Chapter One
Jessica
The bell over the door jingled as I walked into the bakery and one of the two women standing at the counter called out a warm, “Welcome in!”
Between the women’s friendly smiles, the delicious smells, and the cozy decor, in that moment, I really did feel welcome.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that way. The realization almost made me burst into tears.
Not for the first time today, I buried those tears, although this time for a different reason.
I didn’t want these women to think I was a raving lunatic.
I’d refused to cry in front of Chancellor Vought because—screw that jerk. He wasn’t going to get my tears.
Making my way to the counter, I couldn’t help but smile back at them before glancing at the menu board overhead.
Cinnamon rolls were $4.99. I was pretty sure I had enough change in my coin purse to cover the tax.
“It smells so good in here,” I said as I stepped closer, then quickly muttered, “I’m sure you get that all the time.”
“Even if I do, I’ll never get tired of hearing it,” the younger of the two replied. She was wearing a pink apron with Beaumont Bakery embroidered in blue across the front. Her name tag read Lainey.
The other woman looked just like Lainey, except with darker blonde hair and a few more laugh lines around her eyes, and she was dressed in teal scrubs.
Both gave off a vibe that made me want to be part of their circle. Which made no sense considering we’d barely spoken. Plus, why would they want to be my friend?
I was an almost-twenty-three-year-old girl who’d just been expelled from school for being a sinner. I had no job, no money, and the only friends I’d been allowed to have had dumped me the second I’d needed them.
I knew the two women were just being nice because I was a customer. Still, I’d take their kindness, even if it was transactional.
Lainey studied me for a second, then slid the display case open and, using a pair of tongs, grabbed a sugar cookie shaped like a tulip with bright purple and green frosting. After wrapping the bottom in wax paper, she held it out to me.
“You deserve flowers, but since that’s not my specialty, here’s the next best thing. On the house.”
I hesitated, and the other woman interjected, “They’re really good.”
Taking the offered cookie, I murmured, “It’s so beautiful, I think I’d feel bad eating it.”
“That’s its destiny,” Lainey replied matter-of-factly. “Just like a flower is meant to bloom, that cookie is meant to be eaten and enjoyed.”
“You can’t offer her a cookie without a cappuccino or latte, Lain,” the woman in scrubs scolded.
“I was getting to it!” Lainey admonished defensively, then turned to me with a smile. “Cappuccino or latte?”
I quickly glanced at the board to see how much a coffee drink would cost and realized I could only afford a cappuccino. Better yet, a regular coffee was almost half the price.
“Just coffee.”
“Milk and sugar? Or do you prefer creamer?”
“Creamer and sugar.”
I reached into my purse and asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“It’s my treat today.”
“Oh, I couldn’t—”
“Yes, you can,” Lainey said a little more insistently, then gestured to a nearby table by the register. “Have a seat, I’ll bring it over.”
I did as she suggested and was surprised when she set a real coffee mug down in front of me instead of a disposable one, along with a stainless-steel pitcher of creamer and a white ceramic caddy filled with packets of sugar and sugar substitutes.
I was even more surprised when, just seconds later, both women sat down next to me with their own coffees and cookies.
“I’m Lainey Beaumont, and this is my sister, Jade.”
“Oh, do your parents own this place?”
Jade shook her head with a proud smile while pointing toward her sister. “No. She does.”
I felt my eyes widen as I focused on Lainey.
“Wow! You’re so young!”
Oh shit, did I just insult her?
“I mean… you don’t look much older than me, and I could never see myself doing something this bold.”
Jade put her arms around her sister’s shoulders. “That’s our Lain. She’s a warrior.”
Lainey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and murmured, “I don’t know about that…” Then she leveled me with a look. “And why couldn’t you ever see yourself doing something so bold?”
I let out a small sigh as I poured creamer into my coffee.
“I’m not brave enough.”
I hated admitting it out loud to myself, let alone these ladies.
Jade kept her eyes on me as she took a long sip of coffee, then set her mug down and asked, “What are you most afraid of?”
I blurted out without thinking, “Having my daughter taken from me.”
Her mouth formed an “O” before she softly muttered the word, then, “I wasn’t expecting that. How old is your daughter?”
“Five weeks.”
With her brows furrowed, Lainey leaned her forearms on the table. “Why would your daughter be taken from you?”
I shrugged, embarrassed about what I was about to admit out loud to perfect strangers.
Granted, they seemed kind, but they were still strangers.
