Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Everything was ready. It was the night before opening, and Port Wheels was sparkling. Picnic tables were placed outside with yellow-and-white-checkered umbrellas tied up with matching bows. The glass display case glistened, empty platters ready for croissants, scones, muffins, slices of Gram's cherry pie, and kanelbullar. Baskets perched on shelves lined with white cotton cloths for freshly baked sourdough and mini baguettes. The chalkboard was bursting with color, with options for baked goods and specialty drinks and a little corner for the daily specials. Tomorrow was mini strawberry shortcakes, with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries Jess picked up from the farmers' market that day.

But she was behind— so behind. It was her first night as an official bakery owner, and already she was failing. Miserably.

She was slicing strawberries when the door creaked open. She flushed. Ever since their little moment in the shop last week, Jess had the hardest time being around Kevin. She hadn't allowed herself to cry that hard in years . But in his arms, she let it all out in the open, and he'd held her the entire time. Soothing her with his words. It will all be okay , she caught him saying. I'm right here. You're not alone.

Right now, though, she really wanted to be alone. She didn't have time to fall apart again. So she kept her eyes locked on the strawberries as he lingered by the door and asked if she needed anything.

"Nothing, all good." She scooped the sliced strawberries and placed them in the stainless-steel bowl at her side.

"Really, I don't mind helping."

"Kevin, I have to get used to doing this every day, I can't rely on you all the time." She grabbed a fresh handful and kept slicing. "This is what you hired me to do, remember?"

"True, but tomorrow is the first day, I wouldn't expect you to be in your groove yet."

"Seriously, get out. I'm fine."

"Are you even going to look at me?"

Jess didn't respond and kept her eyes on the cutting board. Hull. Slice, slice, slice. Scoop. Drop in bowl.

"Are you feeling embarrassed?"

Sweat broke out across her brow. "By what?"

"By…the other day."

"No," she lied. "Trying to focus, that's all."

The door creaked again as he stepped fully into the kitchen and neared her workspace. He pressed a hand to her back. "All right, I'll see you bright and early then. Call if you need anything, I'm right upstairs."

Slice, slice, slice. "Pretty convenient living right above your work, huh?"

"Yeah. Especially when you don't have a car."

Jess smirked. "See you in the morning, Kev."

"Kev," he hummed. She felt him trace his thumb back and forth on her spine. "I like that. Call me that forever."

She bristled at his touch and shoved off his hand. "Okay bye, get out."

Without a word, he shuffled out of the kitchen, the door swinging gently from his exit. She kept slicing away, waiting to hear his footsteps in the apartment above them before she felt safe enough to drop her knife and place her face in her hands.

How in the world am I going to do this? What was I thinking?

Three hard knocks sounded from the kitchen's back door. Jess lifted her face from her palms, brow furrowed, wondering who in the world would be dropping in this late at night.

Before she could bolt or try alerting Kevin, a deep rumble came from the other side of the door.

"There's only one person in town who answers to three knocks," the gruff voice said.

Bewildered, Jess unlocked the back door and opened it. Still in his apron, clutching a knife bag under his arm, Grampy stood on the other side.

He stepped into the kitchen. "What do you need me to do?"

Jess gawked as Grampy washed his hands, too shocked to sputter out a sentence.

He waved a hand at her failed attempts to form a sentence. "Work now, explain later. Give me a task."

Words eluded her as she directed him to the recipes for the sourdough loaves and the fed starter. He snatched the bowls above him and got to work, placing one on a kitchen scale and making the measurements.

Still speechless, she returned to the fixings for tomorrow's special, pulling the cakes out of the oven to cool. She then moved on to the scones and prepped the dough, then handed it off to Grampy to shape, cut, and place each pre-baked pastry on a sheet pan.

As she wrapped the baking sheets with plastic to go in the fridge, Grampy stretched and folded the loaves for the last time for their overnight rise. He slid each bowl to Jess so she could seal them tight.

They finished in less than an hour. She snuck glances at Grampy as he helped her spray the countertops and clean up the space and wondered if she was imagining things. If he hadn't showed up, all of that work would have taken her at least a couple more hours.

Jess opened her mouth to say something to him, but Grampy cut her off. "Let me see the place."

She snapped her mouth shut and nodded, holding the swinging door open as he stepped through. She flicked on a light as he strolled the bakery portion of Port Wheels, whistling low as he walked up to the espresso machine. She fiddled with the strings of her denim apron as the old man scanned the menu, his gray mustache twitching as he smirked at the different coffee options. Those matching gray eyes twinkled as he scanned the rest of her bakery—the baskets and the polished wood counters and the gleaming glass display case.

"Want to explain to me why you're here?" Jess whispered.

"Make extra baked goods and freeze them when you have any kind of lull," Grampy started. "This will help during the really busy summer days when you don't have a spare minute to make new batches. ‘Sold out' doesn't mean you have to actually be sold out. You can save some stock for the following morning."

