1. ALBANY

I loved the smell of freshly baked cookies. I loved baking, but at the moment, I truly hated it.

Crystal loved baking.

We opened the bakery together, but she sold her share off when she realized that being a bakery owner wasn’t for her. She was an adventurer. She loved traveling, and that was what had gotten her killed.

Now I hated the smell of freshly baked brownies because my best friend was dead.

I sighed, staring down at the pan I had just pulled from the oven. Coming to the bakery was supposed to help me clear my head, to make the pain go away. I had no tears left to cry, and moping around the apartment we had shared wasn’t helping at all.

But I forgot how many memories the bakery had.

Picking up a brownie, I blew on it to cool it down and then took a bite.

I gagged.

Hurrying over to the sink, I spat it out and instantly rinsed my mouth with water.

That tasted awful.

With one last look at the flopped brownies, I picked up the pan and walked over to the trash can to throw it away. There was no use trying to salvage it.

The bell above the front door rang, making me tense. I was certain that I had locked the door after entering the shop.

“Hello?”

A robber wouldn’t call out, would he?

Swallowing, I hesitated before I picked up a knife and slowly made my way towards the front.

If it were a robber, he was going to be very disappointed because there was nothing to steal. I had some cash on me, but it wasn’t a lot.

What I wasn’t expecting was to find a well-dressed man standing near the register, glancing around with a deep frown.

His eyes locked on me, where I stood frozen, and then they dropped to the knife clutched in my hand. He took a small step back.

“M-morning,” I stuttered. “I’m sorry, but we’re not open yet. If you can come back around nine, we’ll have everything ready.”

“Are you Albany?”

I frowned. “Yes. How can I help you?”

He cleared his throat, eyes dropping to the knife once again.

Hesitating a few seconds, I placed the knife down out of sight but within close reach and slowly moved towards the man.

“A friend of mine recommended you,” he said softly. “You have a little something…” He pointed to my cheek.

I used the back of my hand to wipe the spot he pointed out and then stared at the smudge of brownie mix on my skin. Wiping it off on my apron, I turned my focus back on him.

“Do you do functions?”

I blinked at him.

“I need someone to cater for me at an event this afternoon.”

“Look, Mr…?”

“Miller,” he provided softly. “Severide Miller.”

My eyes dropped to the hand he held out towards me. A big hand with long, lean fingers that had neatly trimmed nails and a fine dusting of dark hair on the back.

I hesitantly placed my hand in his.

His hand swallowed mine.

“Mr. Miller, we don’t do any big functions or events,” I told him, pulling my hand back. “We do small birthday parties.”

“Please,” Mr. Miller pleaded. “I’m desperate here. The company I hired canceled at the last minute, and nobody else is available on such short notice.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “And you think I am available?”

“You just said that you don’t do big events.” His blue eyes slowly trailed down my body and then back up again. “You look like a very capable woman.”

Colour flooded my cheeks. Was that a compliment or not? I’d never flirted with a man before, so I was a bit unsure how to react to his words.

“It was a compliment,” he muttered.

The colour in my cheeks deepened. “I…thank you. I－”

Shit. Why was he messing with my brain?

It had to be because he was staring at me with his intensely beautiful eyes that were the bluest blue I had ever seen.

“Albany, please help a man in need out.” He smiled at me. “This is very important for me, and I need to make sure that my clients are satisfied.”

“We only do sweet－”

“That’s fine,” he interrupted me.

I opened my mouth to speak again, but before I could, the bell above the door rang and Lee bustled inside with her arms loaded with bags filled to the brim with baking ingredients.

“Albany!” she exclaimed when she spotted me. “What are you doing here?”

She moved forward and stumbled, which made Mr. Miller hurry towards her. He managed to catch a few bags before they fell to the floor.

“What’s going on?” she questioned, eyes darting between us.

“I’m trying to talk Albany into catering at an important event for me this afternoon,” he answered before I could.

My eyes narrowed. “I was just telling Mr. Miller that we don’t do－”

“I’ll make it worth your time.”

Our eyes clashed. Mine narrowed, and his flashed in amusement.

“Would you give us a moment, please?” Lee asked, and without waiting for a reply, she dragged me into the kitchen.

Lee crossed her arms and glared at me. “What are you doing here? I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t be back until next month.”

“If I stay in that apartment for a second longer, I’m going to go mad,” I told her. “It’s too…silent and there’s nothing for me to do, which makes me think…I just can’t stay there.”

Lee stepped forward and hugged me, almost making me burst into tears again. I gave her a squeeze and then stepped back.

“I’m fine.”

She stared at me with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before she smiled. Nodding towards the door, she raised a questioning eyebrow.

“What does he need?”

I shrugged and turned away from her. “I didn’t ask him. We’ve never done catering before, and we’re not going to start now.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she hissed, gripping my arm. “We need all the exposure we can get. Besides, a new order will keep you busy just like you want.”

I sighed because I knew she was right.

I needed to keep busy, and focusing on baking was the only thing I was good at. But I was scared of messing up his order like I messed up my brownies.

Letting out a groan, I grabbed my notebook and pen and walked out of the kitchen.

His eyes instantly snapped over to me.

I gave him the best smile I could master. “What do you need, and what time do you want it to be delivered?”