Page 96 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

But as I slowly folded and kneaded the dough for some cinnamon rolls, feeling it grow smooth and springy under my palms, I began to calm down. I was prepared, and I’d completed everything on my list, so I shouldn’t have anything to worry about. I’d also been promoting our opening special on social media—free cupcake giveaways for the first hundred customers, banking on the hope that it would help usher in some much-needed cash for the business.

Thankfully, it looked like my instincts were right. Ever since we opened the door this morning, business had been a constant stream. Most customers only walked in to have a look because they were curious. But we’d prepared trays full of samples, and a lot of people were surprised that our desserts were low in carbs and sugar-free, because they still had the same delicious flavors and textures. Once they had a taste, the majority converted into a sale. It was a great morning that turned even better by lunchtime.

“Hey, Ellie.” Kim walked through the door, followed by a grinning Jenna. “Guess who we found at the airport.”

My jaw dropped open as Naomi and Eric burst in, beaming.

“Surprise!” Naomi wrapped me in a tight hug. “Congratulations, Ellie! The place looksawesome. We’re so proud of you.”

“Good job, sis.” Eric gave me a hug as well. “You’ve done very well.”

I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing them here. “When… how did…?”

“I got in touch with Kim,” Naomi explained with a grin. “Told her we were coming today and not to let you know. She insisted on picking us up at the airport and bringing us here.”

I turned an astonished look at Eric. “Andyoutook time off? To be here? Are you even allowed to do that?”

He chuckled. “If you’re asking about the parents, they don’t know we’re here. I’m traveling for work, and no questions were asked. Don’t worry. I can handle them, okay?”

Happiness—and gratefulness—swept over me. I didn’t know what was going to happen with the bakery; it could go well, or things could be so bad I’d have to give up everything in a matter of weeks. But no matter how challenging things might be, knowing they had my back was more than enough.

“Thanks so much for coming all the way here. It means a lot. And Kim, thank you for picking them up. You guys are the best.”

“I’ll take a dozen of those dark chocolate chip cookies as payment. I gotta go, but let’s catch up for dinner later.” Kim gave me a hug. “Congratulations. You did it.”

Jenna did the same. “I’m so happy for you. Go kick some ass.”

“Okay.” Naomi rubbed her hands and looked around. “How can we help?”

I assigned her to the front of the bakery to hand out samples to passersby. She gave me a salute, put on our mint-green apron, and grabbed a tray of low-carb maple pecan mini tarts.

“You.” I turned to consider Eric. “What are your café-related skills?”

“I’m an excellent barista. I make a very good cortado.”

“I don’t even know what that is, but you’re hired.” I pointed at Ruby, who had been on her feet since we opened this morning. “You can take over so she can have her break. And this is only our first day, so please don’t screw up any coffee orders.”

“I’ll do my best. And hey, Ellie?”

I looked up at him.

“I know I don’t say this often, but I’m very, very proud of you. You’ve worked so hard for this, and you deserve all the success coming your way. And even though the parents aren’t happy you’ve abandoned the family business, I’m always here for you, okay?” He gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I hope they’ll come around one day.”

He gave me a hug, then slipped behind the service area and strolled toward the coffee machine. My heart expanded a thousandfold, reassuring me that I was doing the right thing here, and everything would turn out just fine.

By the end of the first day, we’d sold half our stocks, which wasn’t bad. It wasn’t ideal, though, because it wouldn’t be enough to pay for the raw materials and Ruby’s wages. But it was still a pretty good start, and I would gladly take that any day over a quiet, deserted bakery.

But then it only got worse.

Eric and Naomi had left the next day for Eric’s work conference, but we made promises to visit more often. It was a good thing they hadn’t stuck around, because after their declarations of being proud of me the day before, I didn’t think I could bear them being here to witness the slow and embarrassing death of my brand-new business.

The following week was quieter than a library in the middle of the night, and the initial flurry of interest seemed to have dwindled to nonexistent, despite the push I’d done on social media. Jenna had stopped by on her lunch break on Friday and ordered a dozen of the matcha cronuts to bring back to her office, and Kim had bought some maple pecan mini tarts for a knitting class in her store. There were a few more walk-in customers during the day, but apart from that, the bakery was practically dead.

The weekend was coming, though, so I had high hopes—thePlaza was always busy on the weekends, and I had ramped up our promotions, because if we could get just a fraction of their visitors spilling over to the bakery, then I’d be happy with that.

But of course, no such thing happened. Not even the 20 percent discount advertised on social media had made a difference.

I was screwed six ways to Sunday.

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