She snorted. "You say this like I'll actually have a steady stream of customers."

"You don't think you will?"

She crossed her arms. "Did you hear about that community group post? I really don't think we're going to last long if that's actually how Haverport feels about me."

To her shock, Grampy rolled his eyes. "Ignore it."

"But seriously, why are you here? According to this insane town, you should consider me public enemy number one."

"I remember how I felt the night before I opened my place. Way in over my head. I didn't want you to feel the same." He clasped his hands behind his back. "You will never be my enemy, Jess. And there's only one person in town who is power-hungry enough to plant that kind of story, and everyone who truly knows what's going on in the Port knows."

She sucked in a breath. "Mr. Sullivan."

Grampy nodded, waving his hand around the shop. "He's been after this building for years. Port Wheels closing would have been convenient for him to swoop in and make a sweet offer to Kimmy so she would sell."

"Does he want to own this whole town or something?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes," Grampy answered, without an ounce of hesitation. "Ever since taking over Cap's he's been slowly procuring buildings down Main Street, hoping to flip them and turn them into businesses that bring in different kinds of clientele. Pricey shops, restaurants worthy of the Michelin guide…you get it."

"That's ridiculous," Jess spewed. "The summer people come to Haverport for our old-school, laid-back charm."

Grampy lifted a brow. "Do they? How's Cap's doing?"

Jess frowned, thinking about her father's old boatyard. It did draw a new kind of crowd, with fancier boats and people who liked to order overpriced oysters with lunch.

"I was surprised he would come after you like that, given that you're dating his son and all," Grampy continued.

"I'm not dating him anymore," Jess whispered. "I left Charlie."

That bushy mustache twitched again. "And the plot thickens. Where are you living now?"

"With the Balls. Just until I find a place on my own."

"Good. Do me a favor and find out that oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe for me."

"Who says I'm sharing?"

Grampy laughed. Jess shushed him and mumbled about Kevin sleeping upstairs. He probably wasn't though. She wouldn't be surprised if he had an ear perched to the floorboards right now, tuning in to every facet of their conversation. The side of her mouth ticked up at the thought.

He followed Jess back into the kitchen and they collected their things. Grampy placed a hand on her shoulder as she locked the back door for the night. "You're going to be fine, kid. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Three knocks on the back door." She smiled. "Thanks. But I should be okay."

"Asking for help is not a bad thing, Jess," he said. "I honestly wish I did it more when I was your age. Don't be like me."

As she watched Grampy leave, she realized that asking for help wasn't that easy. After relying on Charlie and his family for so long, she didn't know what it felt like to ask for help without any strings attached. Because for some reason, there always were strings. Even if she was often the last to see them.

The air was sweet from sugar and yeast and pulled espresso and frothed milk. The shop was bursting with sounds of crusty bread and paper bags, bright music and echoing laughter. The line leading up to the bakery front trailed out the door and pooled onto the sidewalk.

Jess hastily rang up her current customer's order—two cranberry orange scones, one blueberry muffin, two Americanos, one cappuccino. Zach ripped off each printed ticket next to him, sticking them onto cups, placing them in a neat line next to him. He was quick and efficient, and had yet to get a single order wrong during their haywire first morning.

"Need me to slow down?" Jess called to Zach. "I can take a pause on these orders."

"Nope, I'm used to it," Zach replied. He sounded a lot more composed than she felt. "Keep going. Keep making that bread."

"How on brand." She turned back to the line that had yet to relent for the past three hours. "Next!"

As the following customers stepped up, the sound of billowing laughter pulled her attention to the other side of the shop. Kevin was grinning at a customer, coffee in hand as he pointed to a bike between them—a kid's magenta bike with training wheels and sparkly streamers on the handlebars. If she wasn't mistaken, she saw a couple of customers leave a half hour earlier with two shiny new bikes in tow as well.

"What are these heart-shaped things?" asked the woman on the other side of the counter, her pink sun-kissed nose pressing up against the glass. "They are adorable!"

Jess smiled. "Kanelbullar. They're like cinnamon buns."

The woman squealed. "I'll take four."

With gloved hands she placed the pastries in a large paper bag, still in disbelief at how the morning was turning out. Grampy was right; that community post he claimed came from Mr. Sullivan didn't reflect how the people of Haverport felt as many familiar faces came piling through the front door. Old high school peers, fellow business owners, regular cake customers from Scoops and Post Road who wanted a taste at her new pastry creations. The picnic tables outside were packed, people wearing sunglasses and ball caps, dogs happily lapping at the water bowls positioned along the sidewalk. She hoped Charlie's dad drove by this morning on his way to Cap's and saw the commotion. She wondered if Charlie would drive by, too.

