Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lyla

T he back of the stockroom looks almost identical as it did the day I left. It doesn't take me long to see the boxes I'm looking for. I had Lincoln order them last year. Unfortunately, they never got used because I quit. They are just as sparkly as the cookies themselves, and haven't lost any of their shimmer.

Turning back toward the prep area, I watch Lincoln's back as he returns to his office. I've missed him over the past year. Even though we got together like water and oil when I worked here, I still enjoyed it. He let me flex my creative muscle, and I'll never forget that. No matter what's gone on between us, he's always been one of my biggest cheerleaders.

"Those are amazing." Angela, one of the other decorators, says as I pack them up. "I wish I had the talent to do that."

I lift my shoulder. "It isn't talent, it's patience, and the ability to push yourself beyond what you think are your boundaries. I watch a lot of YouTube, too." I give her a conspiratorial wink. "There are so many tutorials on there, and free resources, you can learn to do almost anything."

"I'll have to check it out. I'm looking forward to getting tips just by working alongside you. I'm really excited about this opportunity."

I'm overwhelmed. I've never had someone approach me like this, and while I know I'm good at what I do, I've never been on the receiving end of praise like this. If I'm honest with myself, it's everything I've wanted another person to give me. It's what I've been missing. However, now that I'm getting it, I'm not sure I deserve it. Losing Holly Jolly was a blow I wasn't prepared for. Although the writing was on the wall for months, I wasn't ready to give it up. To have it taken from me? It fucking sucked.

And that's the truth I've been trying to hide since the day I knew Holly Jolly wasn't going to make it. "Stick with me, and I'll teach you everything I know, Angela. I promise."

"I'm looking forward to it." She checks her watch. "I gotta go," she says as she takes her apron off and hangs it up. "I'm still in culinary school," she explains. "This is a paid internship that I'm eternally grateful for."

"Have a good rest of your day." I wave after her before going back to work on packing the order, and trying to decide what I want to do for the case.

S ix hours later, I'm tired, but in a great way. There wasn't an undercurrent of worry while I worked today. I could let my creativity run, and made things. Although I'm tired, I'm also feeling better than I have in a while.

Walking up to the case, I stand behind it, glancing at everything that sold. All the cookies, the small amount of donuts, and the three cakes I decorated are gone.

"As usual, you're a hit," Lincoln bumps my shoulder with his as we stand, watching the lobby.

It's clearing out since there's only twenty minutes until closing. "I wouldn't say that, but today has felt good. I'm excited to come back tomorrow."

He laughs. "That's more than you would've said last year, huh?"

He's got a point. I was burned out, and sick to death of him. It felt like he was telling me what to do, which he was. He was my boss. But it was my attitude that drove a wedge between us. I'm not prepared to look too deeply into why, but I'm going to do my best to be honest with myself this time. "Very much so, but that was more me than you, Lincoln."

He hooks his fingers into his jeans and turns to face me. "Do you wanna tell me why that is? I thought a long time about how I could've changed what happened between us. We were good friends before I became a manager and moved to purchase the bakery. Whatever happened seems to have done so after I took a position of authority over her.

Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I sigh. "Are we going to do this right now?"

"I'd like to. If we're going to work together, I'd like to get this all out of the way," he says, walking over to the door to the bakery and locking it. He takes his time, flipping the open sign over to closed . "At one point, we worked really well together, and I'd like for us to go back to that, Lyla."

Inhaling deeply, I shake my head. I never expected to be here with him. "We started together, ya know? I had the same sort of dreams as you, and watching you succeed was great." I shrug, trying to make light of it. "But I wanted more for myself, and I was jealous," I admit, hating it. Hating that I'm the type of person who lets those emotions get the better of me. "Jealous that you could make it work for you. Marlon," I mention the owner of the bakery before Lincoln. "Was willing to work with you on it. I was mad. I wasn't the one who thought about making the deal with him. None of that was you. It was all me."

"Well, I didn't make it any better when I started having you stand up front and capitalize on your last name. We were both part of the problem, Lyla. What I would like is for us to also both be part of the solution. While you had issues keeping Holly Jolly going, my sales are down too, because I haven't had someone as innovative as you. There's no one here who can basically look into my brain and know what I want. You've always been able to do that."

He's right, I have. It's something I've prided myself on. I wanted him to always count on me, because I wanted him to see me as an equal. "We've had that uncanny ability with one another. Regardless of what happens, I'm glad I'm back, Lincoln. Running a business isn't all it's cracked up to be, and I learned the hard way I'm much better at this." I point to the case. "Even though you pissed me off using my last name, it was an ingenious marketing tactic."

With a gasp, he grabs his chest. "Oh my God, did you just give me a compliment?"

"I did, and surprisingly, I wasn't struck by lightning."

"Which means you weren't lying."

I wasn't, and I try not to. "Thanks for the good day of work. I'll be back tomorrow, for sure."

He gives me a grin. "Glad I didn't chase you off."

"No chance..."

And as I leave, I have a smile on my face. The first one I've genuinely felt in a long time.