The Omega Knotting a Stranger

4

LILY

F or most of the morning, I’ve been playing catch-up in the kitchen while Hannah handles the steady stream of customers filtering through our storefront. Flour & Fable Bakery isn’t huge—just the long glass counter showcasing our daily offerings, the register area where Hannah works her magic with the customers, and the main domain—the kitchen visible through the wide archway behind the counter when the door is open.

Even with Christmas packed away and already one week into the new year, I’m still humming Jingle Bells while the industrial mixer whirs, my hands working through another batch of cinnamon rolls. They’re still selling out faster than fresh coffee. These are Mom’s recipe—the one that took her three years to perfect, tweaking the cream cheese ratio until it was exactly right. Even now, years after losing her, I still catch myself turning to share a joke or ask her opinion, usually right when I’m dusting flour off my favorite plum-colored dress that she would’ve lovingly scolded me for wearing in the kitchen.