself without selling yourself. Make sense? Oh, hey, I gotta go actually. Wes just got here.”

  “Yeah that totally makes sense,” I add with sarcasm. “Have fun lovebirds.”

  “Bye. I’ll call you tomorrow and see how it went if you’re not out on a date already.” I roll my eyes noting she can’t see me and say goodbye.

  Back to it.

  Okay…I continue to describe myself.

  I enjoy the outdoors. I’m a down to earth girl…woman.

  Yes, I’m a woman, not a girl. I have just the right curves to prove that. Wouldn’t want someone approaching me thinking I am a little girl. I think I’m more stressed about how I will know if the person I meet is a weirdo with an agenda or not. I just want a nice, southern man. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is. Apparently almost all of the nice men in my Alabama city are taken. I keep thinking I’ll come across one I haven’t met yet, but that’s not happened yet. There’s the occasional ‘out of towner’ that catches my attention, but mostly because of the newness to him than anything else. I seem to keep running around with the same circle of people.

  I need to focus and just let it be. Enjoy this, like Em said. I add a few more things to my description and move forward to my hobbies. I enjoy sports, hiking, camping, reading, and having drinks with friends. That should be okay to start with.

  Here comes the hard part. What do you look for in a partner? You’d think I have this mapped out on some kind of board. The perfect mate, but I don’t. I’m not sure what I’m looking for be
cause I’ve never found it. The men I’ve come across all end up being disappointments in the big picture, so if I use what I’ve always looked for I may just end up with another disappointment. I should probably think about what I don’t want and look for the opposite trait.

  Here goes nothing.

  Compassionate, funny, outdoorsy, tall.

  How do I describe all I envision in a man into words? It’s more of a feeling than actual words. I want to feel protected and loved. I want a man who gives me his all but stays true to himself. We both have our own beliefs, yet we come together perfectly. How do I word that on an online dating registration without scaring them away? I’m not looking for serious right now, but something with the possibility of leading to it.

  Wanted, down to earth guy with a fun personality, who enjoys the outdoors and exploring. Needs a good sense of humor and knows what he wants in life.

  There. That is simple and to the point. I am one step closer to admitting the truth of this pact. Even though I don’t need to face anyone, I’m nervous about the newness of all this. I’m used to going out, meeting a guy, and deciding half way through the conversation if it’s going somewhere or not. Now, I’m leaving it up to a computer system to decide who the right match for me is.

  Finishing the rest of the registration form, I hit enter and wait for my potential matches to appear. I made sure to keep it open to a few surrounding towns and cities. Here goes nothing. Match me if you can.

  I’m officially an online dater. Does that term even exist? Well, it does now. So now I wait. Tomorrow I’ll look through my matches. Tonight I need to go to sleep in order to open my shop tomorrow and prepare pastries for the morning rush.

  “Hey, Savannah! How’s it going? Are you prepping the breakfast pastries already?”

  “Hey, Beth! Yup. Already got the croissants baking in the oven and making muffins now.” I check the time and am pleased to see I’m on schedule. I’m always at the bakery early preparing pastries for the day. I’m picky, so I won’t serve something that has been out for more than twenty-four hours. It’s more work for me, but that is why I’ve been so successful. Fresh food, fresh ingredients. It sounds like a corny commercial, but I am huge on serving the best quality. I also couldn’t sleep so I arrived at the bakery earlier than usual.

  I always dreamt of having my own shop where people would come by and feel at home. Sweet Delights is just that. We have our usual customers who come in daily for their coffee fix and breakfast pastry. We have the younger crowd, who stops in mid-morning on their way to their college classes, and families that come in during the afternoon with their kids on their way home from school. Some stay for a while and enjoy the ambiance; others grab something quick for the road. I serve everything from croissants and bagels to cupcakes, éclairs, and donuts. On occasion I’ll take custom orders for cakes when I have some extra time.

  I have a team of employees I adore, but Beth has been with me from the beginning. She helped me start Sweet Delights when it was just a random idea in my mind and I was baking cupcakes and cakes for special orders out of my house. I trust her wholly. I’m always the first one here baking the goodies. Beth comes in about an hour after me to help and the rest of the staff comes in at eight a.m. for the morning rush. We’re a small group, but we’ve created a family within these walls.

  I leave Beth to scoop the muffin mixture into the pans to bake while I begin mixing another muffin recipe. I love the freedom that comes with baking. I tend to serve the same pastries, but I also like to experiment, so at times I’ll have new flavors. Today is one of those days. I needed to clear my mind from last night’s venture into the online dating world.

  I didn’t even check the site this morning before heading to work. I figured it’d be too soon to have anything, and I needed some time to absorb what I did. When I get home this afternoon I’ll log in and check. I cross my fingers and hope there are no creepers out there sending me messages. I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold back my sarcastic responses if I do. There’s a reason I had to fill out such an extensive application with my likes and dislikes. You’d think I was applying to grad school with the amount of information I needed to put down.

