Page 4 of Stolen Goods
Hewouldlive.
Hewouldfind a way to contact Jo.
Then hewouldget her out of this mess.
Because he was Thaddeus Ryder. Forger. Professional thief. Escape artist extraordinaire. And there was no situation so dire, so hopeless, he couldn’t lie, cheat, or steal his way free. Not yet. Not now. Not ever.
- 2 -
Addison
Pink was a totally underrated color. From the hot magenta of a Carolina sunset, to the rich coral of a Georgia peach, to the soft blush of a newly budding rose, Addison loved them all. Every shade. Every hue. Blame her lifelong obsession with Disney princesses. Blame her mother for cultivating the most beautiful backyard garden. Blame her grandmother for insisting she take ballet as a little girl. Blame anything—it wouldn’t change the fact that to Addison Abbot, pink was perfection.
Even now, as she stood hunched over a baking sheet, buttercream frosting spilling over her fingers from a small tear in her piping bag, Addy couldn’t deny her love. The bright pop of her flats against the polished concrete floor resembled two flamingos in a sun-drenched pond. Magenta polka dots peppered her A-line skirt. The logo of the bakery where she worked,Low Country Cakes, decorated the front of her apron, but she’d embroidered her name above it in watermelon thread. And best of all, the array of frostings resting in various bowls and bags and tubes on the counter resembled a field of precious peonies—pink, pink, and more pink.
Because Addison was working on her dream wedding cake.
Not her own, sadly.
But the next best thing.
The adorable couple was from Charleston. The soon-to-be wife worked at a stationery studio. The almost-husband was a teacher. On the weekends, they ran a pop-up shop in the market downtown selling their artwork—hers were watercolor, his were oil, and the shared passion was how they’d first met. They wanted the most romantic and most floral wedding cake the world had ever seen, which was why Addy was elbow deep in frosting, churning out buttercream roses like a machine, with a giddy, swoony smile on her face.
“Time to close up shop,” a voice called, interrupting her blissful concentration.
Addy flinched, smearing a petal. With a sigh, she placed the damaged flower on the table and looked up in time to see her boss, Edie Haynes, step out of her office.My father wanted a boy. Those were Edie’s first words to Addy at the very start of her job interview ten years prior, back when she’d been nothing but a determined teen desperate for an after-school job she was passionate about, instead of one folding clothes at the local department store. The statement was true. Small-town gossip didn’t stay small for very long, and Addy had heard about Edie, the homecoming queen who should have been a quarterback, long before she’d gathered the courage to come work for her. Edie was nothing like the tomboy her father once dreamed of—tall, blonde, a model in her youth, and now a hustling cake designer running one of the most successful shops in town while also raising twins. Brides-to-be came from all over to enlist Edie to bring their wedding dreams to life. There was a waiting list for clients. Addy had been working there long enough to see the business blossom and grow, and she was more than grateful to have come along for the ride. But sometimes, just sometimes, she dreamed of a little bit more.
A business of her own.
A pink logo with her monogram.
Addison Abbot Designs.
Or maybeCakes by Addy.
Or her screennameSprinkle-Ella—creating fairy-tale cakes one wedding at a time.
“Earth to Addison? Come in, Addison?”
Addy shook her head and blinked. “Sorry, Edie. What?”
“Time to close up shop…” her boss repeated slowly, the smallest hint of a smile crossing her lips.
“Oh…” Addy glanced wistfully down at the table, at all the work waiting to be done. “I still have… I mean, I’m not quite… Would you—”
“You want to stay late? Again?” Edie interrupted, raising a teasing brow. A true southern steel magnolia—shrewd, savvy, and always straight to the point. She was a good role model for Addy, who’d never been able to keep both her feet firmly planted on the ground. Why would she when the clouds, the sky, and her dreams were so much fun? “That’s the third time this week. Don’t you have something more exciting to do? Drinks with friends? A date? You’re only twenty-five. I don’t want you working your life away. I’d never forgive myself.”
Not something everyone heard their boss say every day, but Edie was almost like an older sister, a dear friend. This wasn’t the first time she’d voiced these concerns.
Addy pulled her lower lip into her mouth and nodded. “It’s just, I’m almost done with the flowers. Then I thought I might test out some different options for the top tier…”
Edie crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorframe to her office and pointedly lifted her brows. “This wouldn’t be because your sister came home from school two weeks ago, would it?”
Stupid small town! Everyone knows everything!
“No,” Addy rushed to say, even as her insides twisted at the slight lie. She loved her sister—she did. But did Grace have to be so…so…so, well, Grace-like? Her sister was three years younger, and while they’d been close as children, they’d grown up and grown apart. Now, they couldn’t be more different. Where Addy loved pink, Grace’s wardrobe consisted mainly of navy and charcoal. Where Addy was completely happy following her passion in life, not at all concerned that it might conform to traditional gender roles, Grace was at law school studying to become a women’s rights attorney. Which, Addy was the first to say, was amazing. She couldn’t be prouder of her sister and the meaningful work she was doing. Still though, did Grace have to be so good at arguing? And giving side-eye? And slipping in snide remarks anytime she heard Addy gush about her desire to get married or caught her reading a perfectly respectable bodice ripper?
I mean, really.
