I blinked, stunned. “She… did?”
“Of course she did,” Mrs. Jones said, pulling back with a fond smile. “She knew how much you loved this place. That’s why she wanted you to take over the bakery. Since she passed, I’ve kept it clean and running until you arrived. She would be so proud of you.”
“That’s very kind,” I said slowly. “But may I ask… what was your relationship with Marie?”
“Oh! Where are my manners?” She laughed softly. “You can call me Eva, dear. Since we’ll be working together.”
At the look on my face, she hurried to explain.
“Marie and I were partners. Or assistants, depending on how you look at it. We made pies together. Ran the place side by side.”
“So you worked for her,” I said.
“Yes, but she never treated me like an employee. When I moved here years ago, I had no one. No husband. No children. Marie took me in. This bakery gave me purpose.”
That sounded exactly like Marie.
She always had a soft spot for lost souls. For people who did not quite belong.
People like me.
My chest tightened.
What am I going to do now?
Should I tell her the truth? That I planned to sell the bakery and leave town as soon as possible?
Not yet.
“Oh!” Eva clapped her hands. “I almost forgot. I have pie in the oven. Trying a new recipe. Sit down, dear.”
Before I could respond, she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Have you found a place to stay?” she called out.
“I rented a cottage nearby,” I answered, wandering around the shop.
The front door suddenly opened. Heavy footsteps were heard behind her.
“You are not welcome here.”
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Do not turn around.
The room went eerily silent, yet I could hear his breathing behind me. When I finally faced him, my body felt frozen, my hands ice cold.
His expression shifted slowly. Amusement. Annoyance. Then hatred.
It had been years since I last saw him, but the pain was still sharp, immediate. Like a collision I never recovered from.
Ashton stood before me.
Older. Broader. Tailored suit. Expensive watch. Nothing like the boy who once dreamed of escaping this town.
“When I heard about an outsider matching your description walking around town like she owns the place,” he said coldly, “I knew I had to see it for myself.”
So, the rumors had already spread.