  I begin to mix the dry ingredients for the new white chocolate and cranberry muffins I’m creating. Lost in my own world of flour and sugar, I begin to wonder if I’ll even have anything on the site. Is it possible no one is interested? That could be a low blow to my self-esteem. I think I’m a good catch. Then again, I am twenty-eight and single. If I were a good catch, someone would’ve hooked me by now. I giggle at my own choice of words. I hadn’t realized I was a fish. I notice Beth giving me a quizzical stare and I just shrug my shoulders and keep on mixing. Yawning, I tell her I’m going to make coffee.

  I turn on the coffee maker behind the counter of the main room and wait patiently for it to brew. I take the time to look around my bakery. Even in the dim light, I can appreciate the homey feel of it. Different styles of sofas take up the space with coffee tables placed strategically throughout. Against one wall is a bar top with stools, and a few small wooden tables with mixed matched chairs. It’s a combination of vintage and industrial chic. I also made sure to have enough outlets all around for the people that come in with their laptops and work here.

  One of my favorite things to do is watch the people that come and spend a lengthy amount of time here. At first I wanted to focus just on sweets, but after a large demand from those people that spend numerous hours here, we added a simple lunch menu–sandwiches, chips, fresh juice, and salads. They’re also premade each day and ready for customers to grab.

  I grab two mugs and prepare coffee for Beth and me. We’ll be opening in a couple hours and I need to make sure everything is set to go for the morning crowd. I usually stay in the kitchen throughout the morning and continue to prep food while the rest of the staff is out in the front tending to customers. With the University of Alabama near, my small staff consists mostly of college students that work part-time. It works out well when it comes to shifts.

  “Here you go.” I place the mug in front of Beth.

  “Thanks! I need major caffeine today.” She stops what she’s doing a moment to take a sip of coffee.

  I laugh, “Late night?”

  “Yes. I went on a date with that guy I told you about the other day.”

  “Really?” I look at her with curiosity, my eyebrow cocked.

  “Yes, really. I’m giving him a chance. I know, I know. I told you I wasn’t sure about him, but I figured sometimes first dates don’t go as smooth as you hope. This date was better, but he’s just kinda bland, you know?”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “Maybe he saves his spiciness for the bedroom.”

  “I don’t know. His kissing isn’t all that great either.” My body shakes with laughter.

  “I’m guessing there won’t be a third date?”

  “Ugh! Yes. I felt trapped when he asked. He had just kissed me and looked pleased by it. I figured after this date, I can let him down.” She scrunches her nose.

  We continue to talk as we finish off the muffins, sweet puffed pastries, and donuts. Once we open, I’ll work on the cupcakes and pies. Those usually don’t sell until mid-morning.

  At seven-thirty a.m., the morning shift walks in ready to open and begin work. I stay in the back, occasionally checking in to see how everything is out front and greeting some of our regular customers. Most days I leave work by two p.m., so I need to make sure everything is done by that time. Since I prepare new food every morning, I don’t make too much of each. I know the popular choices, and stick to making more quantity of those. Beth is entrusted in closing up shop at six p.m.

  My phone rings as I walk into my house. Fumbling to answer it and open the door, I see Emily’s name across my screen.

  “If you’re calling to harass me about the online dating thing, I haven’t checked my account yet. I’ll get to it in a bit.”

  “Nervous much?” She knows me too well.
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br />   “Yes!” I state the obvious. “I’ll start up my laptop now and check. I doubt I’ll even have any messages.”

  “Puh-lease! You so will. Did you look through the guys’ pictures? Are there lots of hotties?”

  “I didn’t have time to check. I was planning on doing that now.”

  “Excuses, excuses,” she giggles, knowing how much I don’t want to do this. “Remember, a deal is a deal. You need to give it time. You have to be up there at least six months.” I sigh and curse under my breath.

  I drop my bag on the kitchen counter and grab my laptop from my room. “Booting up my computer. Do you want to stay on the phone so I can give you a play by play of what I see?” I mock.

  “Hell yeah I’m staying on the phone with you! I wish I was closer so I could come over.” Emily moved a year ago when she got recruited to work for a law firm in Atlanta. She couldn’t pass it up. I miss having her around but she’s been doing great in her career and life.

  “Fine. Logging in now.”

  “Okay, you don’t need to give me such detailed play by play. I want to hear the good stuff. How many guys are actually worth giving a try?”

  “Looking now, I have a list of potential matches. Hmm…”

  “Is that ‘hmm’ a good thing or not? I need to see!”

  “They’re okay. Some are better than others. I’m not going to contact them though. Let them message me. I’d die of embarrassment if I write to them and they don’t respond.”

  “Why? It’s not like they know you. Besides, I don’t see why they wouldn’t.” Half listening to Emily talk, I notice a notification by the message symbol and click on it.

  As I skim through it, I burst out laughing. “What the hell are you laughing at?”

  “Oh my god! Oh my god! You need to read this shit.” I try to speak between gasps of air and laughs.

  “What is it?” Em sounds irritated I’m not sharing.