Page 78 of You, As You Are

Miles

I FOUND HIM ONLINE!

Maisie

I hate you all.

Miles

You’re dating a mountain.

Maisie

I AM NOT DATING A MOUNTAIN (he practically is one though) and I want you all to ignore anything that nain says about him, okay? I’ll explain it all in five years. Maybe never? We’ll see.

Morgan

Nain likes him, so I’m calling it that you’ll be engaged within a year.

Maisie

What did I do wrong to end up with three ANNOYING brothers???

Don’t answer that.

Maks

Has nain told you anything about what she’s hiding from us yet?

Maisie

Not a peep. I’m working on it, but I’m getting more worried.

Maks

Keep us updated x

The brandnew‘Baked By The Dozen’sign – bold, rosy pink with white lettering and outlines of doughnuts and pastries at the corners – gleamed above the polished shop front windows. Balloons of the same colours formed an arch around the shininggreen door. Customers already waited outside, just like usual for the original Covent Garden bakery.

Maisie’s pride bubbled through her veins as she tapped on the door’s glass freshly printed withBaked’sopening times. Faye’s hazel eyes locked with hers from where she did her final fussing inside, and the door muffled the excited scream Maisie watched leave her lips.

Faye ran forwards and turned a latch, yanking the door open with gusto to engulf her in her arms. “Maisie – you came! I worried you wouldn’t make it.”

Maisie squeezed her best friend like a lemon. “I had a little help getting here.” Pulling back for the sake of explaining, she peeked over her shoulder at Iain, and another bulb added to the lights in Faye’s eyes. “This is Iain.”

Back and forth, Faye’s focus flicked between them. “Thisis Iain?”

“... Yes.”

After she’d not been able to keep what had happened a few nights ago to herself, Maisie had given in and told Faye and Sienna everything about that evening, including how the reason that she was able to be here today was because of Iain.

“Congratulations on your bakery,” he said to Faye, either oblivious or ignorant to the appreciative eyes of the young, city girls around them. Maisie couldn’t blame them; he was a shocking sight to see on a high street.

“Thank you. Please, come inside.” Faye ushered them in, and announced to the queue that they would open in five minutes before closing the door. She turned on Maisie with wide eyes, a silent interrogation where, due to the mountain man taking in the décor, the main question was:what is going on?

Maisie couldn’t explain herself out loud with Iain in the same room. She wasn’t even sure that she could explain it to herself, either. One moment, she’d been breaking her own heart on theminibus, the dream of being able to come today fading away. The next, she’d been offered a ride for free that she couldn’t pass on, even if it meant being in the same car as Iain for three hours.

Silently.

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