“That he did,” I tell him. “You want to grab some dinner?”
He grins like the mischievous little brother he is. “Mom made chicken parmesan.”
“Looks like I’m following you to Mom and Dad’s.” I laugh.
“You’d be crazy not to.”
He’s right. I would be crazy not to. Shutting down my computer, I leave the piles of work behind, grab my keys and my phone, and follow him to the elevator. “Is Conrad going to be there?” I ask Marshall as we step out of the building.
“Doubt it. He said something about taking a computer home to work on it.”
I nod. Conrad is the chief information officer at Riggins Enterprises and our tech guru. You couldn’t tell it by looking at him, not that I’m stereotyping, but Con just doesn’t look like that’s what he would be into. Kid’s a genius.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we tell him to delegate. He still won’t do it.” I shake my head.
“He loves that shit. I’m glad too. He fixed my laptop a few months ago. I hadn’t backed it up in a while. Lesson learned.”
“I’m sure he read you the riot act for that.”
“Fucking older brothers,” he mumbles, but there’s a smile tilting his lips, and there’s no heat in his tone.
“You love us, and you know it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He smirks.
“Just think, if it were not for us, you wouldn’t have gotten away with as much as you did growing up. By the time you came around, Mom and Dad were already desensitized to pretty much everything. We paved the way for you, little brother,” I say, resting my hand on his shoulder.
“There’s that,” he agrees. “I honestly don’t know how Mom and Dad are still sane after raising the five of us.”
“We weren’t that bad.”
“One or more of us were always into something. They’re saints.”
“And to think she still makes enough dinner every night in case we want to drop in.”
“We won the parent lottery.”
“True that. See ya in a bit,” I say as we part ways to go to our cars.
Pulling out of the lot, I need to go right to go to Mom and Dad’s, but instead, I turn left. I need to scope out this new bakery that I plan to check out—maybe in the morning. Those muffins were too damn good not to sample the rest. Reaching the end of the block, my eyes scan and sure enough, there’s a huge sign over the door. “Warm Delights,” I read out loud. That’s the perfect name for a bakery, and the muffins were indeed warm, telling me they were fresh, and they were definitely a delight. I like the way this place operates, and I can already tell I’m going to be a frequent customer.
Chapter 2
Aurora
“No one should be this happy at 3:00 a.m.,” my sister, Aspen, grumbles as I slide a cup of coffee in her direction.
“I can’t help it,” I tell her. “This has been my dream for so long, and it’s finally happening. Thank you for doing this with me. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Whatever.” She rolls her eyes as she smiles behind her cup. “You and I both know that you don’t need me.”
“You’re wrong. You stand behind me. You pushed me forward when I let my fear hold me back.”
“That’s what sisters do.” She shrugs.
“Well, I love you, and I appreciate you.” I drain the rest of my coffee and rinse my cup, placing it in the sink. “I’m heading downstairs to get started on today’s special.”
“What is it today?”
“Magic bars.” I grin.
“You love me,” my sister says, sliding off her stool. “I’m going to change, and I’ll be right down.” She disappears down the hall to her room.
Our small two-bedroom apartment is above my bakery, Warm Delights, and it’s convenient not to have to drive to work. I looked for months when this location came on the market. It was going to be tough to swing rent on the bakery and an apartment, to the point where I was stressing out, but then this place came on the market, and it was as if it was meant to be.
Entering the kitchen, I flip on the lights, connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker, and get to work. Aspen tells me I’m crazy for being too alert at this ungodly hour, but to me, I’m living my dream. There are people who told me I would never make it. That I was being silly, my recipes weren’t good enough, that I was a fool. I pushed past the hurtful words, and with my sister as my biggest cheerleader, I’m standing in my bakery’s kitchen, doing what I love, what I’ve always dreamed of. So, yeah, I’m going to do it with a big-ass smile on my face.
“Put me to work, boss,” Aspen says, joining me a few minutes later.
“Grab the chocolate chips.” I point behind her, and we get to work. We laugh and talk about anything and everything. Aspen is not only my sister, but she’s my best friend. She’s two years younger than my twenty-six. This move has brought us even closer together. When I brought up the idea of moving from Memphis to Nashville, Aspen didn’t hesitate to agree to come with me. We talked about it at length, and she assured me she was all in.
She was working as an administrative assistant at a local newspaper at the time and was ready for a change. We both were. I called the realtor the next day, and here we are a year later, seeing all of our hard work pay off. We’ve only been open a month, but the support we’ve received has been incredible.
Closing my eyes, I send up a silent prayer to my grandma. Guilt hits me hard. I used my small inheritance money to lease the building and renovate it. I had to take out a loan with the bank for the equipment that I would need. I hate that I had to lose her to see my dream come true.
“Stop,” Aspen scolds me. “I know what you’re thinking. She would be happy for you. For both of us. She’d be happy that we took the chance.”
“I miss her. I miss Mom and Dad. I hate that I’m happy here, and it took losing her….” My words trail off as I swallow the emotion clogging my throat.
“First of all, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You know Mom and Dad are thrilled to see you following your dreams. Second, you would have figured it out without the inheritance. You’re a young business owner with the drive it takes to make things happen. She would be thrilled to know she helped you follow your dreams, something she would have offered had she still been living, and you and your stubborn ass would have more than likely fought her on it.” She gives me a pointed look, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“You look and sound so much like Mom right now.”
“Thank you.” She gives me a huge grin. “Now get your ass back to work. These magic bars aren’t going to make themselves. I’m going to start on some fresh cupcakes.”
Just like that, she helps calm my guilt, and I allow myself to be distracted with what I love—making delicious treats. I get lost in my work and before I know it, it’s time to unlock the doors. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I smile when I see a message from Mom in the group message that Aspen and I have with her and my dad.