“Day 77 - Tango lessons in Buenos Aires!” The post was only three hours old. The photo showed them in a dramatic dance pose, her mother’s head thrown back in laughter while her father dipped her. They looked radiant, young, completely in love after all these years.
The comments overflowed with heart emojis and envious responses from friends. “Couple goals!” “Living your best lives!” “So jealous!”
Brie added her own heart emoji, not trusting herself to write words that wouldn’t reveal her current state. They deserved this trip, this adventure they’d saved for and planned for years. She wouldn’t be the reason they cut it short.
She was on her own.
Taking a deep breath, Brie stood and smoothed her apron. The bakery needed her functional, not falling apart in her office. Her staff needed to see her in control. Her customers needed their orders filled.
She could fall apart later. In private. Like a professional.
The kitchen felt normal when she walked through. Maggie piping frosting, Jake pulling bread from the oven, the familiar dance of afternoon baking. They glanced at her with curiosity but didn’t ask questions. Yet.
The dining room was quiet, just two customers at tables and Sophie wiping the counter. The afternoon rain had started, droplets streaking the windows.
Sophie’s head snapped up the moment Brie appeared. “So,” she said with barely contained excitement. “Who’s the silver fox?”
“Silver fox?” Brie moved to check the display case.
“Tall, dark, dangerous-looking? Shoulders like a linebacker?” Sophie’s eyes sparkled with interest. “New detective?”
“No, he’s... he works for Steel Protection.”
“The security firm?” Sophie’s voice pitched higher. “Oh my god, I’ve seen them around town on their motorcycles. They’re all so...” She fanned herself dramatically.
“He’s my mate.”
The squeal that erupted from Sophie made the two customers look up from their coffee.
“Your mate?! Brie, oh my god!” Sophie grabbed Brie’s hands. “This is amazing! When did you find out? How did he… wait, is that why he was here?”
Brie gently extracted her hands, picking up the cloth to continue wiping the already spotless counter. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated? What do you mean?”
The rain was coming down harder now, turning the world outside into a gray blur. “I messaged him on mate.com right after... after I filed the police report. He never responded. Never even read it.”
“But he was just here…”
“About the incident,” she whispered. “He says I’m in danger. Wants me to go into hiding. He only came because I’m a witness in his case.”
“Oh, honey.” Sophie moved closer, lowering her voice as one of the customers approached the counter for a refill.
Brie handled the transaction on autopilot, medium roast, room for cream, have a nice day, while Sophie waited. When they were alone again, Sophie touched her arm gently.
“Why didn’t he respond?”
“He said he was on surveillance and got distracted by the app. Lost his target. So, he deleted it.” She laughed, but it came out bitter. “I spent two weeks wondering what was wrong with me. Turns out he just... never bothered to look.”
Sophie was quiet. Outside, someone ran past the window, newspaper held over their head against the rain.
“That’s really shitty,” Sophie finally said.
“Yeah.”
Brie didn’t want to think about Hunter. “I have to focus on the Winter Festival,” she said, moving to grab the inventory clipboard. “Three weeks to prepare, and I’m already behind. After the botched Harvest Moon delivery, I cannot afford another mistake.”
“Brie, if you’re really in danger…”
