Mr. Spice Cake (Man Card Book 16) Page 5

  I screamed and hopped up into Noel’s arms. “Oh my shit, you did it.”

  He let me down and wrapped his arms around my waist. “We did it.”

  “Well, to be fair, it is your special spice cake recipe that wowed the judges in the end.”

  “And the Holly Frost magic touch was added to that recipe, too.” He kissed me. “So we won.” He tightened his hold and spun me around in a full circle.

  “We should do this again?”

  “Which part?” He winked. “We’ve managed to accomplish a lot in the last few weeks.”

  “All of it.” I smiled. “I love how you brought the Christmas spirit back into my life. I really love how you provided mind blowing orgasms I still think about at this moment. And, I especially love the part where we’re now the best fucking baking partners this side of the Atlantic.”

  “Holly Frost, I’m so glad you didn’t leave that night at the restaurant…” he leaned in closer and whispered– “you still think about them, huh?”

  I slapped his chest. “Focus, Mr. Winters.”

  Epilogue

  Noel

  Six months later…

  “The Beachside Tavern?” Alex Winters repeated and held up the sheet of paper. “Wilmington loves bars but how will you make the restaurant unique? There are a hell of a lot of restaurants here already.”

  I pulled out another sheet of paper. “With this.”

  “A menu.” Then his eyes went wide. “Wow, okay, this could work.”

  Three months ago, Holly and I traveled over to Wilmington to visit my family. We both had landed freelance writing jobs after winning the baking competition. The moment the competition ended, one of judges pulled us aside and shared how we should have a food blog together. He said something about our names and rambled on about how much fun we could have with marketing our names together.

  Holly had run her own food blog for several years. I wondered if she would want to join forces with me. When we discussed what the judge had said later that night, she seemed so excited. Of course, it took us another month to decide on a name for our blog. Then her friend, Nova stepped in and said we were over thinking shit. She told us to call it, Winter Frost. Then she said to have a subtitle, with Award-Winning Bakers, Noel Winters and Holly Frost. Which of course was brilliant.

  We had only been running the blog for about two months when The Baker’s Network contacted us and offered us a show. They shared they had a Saturday at 10:00 a.m. time slot available and we would be perfect for that target audience.

  So what the hell were we doing in Wilmington discussing the possibilities of opening a restaurant?

  Great question.

  The short answer: timing.

  On one of our many trips to Wilmington, Holly caught a For Sale sign on a building. The place was not amazing at the moment, but it was a standalone structure and sat in a prime location. When we were back in Charlotte having dinner with my best friend, Kris and his girlfriend, Millie, we mentioned the sign. They both proceeded to ask every question under the sun. I finally came out and asked them if they wanted to buy the place with us.

  So yeah, here we were six months later about to open a restaurant by the beach in gorgeous Wilmington. To make this adventure even better, The Baker’s Network had requested we shoot our new show in the new restaurant. They mentioned hiring a crew that would be stationed right in Wilmington.

  Somebody pinch me.

  “Alex.” Holly stepped up beside us and pointed at the menu he was holding. “There is one chef, and three self-taught bakers who are willing to give one-hundred and ten percent into this opportunity.”

  “With a menu like this–” he handed it back to me, “–You could sell out every night.”

  Holly slapped my arm and hopped up and down. “See, I told you.”

  “Plus, I think Holly told you about our TV show opportunity?”

  “Yeah, and you plan to have Alyssa and I guest star on a few episodes, right?”

  I shook Alex’s hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  As he walked out the door of our hotel room, Holly pushed me back toward the bed and climbed onto my lap. “You do realize this is all crazy insane?”

  “Completely.” I tucked a few strands of hair behind her ears. “A good crazy though.”

  “So good.” She rested her hands on my chest. “Who knew one little chance meeting could bring us all these amazing opportunities?”

  I laced my fingers behind her neck. “Fate knew.”

