Apparently it didn’t, because Kitty’s expression turned stricken. “Is it that bad?”
Lizzy knew what she meant. Bennet Bakery looked like it was back to its former pre–tropical storm glory, but they hadn’t truly recovered. “There’s still a lot of damage. And the insurance company is pushing back on a lot of the claims, so we don’t have the funds to cover some expenses. And with the summer ending soon…” Lizzy shrugged.
“It’s going to be okay, though, right? I mean, we have insurance, so…”
Her sister’s voice trailed off, but the question was there in the silence.Is the bakery going to survive this?Lizzy had been asking herself the same question every day since she’d deferred her enrollment to Columbia to help keep it afloat. Yes, her father looked better than he had in those weeks following his stroke,but it was hard to tell if it was a full recovery, let alone if a full recovery was possible. And even if it was, would it be enough? Would anything? Lizzy almost wanted to laugh.
Kitty’s expression stopped her. Despite the fact that it was like a second home to them, no one in the Bennet family thought of the bakery as more than a source of income. At least, that’s what Lizzy had always assumed. But now, as Kitty’s face grew more anxious with each moment of silence that passed, she wondered if that assessment was true.
Lizzy forced a smile. “It’s going to be okay, Kitty. I promise.”
The words felt hollow, but it didn’t matter. Kitty didn’t seem to notice as she relaxed.
“Why don’t you leave early?” Lizzy offered. “No one else is coming in with all this rain. You can take the truck. I’ll lock up and have Piper pick me up before her shift.”
Kitty’s eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Just flip off the open sign on your way out.”
Her sister didn’t have to be told twice. She grabbed her bag and laptop, then maneuvered her way around the counter toward the kitchen. A moment later, Lizzy heard the back door slam shut, and then silence.
The rain made a steady cadence on the roof above as Lizzy made her way to the kitchen, too, and began cleaning up the mess her sister had left in her wake. Sealing up the bag of flour, wiping down the cutting boards, sorting the tins. There was a rhythm to it, one that calmed her mind for the first time all day.
Then the bell above the front door rang out through the bakery.
Damn it.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” Lizzy said as she stuck her head out the kitchen doorway.
Will Darcy was standing in the middle of the room, takingoff the hood of his black rain jacket, which only made his blue eyes more vibrant.
“Hi,” she said, her gaze darting behind him to see who else was there. But the threshold was empty. “We’re closed.”
“You mentioned that,” he replied, unzipping his rain jacket and folding it over one of the nearby chairs. How his navy blue T-shirt and jeans managed to stay completely dry made no sense.
“Right, well, hopefully you remember where the door is, too,” she said, hiding the sting of the words behind a plastic smile.
He didn’t reply, just stood there, staring at her.
I don’t have time for this, she thought. She grabbed a few pie boxes from the counter and carried them through the door to the kitchen.
Her heart was thundering in her chest as she dropped the boxes on the long steel island. God, what was wrong with her? All she had to do was finish cleaning up the kitchen and eventually he would leave.
With newfound resolve, she turned around, only to slam into a tall, broad figure looming over her.
She yelped only a second before realizing it was Will, standing there with the rest of the pie boxes from the front room in his hands.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lizzy asked.
He ignored her, placing the boxes down next to the others as he surveyed the empty kitchen. “You’re here alone? Is that safe?”
“Why, are you worried about tall blond-haired men in raincoats coming in and harassing me?”
“I’m serious.”
“Me, too,” she said. “The kitchen is for employees. Customers belong out front.”
“I thought you said you were closed.”
