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Jackson finally showed up with a pink bag in his hands. He was obsessed with Emma’s bakery, or more specifically, her employee Anne. It seemed to be an everyday routine for him now to buy goods fromThe Pink Bakeryjust to see her.
“Still no Emma?” Jackson asked, sitting in the seat across the room and opening his bag. I considered slapping it out of his hands. I shook my head at him. “Damn. What did you do to her?”
“I have no idea. And she won’t talk to me at all.” I ran a hand over my face as I signed in exasperation. Jackson started eating a pink glazed donut, a look of contemplation on his face. I’m sure that donut really helped him think harder. I clenched my jaw to keep my mouth shut.
“Do something to get her attention.” He took another bite as he said it, shrugging as if his response was the only appropriate answer.
“And what would that be?” I asked, rolling my eyes at him. He was going to have to leave in a minute if all he was going to do was annoy the hell out of me.
He gave me a deadpan look. “Do something grand on social media. It would get her attention, as well as help her business even more, if it goes well.”
I raised an eyebrow, thinking about his idea. I wasn’t sure what I would even do. Profess my love to the world? She wouldn’t care about that, would she?
I groaned, turning back around to my computer to look at the plans again. Why couldn’t she just communicate with me and tell me what was going on? I’m sure it was just a mistake on my part.
“You could tell the internet about your plans to ask her to merge stores,” Jackson suggested, and I brushed it off at first. But as I thought about it, I realized that it might work.
Frantically, I grabbed a legal pad from my desk and started jotting down ideas. Within a few minutes, the page was covered in concepts for videos. Jackson finished his donut and eventually joined me in brainstorming this whole project.
Thankful I’d gotten over my issue with Grady, I pulled out my phone and gave him a call, begging him to come back to the island. I was about to offer him a lot of money if he denied me, but when I told him why I needed him, he promised to be down as soon as possible.
Hopefully, by the time Emma returned, I will have her entire feed pages tuned to me talking about how amazing she is, and how I want to fuse our businesses together just so I can watch her thrive.
#
Sunday morning, I showed up at Emma’s bakery. To no one’s surprise, Emma still hadn’t returned, but her online orders were still sold out. Anne and Maddie were trying to plan out the day when I walked in. There was confusion mixed with relief when they saw me.
“Did you think that I would leave you two hanging?” I asked, a grin covering my face as I grabbed a pink apron and tied it on. They both giggled and the three of us got to work.
“Hey party people, what’s going on in here?” I turned to the door to see Grady striding through with his camera strapped around his neck.
“Oh you know. Just trying to get all of these orders done. Probably should have cancelled this week’s orders,” I answered as I sealed packets of icing for the cinnamon rolls. This week, we were making orange cream cinnamon rolls and they were absolutely incredible. Emma was a genius.
“She still not back?” Grady asked, filming around the kitchen already.
“Nope,” Maddie answered sadly. It was nice how much Anne and Maddie loved Emma, and how dedicated they were to helping in her absence.
“Well, the show must go on! I’ll just get some quick videos, especially since you decided to go extra sexy today with that apron, Liam.” Grady came closer to me, pointing the camera at me.
“What can I say? I dress to impress.” I shrugged and turned back to what I was doing.
Grady stayed with us throughout the day before sitting in the corner, pulling out his laptop from his backpack, and working in the corner. He set up a camera to record time-lapse content while he worked.
“So, who’s going to make the macarons?” Anne asked after we were finished making everything else. It was only about one in the afternoon, so we were making a great time. She and Maddie looked at me expectantly, as if I were going to magically be able to replicate Emma’s magical Macs.
We all just remained quiet, none of us willing to volunteer. I’d never even made macarons before, and though Emma had her recipe and techniques written down, we weren’t allowed to make them before. None of us knew how to do it her way.
“Nose goes!” Anne yelled, and I furrowed my brow, realizing a second too late what she said. Anne and Maddie’s fingers shot up to touch their noses, and even Grady participated.
“No.” I folded my arms across my chest, taking a step back. “I’m not doing it.”
“Come on, Liam. You have to! We’re just employees. You’re an actual bakery owner,” Maddie insisted, but I just shook my head.
“I make cookies. Not macarons. I can’t do it.”
“Just do it, Liam. If nothing else, it will make good content for Emma,” Grady spoke up from the other side of the room, and I glared at him.
I waited a few minutes more, hoping Anne would sacrifice herself to the cause. When no one stepped up, I huffed. “Fine.”
