“Silly girl. You know I can’t live without my scarf collection,” Grandma Elaine teased back.
“You aren’t going to miss the snow?” Up here on the North Shore of Lake Superior, snow was a guarantee.
“Never.” Grandma Elaine held out a jangling ring of keys. “The key to the house is on there as well as the keys to the front and back doors here. I’ve left the recipe book next to the spice rack near the door in case you’ve forgotten the measurements.”
She leaned over and gave her grandma a hug, breathing in her cinnamony scent. “It hasn’t been that long since I baked a loaf of bread.”
Grandma Elaine squeezed back. “I know your focus in Paris was on cakes and pastries. I wasn’t sure if you’d be a little rusty at brioche.” She pulled back and seemed to search for something in Robin’s eyes.
Robin let go. Held her palms up in surrender. “True, but I made your signature cinnamon rolls every Saturday for me and my roommate. I’m sure the rest will be like falling off a log.”
“Don’t worry, we trust you.” Grandma Elaine patted her arm. “I know you can do it. Just don’t change anything around here.”
Why would she change anything? She loved this little bakery. Even if it did bring back some painful memories. Okay, and maybe it did need some updating—the oven was older than the bakery itself. And shewouldenjoy adding a cake or two to the menu, but that wasn’t really changing anything, right? Just improving it a little. Oh well. Best to do what Grandma asked.
She crossed her arms. “I won’t change anything.”
“I know you, you know.” Her grandma brushed at a strand of Robin’s hair. “You can’t resist adding a little flair. Just keep things the way they are—simple—and you’ll do fine.”
“You have nothing to worry about.” Robin had given her a hug, then pulled away. “Go to Florida. Enjoy your umbrella drinks by the ocean.”
“I’ll call once in a while to check in, but you don’t need to call us except for emergencies.”
Robin bit back a laugh, or maybe it was a sigh. Same old story. She’d just have to show her grandma she could do this. All on her own.
She’d been right. The bakery was nearly unchanged since she’d left for college ten years ago. The kitchen was one long rectangle with the cooler to her left, along with a small alcove for a computer from the 1990s. Straight across from her were the racks holding the baking supplies, alongside the commercial dishwasher, a small sink, and an ancient oven, which had probably been manufactured somewhere around 1952. A long workbench made of smooth hickory filled the center of the room. And to her right, the main sink nested in wooden cabinets, which were older than she was.
She wandered out through the swinging doors to the retail area and dining room. Reds and cream colors decorated the small space. Two floor-to-ceiling picture windows flanked the door, which faced the parking lot. The twin panes let in the weak January sun, warming the wood tables. Outside, three patio tables waited for summer weather to return.
A long display case filled most of the space separating the dining room from the kitchen. And on the wall behind that, a painted stylized fox ran through a meadow with Fox Bakery stenciled underneath.
So many memories were packed into the square footage. Over there at the front table was where her grandma had shown her sine, cosine, and tangent in her trigonometry homework. She pictured Oliver with his head bent over his science book and Grayson munching on a sticky bun after school. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon and yeast permeated the air, but the bakery didn’t seem quite as warm without her brothers in it.
This, then, would be her kingdom for the next two months. No Victor criticizing her every move. No demanding instructors pushing her a little harder each class. Just a space where her grandparents believed in her enough to keep things moving like clockwork, serving their customers and fulfilling orders.
A movement on the other side of the lot caught her eye. She saw…wait, was that Megan walking toward the bakery, pushing a baby stroller? She hadn’t seen Megan Carter in years but kept up with her life on social media. She supposed it was Megan Barrett now.
She flipped the Open sign to Back in 15 Minutes and grabbed her jacket.
Robin went out to greet her. “Megan! So good to see you.”
“Robin?” Megan wore a long puffy jacket and fuzzy mittens, her blonde hair peeking out from a matching knit hat. She held out her free arm to Robin for a side hug. “Hi! I heard you were coming back for a while but didn’t realize it was so soon. How are you?”
A thin, black-and-white cat cut between them before crossing the parking lot and disappearing behind another building. Who did he belong to? Based on his scrawny look, he was probably a stray. She’d leave out a little food and water just in case.
“I’m doing okay.” Robin tugged her gloves on. “It’s weird to be back.”
“I’ll bet.” Megan adjusted the blanket covering the stroller. “Baby Rae and I are getting some fresh air. Want to join us?”
“I’d love a quick walk.” Robin glanced at her watch. “I can afford to be gone a few minutes.” They’d had a big rush earlier, but now the bakery was quiet. She could take a break.
They headed toward downtown Deep Haven, passing Wild Harbor Trading Post next door. To the left, Lake Superior stretched to the distant horizon, and sunlight sparkled off the water.
“So, you’re married now. And have a new little one.” She’d gone to school with Megan but hadn’t known her too well. Still, in a small school like Deep Haven, everyone kinda knew everyone. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
Megan tugged off a mitten and flashed her ring finger, blushing a little. “Thanks. Cole and I used to know each other when we were kids, before you were living here with your grandparents. When he came back to town, I knew he was still the one for me.” She looked at her ring for a moment. Robin’s ribs tightened, but she breathed it away. So what if she was twenty-eight and hadn’t had time for a relationship? She could still be happy that Megan had found her happy ending. Maybe Robin’s was out there too. He just hadn’t walked into her life yet.
“Marriage looks good on you.”
