Jake felt something in his chestcrackwide open.
"Hannah," he said softly.
She looked up.
"I want you to call me for emergencies."
Her lips parted, eyes searching his like she wanted to believe that, like she wanted to let herselfneedhim again. But then something flickered behind them, something colder, sharper?—
Self-preservation.
"I want you to call me for everything," he said. He sounded desperate to his own ears.
"That's the problem," she whispered.
Jake barely had time to brace himself before she hit him with the words that shattered him.
"I still want to."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The air between them was thick, heavy. Every unspoken thing sat between them, all the hurt, all the history, all thelonging.
Then Hannah took a step back.
The distance between them felt bigger than the damn Grand Canyon.
Jake swallowed the ache in his throat, nodded once, then grabbed his keys off the counter.
"Call me," he said, voice rough. "Call me if you need anything."
He turned and walked out before she could sayanything else—before she could drive another nail into his already ruined heart.
BecauseGod help him, he wasn't sure how many more of those he could take.
CHAPTER 25
Hannah
The morning rushhad long since passed—not that it had really been a rush. Sugar & Spice wasn't the lively, bustling place it had once been. Customers still hesitated before stepping inside, some lingering near the windows before ultimately walking away.
Hannah had gotten used to pretending not to notice.
She kept herself busy, wiping down the counter for the third time, rearranging the already-perfectly stacked napkins, checking the inventory list for the next day. She told herself she didn't care. That if people didn't want to come in, then screw them.
But that wasn't true. Not really.
Because this place was her grandmother's. Because she had built a life here. Because she still remembered the regulars' orders by heart, even if they no longer walked through the door.
The bell above the door chimed, and Hannah looked up, bracing herself.
It wasn't a tourist.
It was Eleanor Matthews.
Hannah's breath caught.
She had been one of the bakery's first loyal customers after Hannah took over, always offering warm smiles and gentle encouragement. And then, after the news broke, she had disappeared like the rest of them.
