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ChapterOne
SOPHIE
My hands shook as I lifted the key to fit it into the lock of my bakery. Being alone in the early morning hours usually soothed me. No one was out walking their dog or jogging. I had a few hours of silence before customers came in, and my solitude was overtaken by the morning rush.
But this morning, the quiet was deafening, overpowering the sound of my heart pounding in my ears.
Through the store window, the chairs were visible on top of the tables like normal. Nothing looked out of place, but I couldn’t stop the trembling of my fingers.
I startled at the thump of soles against the pavement. Was it an early morning jogger or someone up to no good?
Worried, I shoved the key into the lock, willing it to fit. When it turned, I pushed open the door, the alarm chirping. I glanced over my shoulder as a shiver ran up my spine.
A man ran toward me at a good clip, a black hoodie covering his head and face.
My heart jumped into my throat as I slipped inside, my hands already pushing it closed when a rough, gravelly voice asked, “Are you open?”
The man was close. Too close. He’d stopped in front of my door, his head down.
“No,” I said, my voice shaking. I needed to close the door, but the alarm was dangerously close to going off. I inputted the code on the pad next to the door, but kept one finger hovering over the panic button.
My desire to be nice to a potential customer warred with my fear that this could be the guy who’d broken into my friends’ shops.
No one had ever seen him, but then, I went to work earlier than everyone else.
I moved so that more of the glass door was between us. If I attempted to close it, would he shove his foot in the doorway, or would he use his arm to block the door from closing?
“That’s too bad.” He hunched over as if he were recovering from a hard run.
“Do you need water?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He wasn’t carrying anything and was probably thirsty.
Why had I offered? He could be the robber or even worse. My mind raced with all the possibilities. I could just see the headlines:Local Baker Found Dead in the Early Morning Hours.
I shivered, tightening my grip on the door.
“That would be great.” He lifted his head slowly, the cut of his jaw visible before his strong nose and eyes.
Warm brown eyes. He was so familiar.I knew him.
Shock flew through my system as my hand fell away from the alarm system.
“Sophie?” His expression was a mix of surprise and something else—regret?
“Mark.” My heart clenched. I knew exactly who he was—my high school sweetheart—the one who’d left. The summer after graduation, he turned eighteen and enlisted in the Army.
“It’s good to see you.” The surprise was gone, and in its place was warmth. So much warmth. It was like a cozy blanket I could wrap myself in. I wanted to fall back into those fuzzy feelings he gave me back then and forget everything that came after.
“You too.” It was still early, and my brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders. I was most likely weak from the adrenaline rush.
A few seconds ago, I thought I was about to be robbed, but even knowing who this man was, I couldn’t relax, not entirely. This was the man who’d walked away from me so easily.
Initially, I’d hoped he’d come back to me and admit he’d made a mistake. That the timing just wasn’t right for us in high school, but then he’d gotten some girl pregnant. And I shoved that fantasy down deep.
At eighteen, I had younger siblings to help raise. I couldn’t even think about building a future for myself.
“How ’bout that water?” Sweat dripped from his brow.
