Page 153 of Never Let You Go

“Yeah. Just be genuine. You’re not trying to impress people with your videos. But before you set out to make a video, you need to know what your goal is. More often than not, you’re just trying to get them to come buy your stuff. The thing with live videos is that people get notifications on their screens—so they’re sure to see your video. They don’t have to look for it.”

“You’re right. I didn’t think about that.” He grabs one of the trays he’s been baking and starts the live feed. I get behind the camera to check that he’s in focus and give him a silent thumbs up.

“Hey, guys, I have a nice surprise for you. I’ve been baking some sourdough brown bread today.” He grabs the bread and rips off a piece of it and shows it to the camera. I see people logging in and reacting already. “I also have some brioche hot dog rolls.” Hearts start to trickle up my phone screen. “Since we’re closed on Mondays, I’ll be dropping them off at Justin’s, also known as Lazy’s.”

I round my eyes at him.

He cocks a questioning eyebrow. “And that’s it for today!”

I stop the video and laugh. “Next time, don’t give your product away!”

“I thought that was a marketing technique.” He grins.

“It can be. When done right. Right now, you’re just sending business to Justin.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Of course not, but that’s not what you set out to do. Remember to set a goal.”

“I’ll have to hire you. Because you’ve just witnessed the extent of my social media and marketing abilities.” He draws me against him and closes his arms around me, lifting my chin so my eyes meet his.

“Stay here,” he says, and I freeze, senses alert. Why does he want me to stay? To hire me as his social media person? Is that all I am to him? A poor baker, but a good marketer?

“Wh-what?” my voice betrays my hope that he’ll say he wants me for me, in his life.

That everything I shouldn’t want, he will give me, without me asking. That he wants it.

Only then, maybe, can I take the risk.

His gaze roams my hair, my lips, my face, then settles back on my eyes. “Stay here after your exam. Fuck Red Barn. You don’t owe them anything.”

It’s too early for me to tell him about Red Barn Baking, that I’m about to become the owner of the company. Not until my plan to reform it from the ground up is in motion, and he can accept the secret I kept from him in light of the mission I’m working on.

Nothing is in place yet. I have nothing to show for it. He wouldn’t understand.

He takes a shallow breath. He’s about to speak, and I stay suspended.

“Bet you’d get a lot of business here,” he says, and my stomach drops, disappointment settling in until my toes tingle with the shame of the hopes I held for one weak moment.

I shut my eyes and lay my head against his chest. “I bet I would.”

His heart beats fast and hard in his chest, while mine is faltering.

His words haunt me for the next several days.

Maybe he was just being cautious?

Although his words weren’t strong enough to win me over, I saw the hurt in his eyes when I wouldn’t say yes, and I feel like I’m dying inside.

What’s the right thing to do? “Stay” is vague. Does he want me to be his girlfriend? Does he want more? Where will I live? What will we tell Skye? How will I deal with Red Barn Baking?

I call Barbara to help me figure out the last piece.

“Of course you can do whatever you want, but running the company remotely may not be your best option for a smooth transition.” She sighs and I hear her shift in her chair. “When they sacked me, there were already factions forming. Pro-Alex and… well, not pro-Alex. The openly pro-Alex got a pink slip, and they’re finding other jobs. It’ll be tough to rehire them. You’ll be left with the other charming group.”

Norwood must be leading the anti-Alex group. Whoever else is part of it is anybody’s guess. “But they haven’t met me yet,” I say.

“You might not know them, but they know you. Start building a thick skin, darling.”

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