“I’m single, I don’t have a job, and because I have a baby, I can’t go back to school until I am married.”
The same hadn’t been true for Ruthie’s dad, even though he’d committed the same sin.
But because Jonathan had a penis, the school administration had believed him when he said he’d never been with me, and I was making the whole thing up.
Even when the DNA test proved I wasn’t lying, the school found another loophole for Jon to slip through so he could stay in school.
Meanwhile, I’d had to go, and I wasn’t allowed back.
The unfairness of it all made me want to scream.
Or cry.
Maybe both.
Either way, Chancellor Vought said I wasn’t allowed back until I was married, otherwise, “I’d be a bad example for the other girls who were serious about their commitment to God, as well as their education”.
Whatever.
Lainey narrowed her eyes.
“Hang on. I have a lot of questions. First off, who said you can’t go to school unless you’re married? I’m going to school, and I’m a single mom.”
Jade shot her sister a look, so Lainey quickly added, “Kind of. I mean, I’m in a relationship now with a great guy, but I’m not married.”
“To be fair, Lain. You probably would be if Shawn hadn’t died.”
I brought my hands to my heart and exclaimed, “I’m so sorry!”
She offered a small smile. “Thank you,” then sat up straighter. “The point is… I’m single, I’ve never been married, and my marital and maternal status have no bearing on whether or not I can go to school.”
“It does at PCO.”
Lainey cocked her head. “PC—”
“Providence Christian Order,” Jade interjected.
I could tell Lainey was trying to keep her face neutral when she replied, “Oh yeah, the private college in Providence Landing…” She turned to me and asked, “They said you can’t go there unless you’re married?”
“Yeah. They just gave me their determination not less than an hour ago. That’s where I’m coming from.”
I couldn’t believe I was spilling my guts to these women, but somehow, it felt safe. Safer than my church “friends,” anyway. Besides, I’d probably never see these ladies again.
Lainey clarified, “Because you have a baby… and you’re not married.”
“Yes. Once I’m married, I can go back.”
“Do you want to get married?”
“I mean, someday. When I meet the right guy.”
“But you haven’t met him yet?”
I’d thought Jon had been that guy. He’d promised we were going to get married someday. It’s why I’d given him my V-card without the ring. What a rude awakening that had been.
“No, not yet,” I conceded.
Jade asked, “Why not just transfer to a public university?”
Public university?!
“My parents would never let me do that.”
Not after my older sister, Mary, had gone to Appalachian State and then decided to leave the church.
That was part of the reason it’d taken a year after graduating high school before I could convince my mom and dad to even let me go to college.
And they’d only agreed because I’d suggested PCO, and they’d thought that was my best chance at finding a husband.
Then that blew up spectacularly in my face. But at least I hadn’t been excommunicated, unlike Mary.
I still emailed my sister from an account my parents didn’t know about, and she sounded happy. She had a great job and was living in Savannah with her boyfriend, José. Maybe there was more to life than what the Righteous Truth Church suggested.
Lainey looked incensed when she started to spout, “Your parents don’t—”
Jade cut Lainey off and asked me, “You still live at home?”
“Yeah. Once I confessed my sins in front of the congregation, they let me stay.”
Oh my God, Jessica—shut up!
Lainey sat up straighter with an incredulous look. “They made you stand up in front of—”
Again, Jade interrupted her. “I’m sure your parents are a big help to you.”
No, not really.
I was free labor. I’d barely gotten home from the hospital when I was given a list of chores they wanted done before I went to bed that night.
I’d known I’d have to pitch in, there was no such thing as a free ride in the Bradbury house, but I’d thought maybe I could have a little time to recover from giving birth before being expected to mop the floors and clean the bathtub.
Still, I didn’t want to disrespect my parents, even if they didn’t know about it, so I simply answered Jade with, “Yeah.”
Lainey was like a dog with a bone.
“So, who are you worried is going to try and take your daughter? Her father?”
I snorted at that thought. “No, he doesn’t want anything to do with her. I’m worried Child Protective Services could.”
“But why?”
“I can’t provide for her without my parents’ help.”
Something they reminded me of regularly.
Jade responded gently, “I don’t think that—” but this time it was Lainey doing the interrupting.
“Would you feel better if you had a job?”
“I mean, sure, but who’s going to hire me? I have to nurse my baby every four hours.”
Lainey gave me a crooked grin as she used both thumbs to point to herself. “You’re looking at her.”