2. ALBANY

Baking has always been my first love, and seeing the look on someone’s face when they took a bite was worth getting up at four o’clock in the mornings. It was all I wanted to do since my first foster mother taught me how to bake a cake.

It was something that kept me sane; something to do when things were just getting too much to handle.

But these days, ever since Crystal died, baking was the last thing I felt like doing. I just didn’t have enough energy to get out of bed in the morning or to do everyday normal things.

Maybe it had something to do with the sleepless nights, or maybe it had something to do with the promise I had made her the day before she left for her new trip.

“If you stir that any more, we will have to throw that away, too.”

I jerked out of my thoughts and stared down at the bowl in my hand. The dough was already thick enough, and I was still stirring it. Letting out a groan, I placed the bowl down on the table and rubbed a hand down my face.

“Take a break,” Lee said as she pushed the bowl aside.

I glared at her. “We don’t have time to take a break. I can’t believe you made me agree.”

“Made you?” She crossed her arms and glared at me. “I didn’t make you do anything. I just pointed out the reasons why it was a good idea to accept the—”

“I get it.” I waved a hand at her. “I’m sorry. There’s just something about that man that sets me on edge.”

“You mean his hotness?”

“Don’t be stupid!”

She laughed as she dodged my punch. My eyes dropped to her shoes for a few seconds before darting back up to her face. How Lee managed to stay on her feet all day while wearing killer heels was a mystery. I couldn’t even walk in them, and there she was parading around in them like they were normal shoes.

“Seriously though,” she muttered. “You should’ve seen the way he watched you while you were taking notes. The man liked what he saw.”

I rolled my eyes and reached for a clean bowl. “I don’t have time for men.”

“You’re not still hung up on that asshole who told you that you were too curvy for him?”

Colour flooded my cheeks.

Crystal had set me up on a blind date, and although I hated the idea, I still went because I didn’t want to disappoint her and have a repeat of the last time I chickened out. In the end, the guy turned out to be a freak with a certain taste in women. It was the worst date I’d ever been on.

“No, I’m not hung up on him,” I told Lee. “I’m just not ready to start a relationship.”

“I think you need to.”

Ignoring her comment, I walked into the pantry to get the ingredients needed for the chocolate chip muffins. When I walked out, Lee was still standing where she had been, silently watching me.

It was hard to ignore her when I could feel her eyes burning into my skin.

Lee and I had met three years ago when we were both stood up by our dates. We ended up catching a movie together and instantly hit it off. We both loved baking and reading, the same type of music and movies. When I told her that I owned a bakery and was having trouble keeping up with things, she offered to help out on weekends when she wasn’t working. But a year ago, she lost her job when the owner of the company she worked for decided to sell it.

There was no hesitation from my side in offering her a permanent job here. Through the last three months, Lee was the one who kept Albany’s Baked Goods up and running. I had no clue how I would’ve gotten through things if I hadn’t met Lee.

“Do you know what you need?” Lee asked as she ripped open the packet of chocolate chips. “You need a vacation.”

“I need a lot of things,” I muttered.

We worked in silence after that. Lee and I took turns baking the goods that Mr. Miller ordered and working at the front, helping the customers, and taking orders for birthdays. Those orders were usually picked up by the people who ordered them. We had never agreed to deliver anything.

Maybe Lee had been right. We needed to expand. We needed to keep up with the changes of the twenty-first century.

But change wasn’t easy, and as I learned during the last few months, change wasn’t something I liked.

***

By two, Mr. Miller’s order was finished. Lee was just adding a few finishing touches before we delivered it. Luckily, the back of my car was big enough to fit all twenty-five boxes. It was getting to the office that was a bit of a hassle.

We should’ve planned things better and left the shop earlier to beat the lunch hour traffic. By the time we reached the office building, we were already an hour and a half late, and to top it all off, I had no idea where we were supposed to take everything.

I had to park across the street, a block away, because there was no parking close by, and the parking space next to the building was for employees only.

There was no doubt about the fact that Mr. Miller was going to be pissed at me. He might even decide to refuse me full payment for being so late.

“What do we do now?” Lee asked as she followed me out of the car.

I opened the back door and unclipped the seat belt I had slipped across the boxes to keep them in place. “Grab as many boxes as you can and follow me,” I told her.

With our arms piled high with boxes, we hurried across the street and towards the building. I had to stop and glance over my shoulder a few times to make sure that Lee was still behind me because she was struggling to keep up in her heels. I knew it would cause trouble someday.

I slowed when I reached the doors and waited until she was next to me before I entered the building.

My eyes darted around in amazement. I’d never been inside one of these fancy buildings before. Large white tiles decorated the floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows gave everybody a view of what was happening outside. The building was cool enough to dry the sweat on my skin caused by the melting heat outside.

A few feet in front of the elevator were two half-circle counters, one on either side, where security guards were sitting in front of computer monitors. It looked like you needed to swipe a card or something to walk through to the elevators.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” One of the guards asked when we stopped in front of him.

I lowered the boxes onto the counter and blew out a breath. Any longer and my arm might fall off. Lee groaned and nearly dropped the boxes when she placed them down. Sending me an apologetic smile, she bent down and rubbed at her calf.

“Hi,” I greeted, my eyes dropping to his nameplate on his uniform.

Seth.

“I’m Albany from Albany’s Baked Goods, and we’re here to deliver this to Mr. Miller’s office.”

Seth nodded and pulled a thick book closer. His finger slid down the page as he read. After a few seconds, he nodded and stood.

“You’re a bit late, Mr. Miller called down twice to find out if you’ve arrived or not.”

“We got stuck in traffic.” I smiled. “We’re here now and everything’s—”

“No need to explain to me, miss,” Seth said as he walked out from behind his desk. “Follow me, please.”

I picked the boxes up again and followed him across the floor to a back door at the side that clearly stated no entry. Seth held the door open for us and then led the way towards an elevator at the back.

“This will take you straight to Mr. Miller’s floor. His secretary will direct you in the right direction.” His eyes darted between us. “Is this everything, or is there more?”

“There’s more in my car.”

He nodded. “I’ll call up to let them know that you’ve arrived and then meet you down here again.”

“Thank you.”

Seth swiped a gold card, and a second later, the elevator doors slid open. Lee was muttering under her breath as we entered it. The moment the doors closed, I turned and glared at her.

“This is why we don’t do deliveries,” I hissed. “We’re too unorganized for shit like this.”

“Well, then I suggest we hire somebody who specializes in organization.” She smirked at me. “Once they taste those brownies of yours, we will be the only bakery they order from.”