18
Ifelt like the world was tilting. Swaying. And then I realized it wasme. Was I about to faint?
I staggered backward and one of my hands hit the counter as I tried to steady myself. I was vaguely aware of a rolling pin hitting the floor, but it sounded distant. Little black dots danced in front of my eyes, and my vision seemed to tunnel, my periphery shrinking into darkness. That was probably a good thing. I didn’t want to watch the little Scotty dog devour any more of my hard work.
A strangled sob escaped my throat, and I gripped the broom handle as though it were my lifeline. Those hours of extra effort, the outpouring of my heart and soul—gone. I hadn’t gotten a good look at all the pieces on the floor, but I was sure there were sugar flowers mixed in with the heart-shaped cookies.
“My decorations,” I whispered. “Ruined…”
“What is going—Angus!” Connor’s voice approached while I struggled to stay upright. “There you are. You gave me a fright sneaking away like that.”
I turned, broom still in hand, and the feeling of weakness retreating as rage took over. I seized on it with a vengeance,brandishing the wooden handle in my hands at the now startled and visibly anxious Connor MacDowell. “You!Youdid this onpurpose!” I knew I was screeching and that there was a good chance he couldn’t understand a word I said, but I didn’t care. I had to let this out before it broke me in half. “You’reto blame!”
His frown returned, though worry still hovered in his eyes as he tried to edge around me. “Are you threatening me with that broom?” Connor only then seemed to realize what was going on. His gaze flickered down, taking in the disaster on the floor. “Oh, lass, oh no! What happened?”
“What…?” The roar that came out of my throat was almost inhuman. Rage like I’d never felt raced through my body, and once again my vision blurred. Pushing away from the counter, I lifted the broom handle in the air. “Getout!Get out!GET OUT!” I whipped the long, wooden broom handle through the air to punctuate my words. “Howdareyou! I’ve tried to deal with you civilly, Connor MacDowell! Heaven knows I’ve tried!” I swung the handle over my head again. “But I’mdonetrying! Get out of my bakery now and take your horrible little growling dog with you!”
“Whoa! Ivy, come on now.” Connor didn’t retreat as ordered. In fact, his tone softened, his eyes were almost gentle, his gaze wide in surprise as he held his hands up in front of him. “You need to take a deep breath and—”
“Don’t youtellme what to do!” I looked down at the sugary mess on the floor, knowing I was weeping and not caring I’d broken my own rule. How could he just stand there like that when my whole world was crumbling around me? Angus had stopped eating and had plopped down into a sit. He was looking at me innocently, watching the exchange as he licked the excess crumbs from his furry little face chops. “Look what your dog did! All my hard work. All the hours. And for a customer who already canceled one order.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s Valentine’sDay tomorrow and the wedding cake will be ruined! Because ofyou!” I threw my broom down and dropped to my knees in front of the broken decorations and cookies. Too hurt to be embarrassed, I could feel deep sobs welling up through me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I lifted one of the broken sugar flowers and tried to put its perfection back together.
But it was no use. I felt as broken as the flower. Unfixable. Crumbling.
“Here, now, lass,” Connor said, kneeling beside me, his voice soft and soothing. “Let me help you with that.”
“Don’t touch it!” I snatched my hands away from him, jumping up and running to the two trays still locked securely in the rack. At least not all of my hard work was ruined, though more than enough was gone that despair struck me a blow that had me swaying again.
I swiped at the tears running down my face and grabbed the tray of unbroken sugar flowers. Jaw clenched, heart pounding, I marched to my walk-in freezer, wrenching open the door.
“I have the tray of royal lace,” Connor whispered behind me. “It’s stunning work, Ivy.”
Don’t touch my creations!I thought, but I knew if I said it out loud, I was in danger of gulping and choking back pent-up emotion.
I didn’t respond to his clear offer of help. Instead, my broken sobs and hiccups filled the kitchen as I stepped inside the freezer, thankful for the rush of crisp, cold air on my face. It was like a much-needed slap of reality that pulled me back under control. In control enough that I caught my breath in time to offer a warning. “The door is broken. Just hold it open while I take the trays.”
I’d just set the one I was holding on the freezer’s back shelf when Angus ran between my legs, nearly tripping me.
“Angus, no!” Connor lurched for the little dog, still gripping his tray, letting the heavy door swing behind him as he lunged to intervene.
I’d warned him… but apparently, listening wasn’t his strong suit.
The second he released his hold on the door, it swung closed with a final, muffled bang.
Trapping us inside.
Could tonight get any worse?
19
Darkness. Pitch-black darkness.
My fingers instantly fumbled on the stone-cold wall, feeling frantically for the light switch, and I gasped with relief when I found it and flipped on the overhead bulb. The lone light was small and illuminated the freezer weakly, but at least we could see. We stared at each other, eyes locked, and for a few seconds, neither one of us said anything.
“Did what I think just happened actually happen?” Connor said, looking back toward the closed door.
I nodded mutely, almost scared to say the truth. Saying it would make it too real.
“I see,” he said, “and you don’t have some trick to make the freezer door open, I take it?” he asked hopefully.
