Page 6 of Inherited Holiday

“Is this a joke?” I aggressively asked. “Another one of your little games?”

“You used to like my little games.”

“I used to like a lot of things that were bad for me.”

He takes another step toward me. “We need to talk, Elle.”

“Obviously, or why else would you be here?”

“I could think of a handful of reasons, and that’s only referring to us.”

I sneered a snide chuckle. “Us? There is no us.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

In one swift movement, he was in my face, catching me off guard. I faintly gasped when he was close to my mouth, only triggering all the times he caused this same response out of me.

He brushed the hair away from my face with the back of his fingers. “I didn’t know you were the baker here.”

Backing away from his fingers, I questioned, “And if you had?”

“I don’t know…”

I slowly nodded, stepping sideways. It was now or never to make my voice heard. “I understand that you’re technically my new boss, but I want to make something crystal clear to you, Nicholas.”

His eyebrows pinched together as we continued to stare one another down.

“I’ve spent years proving to your grandfather that I could run this place without having someone manage me. I’ve sacrificed a lot of my personal life for this shop and this town, so don’t think for one second that you’re going to be the boss of me.”

He held his hands out in front of him. “I know how you feel.”

“Do you? Because from where I’m standing, you look content as ever.”

“I’m not the enemy here, Elle.”

“Really?” I mocked. “I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell don’t know how to see you as anything other than my ex-best friend, who turned his back on me without a second glance.”

“I know you may think that, but it’s not the truth.”

“You don’t know anything.”

“I know that you’re as pissed as I am right now.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Trust me,” he stressed. “I am.”

“Trust you?” I exclaimed. “Now those are fighting words, Nicholas Saint Clair.”

In the sincerest tone, he expressed, “I am truly sorry.”

“Save those lies for someone who cares.”

“At one point, you did.”

“I was young and naive and didn’t know any better. Youwere the first boy to ever pay attention to me. It was easy to fall for all your lies.”

“They weren’t lies.”

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