She brushed off the thought of her ex—her ex. It had been over two weeks since she left, the longest she'd ever gone without talking to him. She felt a pang in her stomach as she bagged more pastries and rang up orders. She knew this kind of change was good—she was running her very own bakery this morning, for crying out loud. But she missed the comfort of having him in her life, that steadiness of knowing she always had one person she could turn to.

Her eyes drifted to Kevin again, watching as he exchanged bills with the customer holding the handlebars of the bold magenta bike. You've always been a small comfort . Maybe that was all she really needed; a small comfort.

Kevin examined the crowd after the customer left, then glanced at Jess. His mouth burst into a grin, his arms held out wide as he gestured toward the massive line crowding the shop.

I told you so , he mouthed.

She rolled her eyes but didn't bother containing the grin on her face. Yeah, yeah, you were right.

An hour later when the line finally dwindled, she scanned the inventory. One loaf of bread, a couple of strawberry shortcakes, a handful of scones and muffins, and no more kanelbullar in sight.

Zach placed down a latte—a beautiful leaf drawn at the top with frothed milk. The customer let out a blissful sigh, thanking them as she grabbed her paper bag with her muffin and exited.

Kevin sauntered over, placing his hands on the counter in front of Jess, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Great job, team. Zach, you are the coffee master."

Zach chuckled. "I think that should be my next tattoo."

"Oh, tattoos! Jess, why didn't you add that to your list?"

"Didn't think of it until now."

"Want to swap one out?" Kevin replied. He pulled the list out of his back pocket. "We could exchange it for number eight."

She eyed him, his look full of mischief.

She smirked. "Number eight remains."

He lifted both shoulders as if to say, I tried .

"Now I need to know what number eight is," Zach said.

Kevin ignored him, eyes on the pastries. "Wait, is there no more kanelbullar?!"

Jess reached for a paper bag she'd hidden underneath the counter. "Let's just say I've been in a relationship with one man for a very long time, and need to do some…experimenting," she explained to Zach.

Zach grinned. "Ah. I see."

Kevin continued ignoring them, pouting at the practically empty display case in front of him. Jess held up the paper bag to him.

His face split into another one of his shiny grins. "Oh my god, you didn't."

"You're welcome. Boss. "

He snatched the bag and opened it, taking a big whiff of cinnamon and sugar. His eyes brightened when he looked at the pastry. "It's in the shape of a heart!"

She shrugged. "Figured I'd try something a little different."

Kevin took a greedy bite, flaky pastry falling to the counter. "It's because you love me, isn't it?"

"No," she deadpanned. "Also, you're making a mess."

He pointed to Jess, looking at Zach. "She loves me."

Zach laughed, reaching for the rag in his back pocket and wiping away Kevin's crumbs.

"With that logic, I love every person who ate a kanelbullar today. Zach included."

"It was so good. "

"Jessica, you stop your flirting," Kevin teased. "Zach is spoken for."

"That's right, touch him and you DIE."

The three of them turned their heads to the possessive voice at the other end of the shop. Blake leered at them, his arms crossed tight against his chest, the rest of the Scoopers at his heels.

"Damn, Blake, that was hot," Rory said. She held tight to yellow balloons, tied with sparkly gold strings.

Jess frowned. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Hi, Mom!" Jay yelled. "Surprise!"

The group filed into the shop despite her protests. Blake snuck around the counter and gave Zach a long, lingering kiss. Rory handed Tyler some of the balloons, then pointed to different places for him to tie them up. Calvin clapped Kevin on the back, asking how things were going so far. Melanie skipped over to her and placed a large box down on the counter.

Jess peered up at Melanie. "Is that…?"

Melanie beamed. "We're so proud of you, Jess. Happy opening day."

She opened the box, and sure enough, it was a cake. A sloppy-looking cake, with yellow frosting and an amateur drawing of a bike on the front. In thin icing around the bike, each Scooper signed their name.

"I may or may not have made this from a box," Melanie started. "Don't hate me."

"The box stuff is honestly great. What flavor?"

"Uh…yellow?"

Jess chuckled. "Yellow is a great flavor."

"Jess, get over here so I can give you a hug that I know you don't actually want," Rory chirped.

She rolled her eyes and made her way from behind the counter, allowing Rory to throw her arms around her and squeeze tight.

Calvin wrapped her up in a hug next, giving her an extra squeeze. "Things look great, Jess. You should be proud."

She stiffened. "What if it's not enough, though?"

Calvin paused, an arm still around her shoulders, keeping his voice low so no one else would hear. "Let's regroup when you get home and we'll go through the numbers, all right? Bring Kevin."

She nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Sissy?"

Jess felt like her heart jumped to her throat at the sound of that voice. She pulled away from Calvin.

