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Typically, at the start of the week she was greeted by a full line of her bleary and tired-eyed townsfolk starting the moment that they opened, begging for a fix of coffee after a full weekend. But this morning, it had been more of a trickle. Steady, but not busy. Not at first. And she couldn’t help but wonder if the new bakery had anything to do with it.
She quickly waved that thought away, reminding herself of William’s advice about minding their business and just continuing to serve the community that they loved. Sarah walked over to the trash can and dumped the tray of muffins into it with a sigh.
She glanced at the clock and cringed. She needed to get another batch of the apple streusel started soon, because it was about time for—
Sarah didn’t get to finish her thought. The bell above the front door chimed merrily, and in walked none other than Rudolph Hutchins. He was a grumpy man who ran the ice-skating rink, and every morning, without fail, he came in to order a classic Americano and an apple streusel muffin. Sarah was dreading having to tell him that another batch wouldn’t be ready for a while.
“Hey, Rudolph,” she said, offering him a smile as she wiped her hands on her apron and approached the counter.
She sent up a quick prayer to the universe for a Christmas miracle, one that would result in Rudolph wanting to try something different and not even mentioning his usual order. But as he opened his mouth, she realized that she wouldn’t be that lucky.
“My usual, please,” Rudolph said in his deep, gruff voice, as he reached in his pocket and began pulling out his wallet.
“I’m so sorry,” Sarah began carefully. “The batch of apple streusel that I had going for today got burnt, so we’re all out.” The man’s already crotchety expression turned even more sour, and Sarah continued in a rush. “But maybe I could interest you in something else? If you really just like streusel, we have a blueberry one that everyone raves about, and it’s one of my favorites.”
She looked at him hopefully, but when he started shaking his head, she had to stop herself from physically deflating in front of him.
“No, none of that.” Rudolph put his wallet back in his pocket. “I’ve been meaning to get down to that new place anyway, so maybe it’s just as well. What’s it called? Baking Buddy?”
“Baking Fiend,” Sarah corrected with a small grimace.
“Yeah, that one.” He nodded. “I’ve been wanting to go try it out. Guess today’s the day.”
He started to turn around, then glanced back at Sarah as if it was an afterthought.
“Thanks, though,” he mumbled before striding out the door and disappearing from view.
Sarah blew out a long, calming breath.
“It’s all okay. It’s just one day. It’s all okay. It’s just one day,” she whispered to herself on repeat as she tried to calm her nerves, but she was brought up short by the sound of the bell above the door chiming again.
“Hi,” Sarah said as her eyes snapped open, and she affixed another wide smile to her face. “Welcome to Sweet Thing. What can I get for you?”
The woman who had just walked in gave her an excited, happy look as she approached the pastry case.
“Can I have just a moment to consider everything?” the customer asked as she tapped her finger on her lips.
“Absolutely. Take all the time you need and let me know if you have any questions.”
Sarah tried not to sound too eager or glance at the new customer too often. After Rudolph, who despite his often-grumpy demeanor, was one of her best customers, she needed to be able to help someone.
“I do have one question,” the woman said contemplatively, bringing Sarah out of her own thoughts.
“Sure thing, what do you have for me?” Sarah turned to face her.
“You don’t happen to have any of those chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter filling like Baking Fiend, do you?” the woman asked, and Sarah fought with everything in her not to let her smile fall. “I tried it the other day, and it was just heavenly. But when I stopped by there a little bit ago, she had just sold her last one.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said with genuine remorse. “But I don’t have anything like that. We do have great chocolate cupcakes though.”
The woman considered for a moment, but then shook her head.
“No, that’s okay. Maybe some other time.”
“We’re here whenever you decide to give us a try.”
Sarah held her smile as the woman turned and exited the café, only letting it fall when she was no longer within line of sight of the windows. She glanced around the now empty space, her palms breaking out in a worried sweat as she pushed her way through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen.
As soon as she stepped into the warm space, William walked out of the office. He stopped, taking one glance at her, and immediately his face lit up with concern.
