It didn’t matter that Claire might not welcome his presence—especiallythismorning. He needed to check it out. As he headed across the street, a second figure joined the first. This one, he recognized: Claire’s assistant, Hailey. What were they looking at in the window?
“Is something wrong, ladies?”
Both of them jumped at the sound of his voice. Hailey turned, her face as white as a sheet. She pointed mutely at the window.
Frowning, Rob leaned forward and squinted through the sunlight reflecting off the glass. The interior of the shop was a disaster. Cupcakes were strewn everywhere. Frosting blobs marred the glass case. Part of the tin ceiling lay on the floor, an inch or more of water covering it. A slow drip rippled the water from overhead.
The bakery was in a sorry state, but…
“Where’s Claire?”
The blonde, he couldn’t recall her name, frowned and shook her head. “I don’t know. I was supposed to meet her here this morning to help open for the sale. People will be arriving soon.”
He turned to her assistant in the hopes of finding an answer. “Do you know where she is?”
The younger woman shook her head, looking every bit as distressed and lost.
He tried the front door—locked. Maybe Claire was around back. He rushed around to the side kitchen entrance, the two women trailing after him.
The kitchen wasn’t in much better shape. Although the bulk of the water had hit the front of the store, enough had rained down here to cause a damp sheen over the tiles and ruin the frosting on the neatly arranged cupcakes on the table.
Claire sat on a stool, a cupcake in her hand. She looked over at them clustered in the doorway. “At least I was able to save a few.”
She looked so forlorn that he wanted to take her in his arms, but he couldn’t do that. “What happened?” he asked.
Claire unwrapped the cupcake and took a bite. “I should have listened to Ralph and replaced the pipes.” The words were muffled because she’d shoved a big piece of cupcake in, but Rob understood.
The blonde pushed past him and rushed to Claire, hugging her. “What happened?”
“Pipes burst.” Claire took another bite. “At least I found the main valve and shut it off. Sally would be proud.”
“Are all the cupcakes ruined?” Hailey asked, making her way to the fridge.
“There are still several dozen in there, but the place is ruined, so I guess the sale is ruined.” Claire’s flat tone pinched Rob’s heart. Suddenly, he had an idea. “The cupcake sale isn’t ruined.”
Claire looked up. She was still frowning, but a spark of hope flared in her eyes. “What do you mean? Of course it is. I can’t open the shop. Most of the cupcakes are soaked.”
He pointed at the containers in the fridge. “But not all of them. These are still perfect. There must be five or six dozen here.”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “But the shop…”
The blonde turned, assessing Rob with curiosity. “What are you getting at?”
Rob met the blonde’s gaze. “I’m not sure we were introduced during the search for Jane’s mother. I’m Rob.” He stuck out his hand.
“I know.” She smiled, placing her hand in his. “I’m Maxi.”
He nodded, feeling a bit out of place. “Well, Maxi. Do you think you can take Claire home and return here in—” He checked his watch. “Fifteen minutes? I think she’s going to want to change out of those wet clothes.”
That stirred Claire to a bit of her normal luster. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you have a cupcake sale to run.”
“Like I said, I don’t have a store.”
“No, but I do. We’ll move all these containers and the tiered displays to my store.”
“I couldn’t.”
