Chapter 22
“Come in.”
After straightening her back, Sophia pushed the door open and stepped into Nora’s small but comfy office, with its shelves of books on either side, a plush carpet in the center of the room, and a window that overlooked the park on the other side of the street. Nora herself sat behind her desk, face half-hidden by the laptop and wisps of silver-brown hair framing her face.
When she glanced up at Sophia, she took off her glasses and began to polish them. “Please, sit.”
Sophia perched on the edge of the chair and folded her hands in her lap. “Is everything okay? I was told you wanted to see me.”
Nora finished polishing her glasses and placed them back on her nose. “Have you given any more thought to what we talked about? It’s been a few weeks, and I’d like to know if you’re in the running or not.”
Sophia cleared her throat. “It’s a very generous offer. I’m honored that you’re even considering me since Valerie has been here longer, and she does have…a way with words.”
Nora snorted. “Valerie knows how to kiss up to people. I’m not saying it won’t help in life, but it won’t get her as far as she thinks. You, on the other hand, are relentless. When you’re passionate about something, I’ve seen you dedicate your whole heart and soul to it.”
Sophia’s fingers moved to her apron, and she pretended to smooth it. “I…I had no idea you were observing me so intently.”
Nora leaned back in her chair, and her lips lifted into a smile. “When you get a pastry chef who used to work for one of the biggest bakeries in the world, you pay attention. I’ve always wondered what made you walk away.”
“It wasn’t a good fit. It was a little too fast-paced for me.”
Nora nodded. “Some people function better when the stakes aren’t as high, but I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’m going to announce that you’re going to be the one taking over, not Valerie.”
“Nora, I—”
“You’ll have to turn me down officially if you don’t want the job.” Nora rose and stepped out from behind the desk, her skirt swishing with every movement. She paused to tuck her button-down blouse into the folds of her skirt. “Something tells me you’re not going to try and stop me.”
Sophia jumped to her feet, and her mouth went dry.
In a daze, she followed Nora into the kitchen, where the smell of flour and sugar lingered, and the sound of pots and pans filled the air. Several pairs of eyes turned to Nora when she came in, and she waited till everyone went silent. When everyone in the kitchen was looking at them, including a stormy-faced Valerie, Sophia stood up straighter.
Applause followed Nora’s announcement, and Sophia was met with a chorus of well wishes. She gave them all small smiles in return, but her eyes found Valerie in the crowd, looking like she wanted to drag Sophia out by her hair and claw at her face. A part of her understood Valerie’s anger, which was rolling off of her in waves, but the other part of Sophia knew her nemesis would survive.
People like Valeria didn’t give up, and they didn’t stay down, no matter the setback.
It was why Sophia had a begrudging amount of respect for the woman despite their mutual dislike and mistrust. Over the next few hours, people kept coming up to Sophia to congratulate her. Halfway through the day, she found herself outside Nora’s office again, tight knots in the center of her stomach.
Nora eyed her over rimmed spectacles. “Are you here to turn me down officially?”
Sophia let the door click shut behind her. “No, but I do have a different proposition. I don’t want to take over Nora’s. I want to rent it out.”
Nora removed her glasses, bright eyes settling on Sophia’s face intently. “Go on.”
“I want to rent Nora’s from you until I figure out what to do next. My cousin has already talked about merging bakeries, so it’s one option, but I’m not sure I want to do that.”
“What do you want to do?”
Sophia clasped her hands behind her back. “I want to change a few things in the layout, maybe give it a more modern look, and I was thinking of adding a bakery truck on the beach. It’ll be like a smaller branch or something. I don’t want to change what made Nora’s so special to a lot of people…just tweak a few things here and there.”
Sophia wasn’t sure if any of her ideas appealed to Nora, but she did know that it was all coming together in her head in a way she hadn’t imagined. Suddenly, she was filled with excitement and impatience for the project, the kind that made her want to dive in headfirst and not emerge until she’d conquered everything.
It had been two years since she’d felt this passionate about anything.
And she wasn’t ready to give up on it, despite her fear and uncertainty.
All she hoped was that Nora could see how much it all meant to her.
Nora pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Sophia covered the distance between them and stopped on the other side of the desk. “I won’t be upset if you take back the offer and re-hire Valerie. Maybe she is a better fit. She’s got a lot of ideas already.”
“So do you.”
Sophia shook her head. “Mine aren’t really ideas so much as rough drafts. To be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with the bakery, but I want you to know that if you still want me as manager, I’ll take care of Nora’s.”
Nora studied her face. “Yes, I know you will. I’ve seen how much thought and effort you put into things, Sophia. I don’t doubt that Nora’s will be in good hands.”
Silence stretched between them.
