Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,7

up a little more than before. We painted all the cabinets in matching cream to get rid of the hideous brown color. And the new signs and flyers arrived yesterday, just in time for tomorrow’s opening.

I was nervous but ready for this new beginning. I was definitely ready to leave behind a past that was dragging me down.

So far everyone in town had been welcoming and extremely helpful. Livingston was starting to feel like home to us.

A loud crash came from the kitchen, and I quickly rushed toward the commotion.

“Goddammit,” Bailey muttered. A fresh batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies lay scattered across the floor as she waved her hand back and forth to cool it. “I am not cut out for this shit,” she grumbled.

The girl looked a hot mess. Her hair was going in every direction, and I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but there was something crusty stuck to her cheek. I couldn’t help but laugh when she looked up at me in defeat.

“I burned my hands again!” she groaned and hung her head, her nostrils flaring in aggravation.

I stepped closer and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “You know I love you, right?” I asked and she nodded. “How many people do you know would pick up and move across the country just because their best friend asked them to? You left behind everything to take this adventure with me, and I can’t thank you enough. But…”

I paused, and she looked up, her eyes questioning me.

“If you regret it, if you feel like this isn’t the place for you, I understand. I would never force you to stay, Bay. I love you entirely too much to make you when you don’t want to.”

She nudged me with her shoulder. “Yeah, like my life was just so amazing,” she joked. “The only thing I liked about Chicago was you being there with me. I had a shit job, a variety of loser guys that bored me to death, and parents who barely noticed I was in the same city. This is where I’m supposed to be, right here with you.”

I hugged her close, and she let out a sigh. “But I can’t bake for shit, Amber. I seriously have to be the worst cook in history. I’m going to cause someone to become ill, or worse yet, the health department will shut you down from my lack of skills.”

“You’re actually improving.” I bit my lower lip to hide my smile.

“Whatever. I’ll just stand behind the counter and look pretty. You can stay back here and do all the manual labor.” Bailey tossed her hair to the side, all dramatic. She stepped over the cookies and pushed through the double door, smiling back at me as she left me to tend to the baking.

The cookies on the floor were charred, and some of them had burned so bad they were stuck to the pan that lay alongside the crumbled mess. I couldn’t help but laugh. Bailey was right—she’s not a baker. A disaster with an apron maybe, but definitely not a baker.

***

“Bailey,” I hollered up the stairwell that resembled more of a path of doom than the entrance to our apartment. It was still so dark and dingy. We had spent so much time finishing up the bakery we had neglected our home. I made a mental note to grab some light-colored paint, because the brown color on the walls had to go.

A few seconds later she appeared at the top of the steps with a big blue towel wrapped around her hair. “Yeah?”

“I’m going to run to the store and pick up a few things. I shouldn’t be long.”

The grand opening for Heavenly Temptations was less than a day away, and the last thing I wanted to do was run out of anything. Yes, we ordered all our supplies in bulk, but I still feared running out of something as small as napkins. Having a backup stash would make me feel better.

I had ordered all-new appliances, including three coffee machines. I had even invested in a fancy espresso maker and one that made three different flavored cappuccino drinks too, hoping customers would welcome the new additions. My grandmother was definitely old-school, but I wanted to give the shop a contemporary feel.

I spent nearly an hour shopping, roaming the store aisles while running inventory through my head. I left with bags full of supplies after spending entirely too much money.

Pulling out of the parking lot and turning right onto Main