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“And what about you? Aren’t you proud of your new shop? Maybe you should post all about it on social media so your friends and family can see.”
He was baiting her, and she wouldn’t succumb to it. “Not a big fan of social media.” She lifted her chin. “Mostly people bragging or bitching. Not my thing.”
Rubble nodded and crossed the room. “Break room?”
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “There’s an office in the back and to the right. The surveillance is already pulled up on the monitor.”
“Thanks.” He grabbed a muffin from the pink basket on the counter. “I’ll check in on ya in a bit.”
Hearing his boots echo down the hall, Jupiter let out her breath. She didn’t have time to recover before the bell clattered again, this time with a handful of customers ready to try something sweet.
* * *
“We soldout of the cherry tartlets!” Yasmina exclaimed, stunned when she saw the display case. “I can’t believe it. Not even noon and we’ve sold out of something.” She gave Jupiter a knowing look. “Guess we can bank on making more of those tomorrow.”
Jupiter switched out the empty tray of tartlets for sugar cookies in the shape of snowflakes. “They were amazing, honestly. I’ve never had a better one.”
Yasmina rolled her brown eyes. “You’re saying that because we’ll be together for the next few weeks.”
Her thick accent forced Jupiter to smile. After hearing the story about how Nikita saved Yasmina and a semitruck full of women and children on their way to be auctioned as sex workers, she had to admit Macha had some stellar women associated with them. It gave her hope to know women could come out of a poor situation and flourish.
“Maybe a little, but they are fantastic. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve been working in a bakery your whole life.”
Yasmina’s eyes dimmed. “I did back home. My parents were great bakers. I fear they’re no longer living. The last letter I sent was returned weeks later.” She sighed. “Once the business does well, I’ll fly over to check on them. If they’re gone, I’ll say goodbye, but if they’re alive, I’ll bring them back to the States with me. They deserve the same happiness I’ve found in Colorado. It is home now.”
Jupiter swallowed at hearing the sadness in Yasmina’s voice. Her own family didn’t know what had happened to her over the last ten years. She should’ve told them but couldn’t bring herself to admit defeat. Not when they couldn’t help. Only she could fix her mistakes. With a little help, that is.
“I think they’d like Snowshoe. Plenty of places to open a rival bakery.”
Yasmina laughed, the sound as sweet as the donuts cooling on racks. “They’d like you. You’re funny and have secrets. Just like me.”
Before Jupiter could ask more, a customer walked in with three children in tow. It was time to bring in that cash so Yasmina could bring her family to Snowshoe.
* * *
Jupiter didn’t havea moment to sit, let alone take a break, until the day was half over. She pushed back the strands of hair that had fallen loose over the morning and watched Yasmina rearrange the remaining goodies in the glass display.
“It looks like those raspberry tarts are a big seller,” she said, taking an empty tray from Yasmina.
Yasmina nodded, a proud smile on her face. “An old family recipe. I used to make them as a child. I’m glad Colorado likes them as much as I do.”
A pair of teenagers walked through the front door, the girls whispering about a new boy in town. Jupiter envied their carefree nature. They didn’t have a damn thing to worry about except if the boy talked to them. She sighed, recalling her own teenage years spent doing the same thing. Her older brother used to scare away any boy that tried to ask her out. It was one of his more endearing yet annoying qualities. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes at the thought of Levi. She desperately wanted to reconnect with him but couldn’t. She brushed away the tears before they could fall.Not yet at least.She had to be strong. Lyle couldn’t hound her forever.
After helping the girls to a box of cream puffs, Jupiter looked to see Yasmina carefully watching her. Before she could ask Yasmina more about her family, the other woman spoke up.
“Queenie says we have much in common.”
Jupiter dropped the coins into the register drawer and closed it with her hip. “Like what?”
“Men hurting us.” Yasmina pushed back her dark hair and lowered her voice. “You don’t have to be scared. No one in Macha will tell, especially me.”
She wanted to believe her. Jupiter wiped down the counter instead of responding. Yasmina stayed put instead of retreating to the kitchen like she expected.
“If you’d rather not say, I understand. It’s difficult to talk of for me too.” Yasmina leaned against the back counter. “Nikita helped me a lot when I first arrived in Snowshoe. She even made sure I had someone to talk to about the abuse.”
Jupiter paused the cloth in her hand and met Yasmina’s eyes. The brown depths were filled with understanding, no trace of judgment present. Asking her about what happened didn’t seem appropriate. Yasmina’s treatment was no doubt a thousand times worse than her own.
Yasmina placed a soft hand on Jupiter’s arm. “Don’t do that.”
