Regan Callahan be damned.
Chapter Four
The atmosphere in the dining room the next morning was filled less with nerves and trepidation than it had been the previous night and more with anxious anticipation and excitement. Regan could feel it in the air almost as clearly as if it had been tangible, like she could scoop it out of the emptiness in front of her.
Because of her usual business hours, she’d woken up very early and taken advantage of that. Making less noise than a character in the movieA Quiet Place, she managed to shower and dress without waking Ava and, glad she hadn’t been forced into some kind of morning small talk with the woman, she left the dark room to find coffee.
Paige and Madison were on their way down the staircase, so Regan joined them and made a trio.
“Bakery?” Madison asked, and Regan nodded with a grin.
“You?”
“Yup. Both of us.”
Paige grinned. “I’m usually up and headed to work by three thirty.”
Liza Bennett-Schmidt must’ve understood that because the three found freshly brewed coffee on the buffet along a wall in the dining room. There was also a plate of scones that still had steam coming off them, a pile of fresh fruit, blueberry muffins that were also still warm, a tall, stainless steel pot marked Hot Water, and a selection of teas.
Regan went for the scones immediately, something she always sampled when given a chance. Scones could be difficult to get just right, and she’d met several bakers who didn’t subscribe to her “everything must be cold” rule around them.
Madison took a bite of a muffin and began to hum her delight. Paige did the same, then they moved to the scones. They looked to Regan, who nodded. No words were spoken, but it was clear the three of them approved of the baked goods. Which only made sense, considering whose house they were currently standing in.
By the time the three of them had coffee and a second pastry, Maia, Vienna, and Ava wandered in.
“Ugh,” Maia said with a groan as she stumbled toward the coffee. “How is life even allowed to happen this early?”
Madison, clearly taking on the role of social director, said, “We all work bakery hours. You guys?”
“The restaurant where I work is open from four until midnight,” Vienna said, adding a disturbing amount of sugar to her coffee.
Ava poured a cup of her own and spoke quietly—one of the things Regan remembered very clearly about her. She was soft-spoken, but volume meant nothing. If you didn’t live up to her standards, you’d know it. “Mine too. I’m usually there around three.”
Maia added her two cents. “I work in the kitchen at a five-star hotel, and I don’t start until five. I work until one in the morning.”
There was a moment of quiet, when everybody was chewing or sipping or doing her best to wake up. Then Maia said, “You guys know a couple years ago, Liza gave away a shit ton of money at this retreat, right?”
Murmurs went around the room.
“It was a surprise, wasn’t it?” Vienna asked.
Maia nodded. “The contestants showed up to learn and were told that one of them was gonna get a chunk of money, and she’d decide who.”
“Just random like that?” Madison asked. “Why?”
Maia shrugged. “Girl’s swimming in money. Gotta do something with it, right?”
“The whole thing is always kept all hush-hush,” Vienna said. “Mysterious. I guess that’s why there were NDAs in the packets.”
“Yeah, that was odd,” Madison said, wrinkling her nose. “Definitely mysterious.”
“Nothing wrong with a little mystery,” Maia said.
Before they could talk any more about the money or their lives or where they’d each come from, Liza breezed in, looking like she’dbeen up for hours, fresh and ready to go. Her pants were a champagne color, her top a rich ivory, and her auburn hair was loose and flowing today, hanging well past her shoulders in waves of fire and sunset. May entered behind her in her same black-and-white attire from the day before.
“Good morning, chefs,” Liza said with cheer. “I’m glad to see you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I’m afraid our bakery employees had a bit of an advantage over our evening restaurant workers, but that will even out in time.” She clasped her hands together and let them hang in front of her. “Today, you will meet your assistants.”
A slight hum of surprise rumbled through the six of them. Assistants? This was news to Regan.