  Sixteen Man Card short stories. We did it! What’s next? Well, I think we need to see what happens with The Appleton’s AND that new restaurant, The Beachside Tavern sounds delicious. While we wait, are you curious about Alex Winters and the rest of The Winters Family? The sexy Winters men started my writing journey and because of them, we continue to have delicious recipes in each book. Let’s start at the beginning with Hard To Resist (The Winters Family Book One).

  A note from the author

  The happiness of Christmas always wins.

  It was fun mixing my love of the Christmas season with the perfect romance. Noel and Holly were just meant to be together.

  Are you curious about Noel’s special spice cake recipe? Well, let’s find out! There’s a plate waiting for you at Cafe Terra.

  Note: If you’re new to Cafe Terra Blog, there will be a new recipe on the blog each week. We talk about food in all my books. Now it’s time to enjoy each one of the recipes we all know and love.

  We made it to book sixteen. If this is your first Man Card short story or you’ve only read one or two. You can catch up on all the delicious fun here.

  Did you already devour all the Man Card Books? Well then, what about the series that started my writing journey and shared my food love? You can meet the sexy Winters men with book one, Hard To resist here.

  Sending love, Terra

  Are you looking for a little something to

  brighten your in box?

  Each newsletter gives you more insight into my romantic comedy books that are fun, light, and easy to read. It’s the perfect distraction after a long day and will for sure make you smile.

  As a special treat there is an exclusive book

  only available for subscribers.

  You can Join here.

  About the Author

  Terra loves walking her dog, snuggling with her cat, and relaxing with her amazing hubby. A steamy romance book is never far from her grasp, and 2:00 a.m. seems to be the sweet spot to finally put a book down and sleep. She laughs loudly, smiles often, is a bit of a klutz, and tries to always find the positive in everything.

  After a few years writing steamy fun, Terra had an urge to write romantic suspense. You can find her grittier stories under T.M. Kelly.

  Terra Kelly and T.M. Kelly are connected on social. It’s more fun working as a team.

  Join the fun!

  www.terrakelly.com

  chatwithterra@terrakelly.com

  Also by Terra Kelly

  Want More Steamy Romantic Comedy?

  MAN CARD SERIES

  THE WINTERS FAMILY SERIES

  HANNAH’S STORY: A SECOND CHANCE

  SWEET TREATS TO GO BUNDLE

  Check out other books by Terra Kelly

  on her website click here.

  Books by T.M. Kelly

  Want Romantic Suspense?

  FIGHT IT OUT SERIES

  THE FALLING TRILOGY

  Check out other books by T.M. Kelly

  on her website click here.

  Acknowledgments

  This series was so fun to write. I made the commitment in late April 2019 to write sixteen short stories. It felt a little crazy to share two short stories a month for the rest of 2019. The moment I hit the end on the series, the word crazy was far from my mind. We fell in love with so many new characters and made our tummy’s hungry with so many new recipe ideas (we have recipes from all the books coming on the blog).

  Thank you to my angel and
my best friend. He knew this short story adventure would be intense and keep me busy. It didn’t matter though, he supported and helped me every step of the way.

  Thank you, The Word Fairy! I believe it was fate that brought us together and I feel pretty lucky to have you as my editor. You have helped make me a better and stronger writer. You are truly wonderful!

  Thank you Becky and Ana for being on this Man Card journey with me. Wow, you were there with me every step of the way and I feel so thankful for you both.

  Thank you to my amazing ARC team. You have all shared so many lovely and kind reviews. Your love of the series made it more fun to write. I look forward to sharing more sexy men and steamy romance with you soon.

  Thank you to my fans and readers. Your support makes this adventure amazing every day. I love being on this journey with you.

  Thank you to my friends and family for all your support and love.

  Copyright 2019 Terra Kelly

  Mr. Spice Cake

  (Man Card Book 16)

  Kindle Edition

  ASIN: B082737845

  Cover Art by Balto Creative Media, LLC.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum