Page 44 of Working For Her Sweet Treats
She frowns. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
The immediate agreement catches me off guard.
“No. He shouldn’t have.”
“Did he apologize?”
“He canceled it.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
I glance toward my phone. “Yes.”
Loralee begins loading napkins and flavor cards into a supply tote. She does not defend him or tell me I overreacted. Somehow, that makes it easier to admit the part I do not want to examine.
“I compared him to my ex-husband.”
“Is he like your ex-husband?”
“No.”
The answer comes out of me quickly.
My ex dismissed the bakery before I ever signed a lease. Jake built a display because he believed my pastries deserved to be noticed. My ex made decisions because he thought I was incapable of making good ones. Jake saw a safety concern and convinced himself that protecting me mattered more than listening to me.
The result hurt in a familiar way. The reason behind it was not the same.
Loralee closes the supply tote. “Being wrong once doesn’t make him your ex.”
“I know.”
“Knowing and feeling are different.”
“I also know that.”
She nods. “Good. I’ll stop being wise now. It makes my head hurt.”
For the next several hours, there is no time to think about Jake.
Customers arrive in waves. Muffins leave the display almost as quickly as I can replace them, and several people ask whether I will continue offering the apple crisp cheesecake flavor after the celebration.
I direct Loralee between the register and coffee station while I finish the final strawberry cream cheese batches. I check every box, count every pastry, and review the delivery list twice.
At ten-thirty, Cole enters with two other Dalton employees. My heart jumps before I can stop it. Jake is not with them.
Cole orders three coffees and a box of assorted muffins without mentioning the pink-apron photograph. As I hand him the box, he glances toward the portable display waiting near the front window.
“Jake helping with setup?”
“No.”
Cole looks at me for only a second before nodding. “All right.”
He does not offer to call him. He does not volunteer the crew. He simply takes the order and leaves.
Jake has not sent anyone to interfere. The knowledge settles heavily in my chest.
By eleven, the first delivery is ready. The display separates into three manageable pieces exactly as Jake promised, but manageable does not mean light. Loralee and I move the smallest section toward the front door before admitting the larger two will require help.
