Will do. Love you, bestie. You’re a life saver.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket, wondering if Lori was right. If I should listen to Aimee. But what did Aimee know? She hadn’t grown up watching Luke and Eli, moving through the world like two parts of a whole, finishing each other’s sentences and communicating in half-words and meaningful glances. She hadn’t witnessed the devastation on Eli’s face when Luke left, or the way Luke looked at Eli when they thought no one was watching.
I’d seen it all. I’d fix it, podcast advice be damned. Nothing had blown up in my face. It just hadn’t worked yet.
I slipped from my hiding spot and headed to the tempering station, pretending to check the chocolate thermometer. From here, I could study Luke without being obvious. His jawline was sharper, his shoulders broader. The handsome nineteen-year-old college student had become a man with presence, his stylish clothes contrasting with his sugar-dusted apron and the homey candy shop.
He hadn’t talked to me after the awkward conversation in front of the delivery van two days ago. Not that I could blame him. I hadn’t talked much to him either. When I started working at TappedAmber at sixteen, I’d wanted to disappear into the background. I’d just escaped the compound, and I was afraid they’d find me.
I’d met Edie and Maggie thanks to a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in Maple Crossing, where my meager runaway fund had run dry. I could still remember the way they’d studied me for a moment, cataloging every detail, from the tattered hem of my homespun dress to the bonnet shadowing my face. And just like that, they’d taken me in, given me a job and a home.
They’d never pushed me to talk about my past, but eventually I’d come to trust them and shared more. They’d helped me get my GED, taught me to make candy, and treated me like I mattered. Their daughter, Lori, was five years older than me, but as adults, our friendship had blossomed into something I cherished.
And Luke was one of them, so even though he’d fled to the city in search of bigger and better things, I knew, deep inside, he had a big heart. And I knew he needed Eli. Mostly because I’d spent most of my teenage years spying on them.
Luke had been a college student when I’d arrived in Maple Crossing, only home for holidays and summer breaks. When he was around, he’d been polite but distant, his attention always elsewhere—usually on Eli.
Okay, and maybe I’d nursed a slight crush. But it didn’t mean anything, because Luke was Eli’s and Eli was Luke’s. Plain and simple.
“That’s odd. We’re out of organic brown sugar,” Edie’s voice rang through the workshop, pulling me from my thoughts. She stood at the ingredient shelves, her flowing skirt swirling around her ankles as she turned. “I could have sworn we had three more bags.”
“Mom.” Luke’s voice was strained with forced patience, and my ears perked up. Not another fight. “This is what I was talking about yesterday. You need a proper inventory system.”
“The sugar will appear when it’s spiritually ready,” Edie said, looking unconcerned.
“That’s not how inventory works,” Luke said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, it’s simple. We can set up a spreadsheet.”
“We’ve been doing fine for twenty-six years without a spreadsheet.” Edie waved him away.
“Fine? You run out of ingredients constantly! You’re a week behind on holiday orders, and Christmas is in three weeks! Lori’s on bedrest, and you’re working nonstop to catch up—”
Fuck, not again. I moved without thinking, crossing the room and grabbing Luke’s arm. “We’ll get brown sugar from the co-op,” I announced, cutting off his lecture. “Luke can help me carry it.”
Luke turned to me, startled. “What?”
“Brown sugar,” I repeated, tightening my grip on his arm. “Co-op. You. Me. Now.”
Before he could protest, I yanked him toward the door, flashing a smile at Edie. “We’ll be back in twenty minutes!”
“Take your time, sweetheart,” Edie called after us, looking too pleased with this development.
Outside, I realized I was touching him, felt his warm bare skin under my palm, his muscles flexing beneath my grip. My pulse thudded in my ears as I realized what I’d done.
I let go as if I’d been burned and turned away, speed-walking towards the co-op before he could see my panic. What the hell had just come over me? I took a deep breath, letting the familiar smells of Maple Crossing center me. This was home, in a way no other place had ever been.
“What was that about?” Luke asked, falling into step beside me, his long legs matching my quick pace, his elbow bumping mine.
“You were about to lecture your mom on spreadsheets. Again. She was about to tell you Mercury is in retrograde and that’s why the sugar disappeared. Again. I was saving you both from having the same argument for the third time this week. And saving myself from a headache.”
I shot him a sideways glance. “You go on and on about efficiency, but you should know damn well that arguing with Maggie and Edie just slows down their process.”
Luke’s eyes sparkled with humor as he looked down at me. “You may have a point. And I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you the other day. I remember you now.”
“It’s fine,” I said, walking again. “It’s been a long time since I escaped the cult. I dress differently now.”
He blinked down at me. “Fuck, you were in a real cult? That makes me a terrible person.”
“Yep.” I shot him a teasing grin. “That was a shitty nickname. I’m so sorry that Eli and I called you that.”
