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I’d spoken too freely. I’d only meant to caution her. “I’m not trying to scare you.”
“You think the worst because of your job.”
“I’m familiar with assessing security risks, and we’re not talking about a hypothetical situation. This guy has broken into multiple stores, and he was seen doing the same thing this morning.” This guy was way too close for comfort.
Sophie set the rest of the muffin on a rickety side table.
“You shouldn’t be here by yourself.”
“I was already planning on hiring more staff. I partnered with Gia, a local wedding planner, to do cakes for her brides. She wants me to attend the initial meetings and hold cake tastings. If she’s right, it will significantly increase my time away from the kitchen. I need help.”
I relaxed slightly. I liked knowing that she wouldn’t always be here by herself. “You need to get someone in here soon.”
“I’ll prepare an ad today.”
“In the meantime, I can walk you from your car each morning and stay until you hire someone.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I wasn’t asking.” I wanted to reassure her father that she was safe when I was sitting at his dinner table on Sunday. Hell, I couldn’t relax unless I knew she was safe.
A small part of me looked forward to spending more time with her alone. Early in the morning, there were no customers or employees. It was just her and me.
She looked up at me, her teeth creeping out to bite her lip. “I walk from home.”
For a second, I was confused. I wasn’t sure why she was telling me. “You need me to walk you from home?”
She nodded as she looked away. “Yeah.”
“You live in town.” It was a tiny glimpse into her private life, the one outside the bakery, and I savored it like the crumbs of her blueberry muffins I’d taken home for Kendall.
“I didn’t want to be far from my family’s home.”
“When did you move out?” I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
“When I was twenty-four.”
That surprised me a little. Sophie had always been so self-sufficient and independent. Why had she lived with her father for so long?
“I wanted to be there to help the girls get ready for school, to make sure they ate dinner when they got home.”
Her youngest sister, Nora, would have been about four when her mother died, and sixteen when Sophie moved out.
“What finally prompted you to leave?”
“I wanted to open a bakery, and Dad said I’d never do it if I felt responsible for my sisters.”
“He was right.” This glimpse into the Sophie I’d left behind was bittersweet because I wished I’d been here to help her. I never regretted leaving my father with the business, but I hated that Sophie was left to raise her sisters. Her father did his best, but he couldn’t work and take care of the girls.
“What did your father do when you moved out?”
“My two youngest sisters were sixteen and eighteen. They were self-sufficient at that point. Ellie and Aria were older and had already moved out. It was just hard.”
“To let go?”
She nodded. “It was almost like they were mine. Not just my sisters.”
“That’s understandable. You helped raise them.” And put her dreams on hold. I hadn’t done that. I’d selfishly left to pursue mine with barely a thought as to what Sophie would do. When she’d said no, I felt rejected. That sting clouded everything else.
