The Billionaire's Substitute

Emma's Haven

"Anyway, when you get back I'm thinking a romantic dinner."

"Sounds good to me." Ethan kissed her head once more and then pulled away, "I should get my things and head to the airport. Last chance, you really don't want to tag along."

Smiling she shook her head at him, "I'm good here. Don't forget about dinner though."

He chuckled, "I give you my word." He told her and then walked out of the kitchen.

Rachel moved back to the counter and took in the damage her phone did. Almost half of the cake was unfortunately not looking that great anymore. She cut it off and served it on a plate, drizzling white chocolate all over it. It didn't look great anymore, but surely it would still taste great. She made herself some tea and ate almost half a cake for lunch and she didn't feel guilty at all doing that.

***

When Friday came along Rachel felt recharged, baking all week and focusing on herself instead of her relationship made her feel refreshed and a lot more gentle. She was looking forward to tonight. Ethan was going to take the plane back and meet her for dinner at some fancy restaurant he made reservations at. She was currently out, looking for a perfect dress. Doing some window shopping Rachel reached into her bag to grab her phone when it started ringing loudly. She answered it right away, a smile spread across her face.

"You ready for tonight?" She asked.

Ethan chuckled, "Yep, on my way to the airport right now."

Her eyes wandered every window she passed, she hoped to get inspired enough to head inside the shop and find her dress. So far none of the shops were calling to her to head inside.

"I'm looking forward to it." She admitted to Ethan, "I'm actually out now, looking for a dress."

"And?" He asked, actually sounding intrigued.

"So far it's a bust." She sighed, "I'm just not feeling it, but I'm sure I'll know what I'm looking for when I see it."

"You know sometimes you need to head in without thinking too hard about things. You never know, maybe you find what you're looking for by mere chance."

She could hear the amusement in his voice. Happy and kind Ethan also made her feel more alive. It was time to completely move on from that terrible weekend and focus on them again. She stopped walking when something caught her eye. A little shop serving sweets, coffee and tea were looking to hire someone. It felt like she stumbled onto something which she was looking for. An opportunity which she stumbled on by mere chance. Ethan couldn't be more right about this.

"Hey, Ethan, I have to call you back." She told him, ending the call and lowering her phone.

Entering the shop she made her way to the counter with confident strides. Her newfound confidence coming from excessive baking. She faced the startled looking blonde, flashing the woman her brightest smile ever.

"I'd like to apply for the job." She gestured behind her to the window.

The woman didn't expect that it was clear on her face. When Rachel glanced around the room she noticed the lack of people sitting there enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. Places like this were usually quite popular in the city, but somehow this woman's shop was missing the coffee addicts looking for a place to wind down at.

"Yeah, sure. I just opened up and as you can see I'm not doing so well right now. Might be because the shop before me had a bad rep and people like to steer away from it." The woman forced a smile on her face, "Anyway, do you have a resume with you?"