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“Are you the owner? Are you KC?”
Glancing at the camera, and then back to Andy and Grace, who was now directly behind him, I slowly nodded my head. “I am. Again, can I help you?”
Her perfectly painted face lit up and she walked toward the counter with a hand outstretched. “Meg Schwartz with KXJN News, what a pleasure to meet you.”
I stepped forward to shake her hand, but kept my eyes on the cameraman and the second man who had just retreated from my shop, his phone going to his ear. “Pleasure. I’m sorry, but may I ask what y’all are doing here? I’m not comfortable having cameras in my shop.”
She winked at me and stepped back. “I’m sure you’re not.”
Uh, what?
“We were wondering if we could do a piece on you and your journey to opening up this beautiful bakery?”
“No, I’m sorry. I’d really prefer if you didn’t. Sorry you came all the way down here, you should have just called.” I knew I was coming across as rude, but I wanted to avoid anything that put me in the news in any way. Someone would see me and recognize me just as Olivia had. I couldn’t chance that. “But, please, pick something out to eat. On me.” I walked over to the case and waited for them to decide on something.
“You’re very sweet, but we couldn’t possibly.”
My eyes were back on the cameraman. The camera was pointed directly at me, and I was straining to see if there was any sign that it was recording.
“Okay, then, I’m sorry, but I need to ask you to leave,” I said as I stepped back to the swinging doors. Why the hell is he following my every move with that thing? Suddenly, he shifted the camera down, and I released a heavy breath as they backed up to the door.
“We’ll see you soon, Miss Cunningham.”
I just nodded and smiled, no longer watching them. The second man who had left on his phone was standing directly in front of my shop, staring at me, his phone still pressed to his ear. “Back, back, get back in the kitchen.” I pushed Grace and Andy back before closing the swinging doors and setting the latch so they couldn’t open.
“What’s going on?” Grace asked, and I shakily turned to face them. “Why wouldn’t you want to do a story? It would give the shop so much more business. More than just people in Jeston probably.”
Exactly. I couldn’t have that. “Maybe, but I don’t, uh . . .” I trailed off when I finally realized it. Miss Cunningham. The reporter called me Miss Cunningham! Oh, God, this isn’t happening. No, no, she must have found out my name another way, she can’t know who I am! “I’m sure you’re not.” I gasped and started rambling to cover the look of horror that was probably crossing my face. “I don’t like cameras very much, or news stations. They tend to clip and rearrange your words to make you look worse, and I’m just not a fan. Okay? Okay. What was I doing? I need to bake.”
Andy grabbed my hand, and he and Grace were now wearing matching concerned looks on their faces. “Sweetie, you look like you’re about to pass out. What is wrong? Why did you lock the doors?”
“No, I’m fine. Nothing is wrong. I just—just locked the doors in case they came back in. But that was stupid.” Forcing myself to unlock the swinging doors, I stood there facing them with my head down. I wanted to go home. Needed to. The camera had made me nervous, but I shouldn’t have been this freaked out about it. I had a bad feeling, and Andy was right . . . my legs and arms felt like Jell-O.
“KC?” they both asked right when the chimes sounded again.
I jumped away from the doors and pointed at them. “Andy, please help them. If it’s the people who were just in here, ask them to leave and then lock the front door.”
He brushed his hand against my shoulder as he passed, and while the doors were still swinging shut, I heard his voice. “Holy shit.”
Oh, Jesus.
“Uh . . . Kace?”
On shaky legs, I walked to the doors and pushed them open, afraid of what I might find and somehow already knowing. Once I was through the doors, I heard dozens of the all-too-familiar clicks and saw bright lights flashing. I heard too many people talking and knew that it was over. They knew I was here, and I had no doubt that Olivia was somehow behind their knowing.
“Oh. My. God. Kamryn, what have you done?”
My head snapped up, my eyes widening when I heard my mom’s voice. I found her immediately. She looked disgusted for all of three seconds before she pulled it together and started dramatically crying.
“My baby! We’ve finally found you!”
I couldn’t move, I couldn’t speak. The cameras were still flashing, the same reporter who had been in the shop a few minutes before and another one were speaking toward their cameramen, and there, next to my mom, were my dad and Charles.
“Hey, move. Everyone move. News crews, get out of here. What the hell? I said get out!” Brody’s voice rose above everything else, and in that moment I wanted to die. “Jeston PD! I said get out! If you want me to call backup, I will!”
A few of the people, along with one news crew, quickly left. Brody made his way to me behind the counter.
“I said get the fuck out!” He held his badge out to them and pulled me close to his side, moving so his back was facing the cameras. “Baby, are you okay? What’s going on?”