Dakota stood by the door, one hand on her now very round belly, the other clutching a bouquet of wildflowers, her amethyst ring shining under the shop's downlights. Jasper was behind her with a hand on her shoulder. His hair was longer now, braided into thick cornrows that trailed down his neck.

"Dakota," she breathed, taking a step closer. "How…why…"

"I've been keeping up with the news on socials," she answered. "I wanted to see you in action. Sorry if we, um, disturbed something."

"You didn't. I'm with these losers all the time, it's fine."

"Mom, I don't like being called a loser ," Jay quipped from behind her. "It's going to cause psychological damage, you know."

"Send me a bill," she jeered, not taking her eyes off Dakota.

Jasper chuckled, looking around the shop. He also wore an engagement ring on his left finger, a simple black titanium band. "This place looks awesome, Jessie. I actually can't remember the last time I was in here."

"Who are these people," Melanie whispered to Rory.

Jess turned toward the group. "Scoopers, meet my sister, Dakota, and her fiancé Jasper."

"You have a sister ?" Jay balked. "How did I not know that!"

She looked back at Dakota. Hurt flashed across her sister's face, but she mastered it, tucking it away and giving Jay that sweet smile she knew so well. "Yes, she's my younger sister. And about to be an aunt," she replied, tapping her belly.

"Congrats, Dakota," Calvin said. He knew of her at least. As did Kevin, who was now standing close to Jess, his hands tucked into the back pockets of his jeans.

"Thanks, Cal. Congrats on Scoops, by the way. Ron told my dad you'll be taking over next year."

Jess blinked at her sister's casual mention of their father. Conversation continued around her but she couldn't seem to focus, the ringing sound in her ear distracting her until the feel of a warm, calloused hand at her back roused her to life. The ringing in her ears dimmed.

"Sissy, will you give us a tour?"

"Um, sure."

Jess went through the motions of showing her sister and Jasper the bakery, explaining the different baked goods on the menu and some of the plans for specials she wanted to serve later that summer. Dakota reached to grab her hand like she did when they were kids, then paused, letting her arm fall flat next to her protruding belly. "This is awesome. I can't wait to see this place flourish."

"You have way too much faith in me," she murmured, wiping at the clean counter with a rag. She wasn't sure what else to do with her hands.

Dakota exhaled. "They wanted to come, you know."

Jess ignored her as she kept wiping at the counter.

Getting the message that Jess clearly did not want to talk about this, Jasper chimed in. "How's Charlie?"

She cocked her head and paused her cleaning. "I don't know. I left him."

Neither of them said anything, so she peered up at them. Their expressions were clear enough; they knew.

"How?" Jess asked. "How do you know?"

"I assumed," Dakota answered, keeping her voice low enough so no one would hear. Not like it mattered, the Scoopers standing a couple of yards away were being rowdy enough for their conversation to be private. Kevin also kept his distance.

"There's no way you would have allowed yourself to do any of this if you were still with him," Dakota continued. "Opening a business is a big risk."

"What does that mean?"

Dakota bristled at her harsh tone. Jasper rubbed Dakota's back, taking the lead. "It means that you did everything you could to make that relationship work. To open a bakery would mean to choose yourself for once…which, let's be honest, Jess, was not something you were doing when you were with him."

She froze, staring at Jasper, too stunned to speak. In a couple of sentences, he was able to clearly articulate what took her years to understand, to pinpoint the long and short of their relationship's downfall. Jasper really was such a good partner for her sister, and was going to be a great father. She felt a desperate, belly-deep desire to be a part of their lives again. To be a part of her niece or nephew's life.

Jess glanced at her sister, who was now openly crying. She gave her a watery smile, taking the flowers from her hand. "Are you still up for having that coffee date soon? I want to hear everything about the baby."

Dakota beamed. "Yes. Next week, maybe?"

Jess nodded. "Mondays are my day off."

"You're busy on Mondays!"

Jess scowled at Kevin. "You can't claim the entire day. You have to give me some semblance of freedom."

"What's happening on Mondays?" Dakota asked around a short giggle.

"Kevin is making me, um, complete a summer bucket list," Jess admitted. "He says if I don't complete it I'll get fired."

The Scoopers yelled at Kevin for that, and he cracked up at their reactions. Dakota's sweet laugh joined their chorus, but Jess remained silent, her eyes on Jasper.

His gaze was full of unspoken warning. Don't you break her heart again.

Jess nodded, letting him know she understood what was on the line, even if it was a simple coffee date. Her sister's bright laughter brought a smile to his face, and he dipped his chin then traced his hand up to rub her neck.

Jasper's words bounced around her head the rest of the day. As she kneaded dough and shaped scones for the following morning, she concluded that he was right. By running this bakery, she was choosing herself for once. But that also meant protecting her heart, too. She knew deep down that everything between her and her sister—and her parents—wasn't her fault alone, and it would take a lot more than a simple coffee date to fix it.