With the new location and the hype Aria helped create, the bakery regained its out-of-town and online customers within a month of its grand reopening, while her regulars continued to be her loyal customers. Aubrey and Lily worked themselves to the bones during the first month, but couldn’t keep up with the demand.
Even after the success of the opening month, the future of Comfort Zone remained uncertain. Still, Aubrey followed her instincts and chose to take a risk. She hired a sous chef, and it was one of the best decisions she’d ever made in her life. If Aubrey hadn’t taken the risk, she would never have known how much and how fast Comfort Zone could’ve grown.
Now at the two-month mark, business was booming, and the daily bustle in the bakery electrified the air with spices and excitement. While her heart ached for Landon every time their daughter kicked in her growing belly, Aubrey was so proud of what she’d accomplished.
“How does this look?” Justine stared down at the whoopie pie in her hands. The humble dessert had been dressed to the nines with rolling blue ribbons and edible silver beads sprinkled across it.
“I’d lose the fondant ribbons and the bling-bling,” Aubrey said, smiling at her sous chef.
“What? Just leave it plain?” she said with a doubtful expression. “But it’d look so plain.”
“Exactly. A customer looking at the familiar appearance will expect the familiar texture and flavor. The chewy textureof the chestnut and sweet rice cake center will take them by complete surprise the moment they bite into the whoopie pie. It’ll be a multisensory culinary experience.”
“Wow. You’re like a baked goods genius,” Justine gushed and stared at her with dreamy eyes. Aubrey blushed, equal parts pleased and embarrassed.
She’d known Justine wasthe oneeven though she was only number three on her interview list. At barely twenty-one, Justine didn’t have much practical experience, but she was a graduate of a prestigious cooking school, and Aubrey was truly humbled that someone with her potential wanted to work for her. Most important, Justinelovedto bake. Her enthusiasm for her craft rivaled Aubrey’s love of all things sweet and baked.
They worked incredibly well together in the kitchen, as comfortably and naturally as breathing. They moved seamlessly through each recipe, assisting and complementing each other without having to ask or instruct. Aubrey often thought they were twins separated at birth despite the fact she was seven years older than Justine, who was a svelte, five-foot-eleven redhead.
Everything worked out so beautifully with her sous chef that Aubrey was even able to hire a full-time cashier/server for the front as Lily began her new role as her apprentice. With more of her time freed up, Aubrey continued to create new recipes, and she planned to introduce the strawberry shortcake as a seasonal special in late spring. She stretched her back and cringed for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Her twelve-hour shifts were getting harder by the week.
“You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” Justine said.
“Doing what?”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Grabbing your back and scrunching up your face like the Grinch.”
“Gee, thanks. You try carrying an extra fifteen pounds on afive-foot-two frame. My back literally feels like it’s breaking by this time of the day.”
“You know,” her sous chef said hesitantly, “Lily and I could manage the kitchen till we close.”
“What? But…,” Aubrey said with a confused frown.
“With all due respect, Justine is trying to tell you we don’t need you here every minute of the day.”
“Lily!” Justine gasped, shooting an alarmed glance at Aubrey. “Please don’t get the wrong idea. Having you here is the best because you literally make every bake more amazing. But it’s hard for us to watch you working through your pain.”
“Yeah, what she said. We have it under control here,” Lily said, softening her voice at Aubrey’s stunned expression. “You need to take care of yourself and the baby. Just work eight hours like normal people for a while.”
She was so touched by her colleagues’ considerate words that a sob escaped her mouth, and she grabbed one of them in each arm and hugged the air out of them. “You guys are so incredible. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“Does that mean you’ll go home?” Lily asked in a breathless rasp.
“Yes. I really need to get off my feet.”
After fussing and saying good-bye for twenty more minutes, Aubrey finally drove to her little cottage. It felt strange entering her house with the midday sun streaming through the windows. She didn’t think she’d ever come home in the middle of a workday.
Aubrey was dead on her feet, but she had the wherewithal to grab herself a carton of Ben & Jerry’s before plopping down on the sofa. She put her feet up on the coffee table and played her favorite playlist. Being home so early felt like she was playing hooky, and she let the goofy fun times roll.
Digging into her Cherry Garcia, she belted out eighties’ tunes at the top of her lungs in between bites. She almost missed the knocking at the door during her rendition of “Take on Me.” Aubrey wiggled her butt to the edge of the couch before she hefted herself to standing with a grunt. Getting out of a chair was going to get very difficult in a few more weeks.
When she pulled open her front door, her jaws dropped and dangled from their hinges.
“Hello, baby.”
Her mom stood on her front porch with two small suitcases by her feet. Aubrey didn’t hesitate. She launched herself into her mom’s arms and held her tightly. She had no intention of wasting any more time to close the gap between them. With a sound between a sob and a laugh, her mom hugged her back, being careful not to squish her granddaughter.
“Mom. What are you doing here?” she said, picking up one of the bags and tugging her mother into the house.