“I trust that you’ll make the right decision for Nora’s Delights,” Nora continued in a clearer voice. “In light of that, I’d like us to change the terms of our arrangement. You can rent out Nora’s on the condition that you make sure you find a good manager if you decide to leave, and you accept thirty percent of the profits to be used in case you want to open up your own bakery someday.”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears, and her stomach gave an odd little dip. “That’s…really generous. I don’t know if I can accept that.”
Nora stood up and smiled. “You can and you will because this deal is beneficial for both of us.”
Sophia blinked back the tears. “You’re right.”
Nora held her hand out, and her smile grew wider. “I’ll have my lawyer draft up the contract and have it for you within a few days.”
Sophia stepped forward and took Nora’s hand in hers. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Nora gave her a firm shake. “I know you’re not going to disappoint me, and I look forward to seeing what you do with the place.”
Sophia paused. “You’re not upset about any of the changes I’m thinking of making?”
Nora released Sophia’s hand and shook her head. “I’d like to be included in major decisions, but I like the idea of a bakery truck on the beach. Or an on-the-go truck of sorts. It could move around every few days to keep people guessing and keep interest in the bakery at an all-time high.”
“Are you sure you want to retire?”
Nora chuckled. “I’ll leave the day-to-day operations to you. I want to spend more time with my kids and grandkids.”
Sophia nodded and didn’t respond.
With a smile, Nora waved her away, and Sophia stepped back outside. On her way back into the kitchen, she brushed past Valerie, who went out of her way to block Sophia’s path and give her a withering look. Sophia ignored her and went into the locker room, where she studied her reflection in the mirror, a smile hovering on the edge of her lips.
At the end of her shift, when Sophia stepped outside for some fresh air, Zoe was crossing the street and making a beeline for her. Sophia adjusted the purse on her shoulders and squinted at her daughter, a vision with her dark hair, silver-gray eyes, and jean jumpsuit that made her look like she came straight out of the nineties.
“Sweetheart, I didn’t know you were passing by today.” Sophia kissed both of her daughter’s cheeks and stepped back to look at her. “I like this look on you.”
“I’m experimenting with my style,” Zoe replied with a smile. “Also, you know how fast word spreads.”
“Don’t tell me you heard about Nora’s offer already.”
Zoe draped her arm over Sophia’s shoulders and grinned. “The whole town is talking about it already. Everyone’s so relieved it’s going to be you, not Valerie.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “Valerie is qualified, though, and she’s been around longer.”
“Some people aren’t meant to be managers.” Zoe stopped and scanned the empty parking lot in the back alley behind the pastry shop. “Where’s your car?”
“I wanted to walk today. Don’t tell your Aunt Lily, but I think walking is starting to rub off on me.”
Together, the two of them began to walk in the direction of Stu’s house, silence settling between them. Zoe matched her pace to her mom’s, a thoughtful expression on her face. When they came to a stop outside Stu’s house, Zoe leaned against the fence and smiled.
“So, I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks, and I think I know what I want to do next.”
Sophia stopped searching for her keys and looked up. “Oh?”
Zoe twisted to face her mother, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. “After the internship at Wilson Realty, I’m going to do the habitat program for a few months, maybe a year, just because I want to get out there and see the world.”
Sophia’s stomach clenched. “Oh, I see. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. Why only a year, though?”
“Because after that, I want to come back and help you run Nora’s Delights or whatever it’s called by then.”
Sophia’s heart missed a beat. “What?”
“I want to help you expand Nora’s Delights,” Zoe continued, the words pouring out of her in a rush. “I know you always complain about the business side of everything and how much you hate numbers, so what you need is a partner you can trust who can make sure the business side of things is up to par.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to do this for me. You’ve got your own life and dreams—”
“And I want this to be something we do together,” Zoe interrupted, pausing to take both of Sophia’s hands in hers. “I know it’s sudden, so you need some time to think about it, but the more I think about it, the more I realize what a great idea it is. I’m actually excited about this.”
Sophia searched her daughter’s face. “You are?”
“Yeah, and I want to give you some time to get your bearings and get used to being manager before I swoop in and we start talking about expanding and stuff,” Zoe told her with another bright smile. “I’ve already got a business plan mapped out.”
“You really are excited about this.”
Sophia withdrew her hands and pushed the gate open. Stu was standing in the doorway in a pair of shorts and his garden gloves when they walked past. Zoe paused to give him a quick hug but didn’t stop talking the entire time.
Sophia’s heart was swelling with emotion: excitement, hope, and joy all rolled up into one. While Zoe’s plan still meant being away from her daughter for a year, at least it meant she got to come home after her grand adventure.
She couldn’t have been more relieved that things were working out.
Everything was finally falling into place.