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“Yeah, Mr. Johnson has been watching over it while I was away,” she says, looking disturbed. “He was being bullied by both Laura and Pete over the past week. They wanted to convince him that I was dead and never returning. They wanted him to close shop and forget about the bakery.”
Jacob rubs a fist. “They need to get out of your life before I give them a real taste of what happens when someone messes with us.”
Winter takes his hand in hers. “I’m back now. The cops know what’s going on, so I doubt they’ll risk getting into any more trouble. I just hope Laura takes Pete and Ashley and moves somewhere else soon.”
Jacob plants a kiss on the top of her head. “We’ll make sure they don’t bother you again.”
Leaning against him, she rests her head against his chest. “Thank you.”
“How about we get going?” Kai says.
“Sure,” says Winter. “The bakery is just a five-minute drive from here.”
“Wow, that’s close,” I say. “How about we walk there?”
Winter grins. “That works too.” Looking around the crowd forming around the town square, she nods. “You know what? It’ll be easier to walk than driving through this throng. Come on.”
“Your bakery is in a prime location,” I say as we start walking with her. “It should be easy to get customers there, especially during the holiday season.”
“I know,” she says, glancing up at me. “That’s why Laura wanted the bakery business to fail. She wanted to sell the space to a fast-food chain or something.”
“How are the staff at the bakery?” Jacob asks.
“Esther and Kat are amazing bakers and joined us three years ago,” she says with a smile on her face. “But, we need more bakers to help us stay open for longer hours. Kenny Johnson is our manager and he’s been working for my family since the time my mom was alive. He’s the reason I inherited the recipe books that my parents compiled while they worked here. If it were up to Laura, she’d never let me have them.”
A frustrated expression comes over her. She always gets agitated whenever she mentions her stepmom. It must’ve been awfully hard to live with Laura all these years without wanting to give up on everything.
“There it is!” Winter shouts excitedly and skips ahead.
Looking ahead, I see the entire street is filled with cute boutiques and cozy restaurants. Strings of fairy lights crisscross over our heads, adding a festive glow to the whole neighborhood.
“On the Rise has a lot of potential,” Jacob says as we follow our excited mate into the bakery.
“Yeah. With the right staff and management, Winter can make something out of it,” I reply.
A heavenly fragrance of baked goodies envelops my senses the moment I step inside the bakery. Inhaling deeply, I look toward the counter in the front that’s full of freshly baked pastries and cakes.
“Oh, my Lord! It’s you, kiddo!” An elderly man walks out from behind the counter and wraps her in his arms.
“Hey, Johnson,” she says, hugging him back.
“Carol called to tell me you came back home today,” he says, stepping away. His gaze sweeps over her, making sure she’s not hurt. “Did Laura and Pete seriously drive you out of the house?”
She nods, her smile faltering.
I want to reach out to her, comfort her, and tell her that we’ll never allow anyone to hurt her again.
“Esther! Come over here!” A different voice shouts, distracting me. “Winter’s here!”
A middle-aged woman in a pink apron grins excitedly as she strides toward us. She brushes away a few stray strands that manage to sneak out of her hairnet and hugs Winter.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, sweetheart,” she says, squeezing Winter hard.
An older woman peeks out from behind a door near the counter area. Her confused look disappears the moment her gaze falls on Winter. “Oh, it’s really you!” she says, hurrying toward Winter.
My brothers and I hang back and watch them hug our mate.
Winter is adored by the staff of the bakery. Relief spreads through me as I realize they’re happy to have her back among them.
