Coyote (Hawks MC Next Generation #1) - Lila Rose Page 0,14

a chance I’d end up killing him, since my emotions were all over the place. Unless I asked him to mind the dogs….

Gah, I don’t know what to do.

“Hey, honey,” Denise called as she put some baked loaves on the shelves behind the counter. “Everything get sorted?”

“Yes, all done.” I wasn’t going to tell her or Stanley what went on, knowing they would worry for me. Also, I didn’t want them involved. “Sorry again about getting you in early. I think I’ll have to hire a part-time person who knows how to do my duties, as well.”

She hummed under her breath. Turning to me, she nodded. “It’s probably a good idea. Not that I mind helping out.”

I gave her a warm smile. “I know you don’t.”

She returned my smile with her own. “Good. Plus, if you hire someone, you might get a chance for some time off. No twenty-two-year-old should be working as hard as you.”

Walking out the back, with Denise following, I told her, “But you know I love this. The bakery. I love running this place.”

Taking an apron off the hook, I pulled it over my head and went to my workstation. Denise had already got the first round of rolls and bread out of the oven. I just needed to get the next set cooking.

“Honey, I know you love working, but how are you going to meet your better half?”

Snorting, I told her, “I don’t need anyone. Besides, I’ll just take Amos up on his offer when the time comes.”

She let out a bark of laughter. “You deserve better than someone who loves you for your treats.”

Lifting a tray into the oven, I turned and shrugged. “I’m happy. That’s all I worry about, and making sure Bakery Bliss runs smoothly to keep Mum’s and my dream alive.”

As she passed me, her hand squeezed my arm. “She’d be proud of everything already, honey.”

My heart clenched. “Thanks, Denise.” Since Denise had come in for me, we were only a little behind. By the time we flicked the sign on the front door to Open, at 6:00 a.m., we had only a few things to complete. Denise stayed out the front to prepare for the morning rush of people on the way to work, while I stayed and finished what I had to. I needed to get the ovens off soon since my kitchen wasn’t the biggest and did heat up a lot, even with the cooler mornings. Within another half an hour, I had the ovens off and the air conditioner on. I stood in the coolroom, drinking gulps of water from the bottle and taking in the frigid air for a moment.

A smile tipped up my lips. Yeah, I was happy with my business. Not many at twenty-two could say they owned their own shop, but I could. Like Denise said, I knew Mum would be proud, and that was all that mattered.

I didn’t need a man to complete me. Well, it would be nice to have some bedroom time with someone, but I had a vibrator for that.

Since I had the door opened a little, I heard Denise call, “Channa?”

“Coming,” I yelled back. Once I put my water on the shelf, I slipped out of the coolroom and stopped because I found someone scowling at me. Rolling my eyes, I said, “Don’t give me that look, Stanley. You’re in early, so you can’t complain. Besides, I had a situation this morning. Denise had to come in for me, and things were delayed.”

He dropped his hands on his hips. “What happened?”

“I’ll talk about it later. Denise just called. She needs help.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “But you’d better explain.”

Some of it I would.

Moving through the doors, I grinned. “Morning, Bryson.”

“Hey, Channa, how are you?”

“Good,” I said, stopping at the counter. The shop had a few people waiting for coffees, but it wasn’t overly busy.

“Denise called you out for me.” His elbows touched down on the counter and he leaned into them. “What are you doing after work today?” he asked. Bryson worked at the gym just down the road. He’d been coming here since we opened, and we’d become friends. We’d even gone to the movies and out to eat a few times, but there was nothing between us. He’d tried to get me to join the gym again and again, but I knew I wouldn’t have time, and I liked to work out in private. Eventually, he gave in, but in that time, we’d got to know one another