Page 16 of The Finder

Emma smiled again. She so wished she had a phone, so she could take a picture of him to use for some future time when she needed blackmail material. She only had to wait a few minutes before Helen arrived and turned on the lights. “She’s here. I’m going to head in,” Emma said quietly. She opened her door and started to slide out. “Thanks again for the ride. I really appreciate it, but you don't have to do that again. I’m fine.” At his grunt, she slid out of the car and into the shop Helen had unlocked for her.

“Good morning,” Helen called out. “You ready for this?”

Emma smiled despite the pain she was in. She really was excited about the new possibilities. She walked slowly behind the counter to the back counter where Helen had all her supplies out. “This is all perfect, Helen. Thank you for getting this all and for giving me a chance.”

“Well, giving you a chance has surely played out well in hiring you, so let’s try this too,” she said with a smile. “Unless you need me, I’m going to work on getting things ready for opening.”

“I’ve got this,” Emma said, nodding. She walked back to the backroom to get an apron and saw the coat hanging there that Garrett had given her. Her mind immediately went to his suit coat; she had forgotten about it this morning in the midst of trying to get ready and get to work. She would have to find a way to talk to him and then figure out how in the world she was going to pay him back. She sighed. It was all too much this morning. She pushed it from her mind so she could focus on the task at hand.

A few minutes later, she was covered in flour and enjoying herself. She felt a smile on her lips. It had been a long time since she had made these, but it was like riding a bike. She didn't think she would ever forget how to make these cinnamon rolls. She had made them every Saturday with her father for as many years as she could remember. Just smelling the mix and kneading the dough brought back so many memories for her—happy memories. She didn’t realize a tear had slipped down her cheek until it dripped down onto her apron. She missed her father so much. She wondered what kind of a different path her life would have taken if he hadn’t passed away.

“You okay, dear? You’re pretty quiet this morning,” Helen said as she came over and stood next to Emma.

Emma smiled at her. “Making these cinnamon rolls makes me nostalgic. I used to make these with my dad every Saturday. He passed away when I was twelve. Making these reminds me of him,” Emma admitted.

Helen wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Thank you for sharing that with me. Sometimes the best way we can remember someone and honor their memory is to share with others something we shared with them. I think you will be able to do just that with these cinnamon rolls.”

Emma nodded. “I think you’re right.” If these ended up doing well and selling, maybe they could bring a kind of healing to her by sharing what used to be a special thing between her and her dad with others. Emma smiled as she continued working. Soon, she had the first pans warming by the oven so the dough could rise.

The coffee shop opened, but Helen told Emma to keep working on cinnamon rolls. By six, the first pans of cinnamon rolls came out of the oven. The entire shop smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. Each of the customers that came in were surprised by the new offering, and almost each one of them bought at least one. Emma felt satisfaction as rave reviews came in from their early customers.

Emma finished the last of the rolls and went back to ringing up and filling orders. They kept the pans of cinnamon rolls in the oven on low, so they would be hot. Emma was loving every moment of it, but she was really starting to feel the aftereffects of last night. Between all the mixing and movement of pulling things from the oven and making drinks, her injuries were really taking a toll on her. She could kill for some pain reliever. She thought about asking Helen for some but didn’t want to explain why she needed them and what had happened. She couldn’t do anything to jeopardize this job.

She heard the bell jingle, and she turned, forcing a smile to her face. She watched as Garrett, Liam, and the other guy that was usually with them walked into the shop. “Cat girl,” Liam called out. Emma smiled. He was definitely doing better than he had this morning. “What is that divine smell?” he asked.

Chapter 12

“Emma’s homemade cinnamon rolls,” Helen said as she came and stood next to Emma.

“You can make amazing coffee and you can bake? Marry me,” Liam said with his hands over his heart.

Garrett walked up behind Liam and made a low noise in his throat. Liam turned to him with a laugh but didn’t say anything more. “I’ll take a large dark roast coffee with a little cream and two cinnamon rolls,” Liam said.

Emma rang him up and took his money. “Looks like you’re feeling better than you were this morning,” Emma said, trying not to laugh.

Liam instantly frowned at her. “Hey, I wasn’t that bad.”

Emma laughed out loud, then instantly regretted it as pain shot through her stomach. She forced herself to keep her smile, though. “You were pretty bad,” she said when she caught her breath. “I felt worried about leaving you in the car.”

“Yeah, well, nobody should be awake at that ungodly hour, let alone be out and about,” Liam said with disgust. Emma smiled and went to make his coffee and get his cinnamon rolls.

She brought them back and handed them to Liam. Then she looked at Garrett. He was watching her intensely. She noticed he was wearing another suit today, and instantly the reminder of what had happened slammed into her. Without thinking, she blurted out, “I need to talk to you.”

He didn’t bat an eye. “Okay,” he said simply. Then he ordered two large dark roasts, black. Emma went to make his coffee, feeling her face flaming. She always said and did stupid stuff in front of him. What was it about that man that made her lose her equilibrium?

She managed to calm her breathing down before giving him his coffee. When he didn’t move away from the counter, she looked up at him. “Can I get you something else?” she asked.

“You said you wanted to talk,” he said in a low voice.

Emma could have smacked herself. “Oh, yeah, I did. I do. I mean...” she stopped. She watched Liam grin as he turned away from where he had been standing next to Garrett. She turned to Helen. “Is it okay if I talk to Garrett for just a minute?” Emma asked.

Helen waved her away. “Of course. Go ahead. You’re past your break time anyway,” she said.

Emma took a deep breath and walked out from behind the counter. She could feel Garrett watching her. She tried to move normally, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. She began walking slowly towards a table they could sit at, while her heart began slamming against her chest. As they made their way, a couple came into the shop. Emma smiled at them. “Welcome to Sip and Drip,” she called out.

The couple nodded and moved past Emma and Garrett. Emma stepped out of the way, but in doing so, stepped at the same time the woman did. Her big bag ended up hitting Emma right in the stomach. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to knock the air from Emma as pain exploded from her ribs.

“Sorry,” the woman muttered as she moved past.

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