Page 28 of The Soulmate Bakery

Rani shrugged, feigning ignorance. ‘How am I supposed to know? I don’t worry myself with the actions of those in Maple Falls.’

I tried not to let my smile falter, but her words stung.

‘Are you sure?’ I asked, eyebrows raised comically to mask the hurt.

‘Maya, are you asking me if something happened between us?’ Rani asked, blunt as a butter knife. ‘Because I can assure you, he’s just being a jerk. Like always.’

I sighed and, even though I knew there was more going on, I let it go. ‘Fine, I guess I just wanted to know if your life was getting interesting now.’

Rani snorted. ‘No, unfortunately, I’m still boring as ever.’ Then, there was a knock at her dorm door. She shouted something back, before turning to me. ‘Sorry, Maya, I’ve got to run. Grimoire gone rogue in the library.’

I winced. ‘Hopefully it’s not full of hexes.’

Rani sighed, but she looked too excited. ‘When is it not hexes?’

‘If your skin turns green again, take a picture.’

She rolled her eyes, her finger hovering to close the call. ‘Bye, Maya – oh and, don’t forget, I’m coming back to Maple Falls at the end of the month for the festival. So, make sure you’ve stocked up on snacks.’

A bubble of warmth erupted through me at the thought of Rani being back; no matter how difficult it was being in her shadow, I did love our times together. ‘I’ll make sure we’re stocked.’

Then Rani hung up, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket. Just in time to see Orion’s car pulling up beside me. I moved around to the passenger side to see he’d already leaned forward and opened the door for me.

‘You’re late,’ I said, as I slipped into the car.

It was warm, filled with a scent that was distinctly Orion – woodsy, like a campfire. He was dressed in his usual uniform today: leather jacket, white shirt, blue jeans, boots.

‘You could have just walked there, your highness,’ Orion replied, sharply. Then he gripped the wheel, sighed, and said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.’

His words were enough to make my head whip around, but his tone – the genuine sincerity – made my jaw drop. Orion, apologizing?

‘I had a thing with my dad.’

‘A thing,’ I said, slowly. ‘Descriptive.’

I watched as he reversed, the strong line of his jaw flexing. My fingers suddenly itched with the urge to trace the muscle.

‘He wants me to start at the detective agency,’ Orion said, his voice sounding wooden. ‘You know how I feel about that.’

I did. That conversation on the Hawthornes’ roof flashed in my mind.

‘So, I take it things are tense?’ I replied, not wanting him to know just how much I remembered.

‘You could say that,’ Orion muttered. ‘So, you ready to see the Treasure Trove?’

I could’ve pressed further, made him talk about things more. The Maya from that summer would have done so. But I knew better now.

‘Yes,’ I said, taking his switch in conversation. ‘Let’s see what I’m in for.’

The Treasure Trove bakery left, frankly, much to be desired. Mostly because there wasn’t a lick of kitchen magic in the building. There was exactly one person running the entire place: a nervous twenty-year-old dragon shifter who looked like she’d spent her entire day caked in flour. It was all over her black uniform, dusted along her rounded cheeks, even in the eyelashes that curved around her purple-toned eyes.

‘We have bread,’ the dragon shifter, Melodie, said. ‘Sourdough, plain and seeded bread.’

‘Is there anything else?’ I questioned, casting a look around the bakery. It was darkly coloured – all deep jewel tones. I didn’t hate it, but I did feel a little like I was sitting in a cave.

‘Croissants,’ Melodie said, tilting her head to one side before coming back to me. ‘That’s it. Bread and croissants.’

I turned to look at Orion. ‘I can see why you struck this bargain. This is –’