Dreaming of a Raspberry Swirl Sundae

By Sofia Aves

Ben Brickman, owner of Sundae Dreaming, spent years chasing his dreams against his family’s wishes. Now that he’s achieved them he can’t wait for Sundays. That’s the day he makes a special sundae for his favorite customer, Sammie. But more than anything, he wants to get to know her.

Sammie Leyton has always been a dreamer. But her father’s illness keeps her locked down in a family business that she clings to out of a sense of loyalty. Sammie’s only break is her treat once each week at the local ice cream parlor. There, she releases her desire to sketch the holiday makers at their happiest and daydream about the owner, Ben Brickman.

Family complications of his own drive Ben to push Sammie to pursue her dreams as he finally gathers his courage to ask her out, but is the pressure they place on themselves too high for their budding romance to break through?

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: May 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781509240715

Sofia Aves

Sofia Aves is a USA TODAY Bestselling author who writes fast-paced police romances, suspenseful mysteries, steamy cowboys with a Montana backdrop and the occasional cheeky god. She loves reading Indie authors and hides her collection of college romance books beneath an ever-growing TBR pile. Sofia is a mum of three crazies and an overly large fur baby who thinks she’s a teacup puppy. She loves orchids but can’t always keep them alive. Sofia lives near Brisbane, Australia Join Sofia’s newsletter & get a free Blue Blooded Brothers short story: https://BookHip.com/CNMQFX Follow Sofia on BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sofia-aves?follw=true

Book preview

The music dimmed as we wandered along the sand, replaced with the odd night bird calling out and distant waves washing against the reef. Her fingers wound firmly in mine, I managed not to think of anything but Sammie, the rest of the world blotted out for me.

I stopped once we were well away from everything, surprised by how far we had come, the tiki bar less than a warm glow behind us.

Thank you for inviting me out tonight, Sammie said softly as I turned her to face me.

I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks, tracing the line of her jaw. She nestled into my touch, my heart pounding as she turned her head to kiss my palm.

And in an instant, every thought that I wasn’t going to do more than have a great night out with a woman I had adored for years broke as I drew her close and bent to press my mouth to hers.

Dreaming

of a

Raspberry Swirl Sundae

by

Sofia Aves

One Scoop or Two

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Dreaming of a Raspberry Swirl Sundae

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by Sofia Aves

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Diana Carlile

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com.

Publishing History

First Edition, 2022

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-4071-5

One Scoop or Two

Published in the United States of America.

Dedication

To Robert & Jeanette,

whose boat life moored at Trinity Beach

has been an inspiration

Chapter One

Ben

Sundays were my favorite day of the week. Maybe it was the quiet that settled over the town before tourists emerged after their late night. Or perhaps memories as a child, when it was filled with backpackers, waiting for the fishermen to come in with their early morning catch.

Grilled banana and coconut filled the air along the sidewalk opposite the promenade that separated the main street had steadily filled with shops and new resorts over decades. The folk who populated the area for three peak months of the year over summer consisted mainly of university students holidaying between semesters, and a swath of business executives on team-building exercises in the tropics.

The bay outside sat smooth and quiet beyond the pristine sands of Trinity Beach beneath the morning sun, not a single jet ski in sight. Uni students had merged into well-paying tourists over time, while the small, tropical town flourished into something more. Despite the extra trade, sleep-in Sundays remained the same, to a great degree.

It all added up to a perfect morning, which meant that I got to see my favorite customer—who wasn’t the one I currently served.

And your strawberry syrup, please. A giggle came from behind a black glitter phone bearing the image of a white cat with a pink bow that waved at me intermittently. A line of exchange students from Japan trailed behind my customer. Apparently, someone had posted the shop on social media, and we had become an overnight sensation.

Just not in Australia.

Lucas provided me with an elbow in the back and a broad grin as he disappeared into the freezer, ostensibly to collect a new batch of freshly churned ice cream. As he disappeared, the girls slipped out of their line, obscuring the bay windows as they offered up phones for selfies.

My cheeks strained from too many smiles in the last hour. I posed for picture after picture in front of the large sign stapled to the wall behind the counter, our hashtag prominent in each.

Lucas returned from the cold room as the phones disappeared, their instant gratification satisfied. He grinned sideways at me, then returned to his customer, serving with a genuine smile.

As far as employees went, Lucas was the absolute best I could ask for. His wide grin was his trademark as he catered to almost every customer’s real need—and a few he shouldn’t—working with a commitment to the business as if it were his own.

He chatted amicably with each student, passing out their favorite flavors, and I was certain his phone number was entered into more than one kitty-covered case.

Are you all right, there? I asked him under my breath, smiling at one of my locals. Bessie came in each Sunday to purchase the same ice cream her late husband had bought her on their first date back in the fifties, along