Page 54 of May 11

"Oh." She digested all the information. "That's...good, right?"

It was hard to accept that she wasn't alone. That Wire was with her, and with him came a club full of men to protect her from danger.

Having that kind of security wasn't her reality. For the last year, she'd done everything by herself. It wasn't something that she realized she needed or wanted.

Brooke squeezed Cora's arm and smiled. "We'll be okay."

The buzzer for the oven rang. She smiled at Brooke, hurried to take the cinnamon rolls out, and put a tray of muffins in.

As she iced the rolls, the driftwood hanging on the door handle chimed consistently as the morning customers entered for coffee and treats. She kept busy until Dania reminded her she was overdue for a ten-minute break.

She made a cup of coffee, escaped to the breakroom, and barged into two young girls making Bedazzled crowns. "Excuse me, princesses."

The girls giggled. Dania's daughter held up her scissors. "Do you want us to make you one?"

She put her hand to her chest and bowed. "I'd be honored."

Brooke's niece dived into the container of plastic rubies, diamonds, and sapphires. "What's your favorite color?"

"Pink." She sipped her coffee.

For ten minutes, she watched the children work. They reminded her of all the hours she'd spent in her room as a child, crafting necklaces and bracelets she'd hand out to the other girls at grade school.

As an only child, she stayed entertained with the myriad of art supplies her mother gave her. They were her babysitter, much like it was for the girls in front of her. For her, art supplies kept her out of sight while her parents' hosted dinners and college parties at the house.

The busy work made her forget that she was alone.

But Mariah and Skye had each other. Cora was fascinated at how they worked together. They were quite the team. Their parents had done a good job raising them.

Forcing the hot coffee down, she stood to go to the restroom before her break ended, and the girls protested her leaving.

"The glue isn't dry." Skye fanned her hands over the cutout crown. "Mariah, blow on it."

"I'll come back." She smiled. "Keep blowing."

She laughed in the hallway and opened the bathroom door. Making quick work of her break, she washed her hands and peeked into the breakroom. "Done?"

"Yes." Mariah carried the homemade crown to her.

She bent over, lowering her head while the young girl put it on her head. Then, she straightened, holding the crown until it balanced on her head.

"How does it look?" she asked.

"Good." Skye lowered her gaze to the table. "Now we need to make more. One for Mariah's mom and one for my Aunt Brooke."

"Brilliant, girls." She waved her hand back and forth like a real princess. "We'll sell tons of coffee now that we're royalty."

She entered the shop and read the orders that needed to be made. Picking the first one, she moved to the maker.

"I see you've been promoted." Dania grinned.

She straightened the crown. "They're working hard on your crown, so be ready."

"Thank you for entertaining them." Dania's gaze softened.

"They're having fun." She put the mug under the steamer. "They'll probably be begging to come back tomorrow."

Dania laughed. "I do not doubt it. Those two are besties."

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