The Dragon Prince's Crush - Lorelei M Hart Page 0,3

had me ready to face customers and deal with my sister’s typical teen angst.

Being her legal guardian, big brother, and a stand-in for our mom and dad was a huge load to carry and gave me little time for a life outside these four walls. But she was the reason I got up each morning and plowed through the day.

The steps creaked, but there was no sign of my sister. Some days, she’d charge into the kitchen, rosy-cheeked and bursting with enthusiasm about a project she was working on or a new TV series she and her friend were binge-watching. But the sitting-on-the-steps mornings were a sign she was prepping to ask me something. And it would be something I’d probably refuse.

Sure, it could be that she wanted to skip her afternoon shift in the shop to attend a football game, but making us short-handed behind the counter when school kids crowded the bakery wanting a muffin fix was easy.

Despite running a successful business, stress accompanied me as a shadow would. I wavered between being an older brother to my sister and acting as a parent. But never entirely succeeding at either role.

“Morning.” I didn’t look up as my sister walked into the kitchen, tying her apron. “Sleep well?”

“Not really.”

“Get all your homework done?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I cursed my early-morning brain and focused on pulling a tray of rolls out of the oven rather than on Sienna.

“You’re not my mom, Shaw, so quit acting like one!” She heaved herself onto a stainless-steel counter. That was a huge no-no. And she knew it. It’d have to be sanitized again, and I’d be the one doing it.

Shutting up would have been an option, but I had to react. “Sienna…”

“Don’t Sienna me!”

My brain got the message to shut up, and I allowed her to explain what was bugging her. Because she would. She didn’t hold back. “There’s a school dance next month, and my friends are going to the mainland to buy new dresses.” Her voice trailed away. Buying the dress was no biggie. Going to the mainland was.

Before I could launch into my usual spiel about how I hated her being so far away and I didn’t want her being unchaperoned, she jumped off the counter, her eyes filled with tears, one clenched fist raised. “I know what you’re going to say. You won’t let me go. You never let me have fun!”

An alarm went off. One of many, and I headed to the proofing oven. Sienna and I spoke little for the next hour, and after the bakery opened and she helped Daisy, our assistant baker, and me in the shop, she stomped off to school, tearing off a chunk of a blueberry muffin as she slammed the door. Daisy was used to our brother-sister morning routine and continued serving customers.

I grabbed another coffee, and while waiting for my laptop to boot up, I picked up a photo of my parents. It’d been taken close to my wolf-shifter father’s pack headquarters. The pack that refused to welcome my mother. Because she was human. And I wondered what path my life would have taken if we’d been part of that pack.

The next hour was a blur as I worked side by side with Daisy serving customers, chatting with suppliers, and prepping more batches of muffins.

And when my phone beeped, I expected it to be Brad, our delivery guy, saying the GPS in the van wasn’t working and he’d be late getting back. That was code for he was ordering a coffee from a barista he had the hots for at a local coffee shop.

But it was Sienna’s school. I snatched it up, getting flour over the display as I yelled, “Yes,” and followed that with, “Is Sienna all right?”

“Mr. Miller?” Kids teased my sister about our family name and how it related to grinding grain in preparation for baking.

“Yes?”

“This is Kate Philips, Principal Kelly’s secretary.”

The thundering of my heart was so loud, reminding me of an old-fashioned steam train, and I was surprised Kate couldn’t hear it. “Is my sister okay?”

There was a quick intake of breath on the other end which did nothing to set my mind at ease. “Sienna has been removed from her English class for inappropriate behavior. Principal Kelly would like to speak to you as soon as possible.”

What does that mean? Had she been passing notes during a lesson? Did kids still do that or did they text instead,