I toldmyself he was wrong, and that running directly to Honey & Hearth wasn’t what I was going to do after my run-in with Tanner.
But the first moment I had free time, I was walking into the warm, sugar-sweet atmosphere of Goldie’s bakery like it hadn’t just felt like the whole damn world shifted under my feet the moment I walked in.
The place smelled of cinnamon and lemon zest.
And home.
Goldie was at the back counter, flour on her cheek and stress in her posture, her whole body moving like someone with three thousand things on her to do list and no time to breathe.
Honey & Hearth was reopening soon, and I was selfish to stop in and bother her prep.
But when she looked up and saw me?
She smiled as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered. Which cut me deep in the gut, filling me with guilt.
“Hey, you.” Her voice was soft and warm. A balm I hadn’t earned today.
I swallowed hard, throat tighter than I wanted to admit. “Hey.”
She wiped her hands on her apron and came around the counter, hugging me without hesitation. I didn’t deserve that, either.
I could hear people in the kitchen, but there was no one else around us in the front since she wasn’t open yet.
“Are you okay?” she asked, tipping her chin up to scrutinize me like she could read my turbulent mind.
I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted to ask her what she saw in him, if I was enough, if he wasn’t in the picture, if this whole thing was just some beautiful illusion where I’d imagined I could matter enough to someone.
But all I said was, “You look busy.”
Goldie’s brows lifted, “And you think I don’t have a minute for you?”
That cracked something inside me.
“Maybe youshouldn’t,” I said, too sharply and way too fast. “Maybe you should be focusing on something more important. On someone more important.”
Her expression didn’t fall; it didn’t harden either. Even as my stomach soured.
“What’s wrong, Rhea?” She squinted, “Did something happen?”
She just looked at me like shesawme. And that was somehow worse than being ignored completely.
“You tell me,” I bit out. “You’re silent all damn morning, like I’m not even worthy of a two-second reply?”
Her face softened, “I’ve been here all day, Rhea. I’ve been elbow-deep in croissant dough and city permits. I haven’t even looked at my phone. I’m sorry.”
I stood there, chest heaving as if I’d just run a call. And suddenly, I felt… stupid. Embarrassed. Like a child having a tantrum, they couldn’t stop, even though they knew they were out of line.
Goldie tilted her head, “This isn’t about a text, is it?”
That did it.
“No.” I shook her off, taking a step back, forcing a deep breath into my lungs. “I shouldn’t have come. I was—” I hesitated, the wordscaredalmost falling from my lips. “I’m sorry I interrupted you.”
“I’m glad you did,” She replied anyway. “I miss you.”
I took a step backward, and then another, until the door brushed against my back.
“I have to go.”
