Page 36 of Knot So Sweet
"That's where you come in." Liam crosses his arms, looking far too pleased with himself. "Rise & Shine is already popular. Any increase would be easy to measure. Plus, you've got a compelling story."
"Don't." I point a flour-covered finger at him in warning.
But he ignores me, walking in a small circle as he talks. "Former corporate baker turns small-town artisan. Creates magic with flour and sugar. Feeds half the town."
"I feed people because they pay me. Not out of the goodness of my heart." I turn back to the dough, starting to shape it into rounds.
Violet moves closer to the counter, her voice quiet but clear. "You gave Mrs. Arbrahamson free bread for a month when her husband was in the hospital."
I freeze, my hands stilling on the dough. Slowly, I look up at her. "How do you know about that?"
She holds my gaze, not backing down. "Small town. People talk. They also talk about how you taught Frank Stern to bake after his wife died. And how you always have day-old pastries ready for the church food bank."
Damn small-town gossips.
"Those are just... practical decisions." I mutter, going back to shaping. "Can't let food go to waste."
"Right." Violet's tone carries the hint of a smile. "Very practical."
Liam's grinning like he just won something, rocking back on his heels. "So you'll do it?"
I look at the dough in my hands. At Violet's hopeful expression. At Liam's smug face. I set the shaped dough aside, wiping my hands on my apron.
"I have conditions."
"Of course you do." Liam mutters, but he's still grinning.
I turn to face Violet directly, leaning back against the counter. "I want approval over anything before it goes public. And if this brings in a bunch of food bloggers with cameras, I reserve the right to ban them."
She nods immediately. "Fair enough. Professional standards require fact-checking anyway."
"And no interviews during morning rush. I don't have time to explain my process when I'm trying to fill orders."
"Absolutely. I'm here to observe your natural routine, not disrupt it." She takes another small step forward, more confident now.
"And if you're going to be here regularly, you need proper winter clothes. That jacket won't last five minutes in a real mountain storm."
Violet blinks in surprise, her hand automatically going to the thin fabric of her jacket. Liam's grin widens to truly insufferable proportions.
"I... okay," Violet manages. "Though I should mention my clothing budget is pretty limited right now."
I push off the counter, moving toward the sink to wash my hands. "We'll figure something out."
"Excellent." Liam claps his hands together. "I'll leave you two to work out details. Violet, why don't you grab some of those chocolate brownies? Writing is hungry work."
He gestures toward the display case.
Only then do I notice the day-old pastries. Chocolate brownies, blueberry muffins, a few leftover cinnamon rolls from this morning.
Violet moves toward the case, her steps careful, casual. But I catch the way her eyes linger on the brownies. The slight increase in honey notes that indicates genuine craving.
I dry my hands and walk over to open the case before she can ask. "Take whatever you want. They're just going to go stale otherwise."
Not entirely true. But watching her face light up as she carefully selects two brownies and a blueberry muffin is worth the small lie.
"Thank you." The genuine gratitude in her voice causes something warm to unfurl in my chest.
I close the case, stepping back. "Just business."
