Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
LUNA
Even though I’ve seen Parker a few times in the café, and he rescued me in the ocean, a corner of my mind never stopped questioning if it was really him. This version of Parker was taller and more built than the Parker I’d spent a few halcyon hours with a decade ago.
I’d never seen him after that. I’d wanted to stay in Fireweed Harbor because it was a cute little town, but my parents had insisted on sticking to their plan to create content. We’d left the following morning.
When Parker had scooped me out of the ocean that day a few months ago, I’d been so befuddled, I couldn’t think too clearly, and doubts still crowded my mind.
It wasn’t until this morning after the moose incident that I felt that same feeling with him.
I felt safe with him. And now, I had to explain why I gave him a fake name before.
Even though my parents had screwed up a lot of stuff when they were dragging me along in their influencer life, they’d insisted on giving me a different public name.
My mom had also straightened my unruly curls religiously.
Between my name and my straight hair, my parents hoped to protect me somehow. I guess they did a little. No one had ever recognized me since I’d left that life. All this to say, I’d never gotten close enough to someone in real life for them to connect the dots.
My parents’ travel channel was successful enough for them to make a living, but never successful enough for them to stop. They made enough from ads to pay for gas money and whatever other bills we had. Their high hopes had only taken them so far.
With a quiet sigh, I continued boxing up donuts, mulling over how to handle this situation with Parker. Part of me thrilled to the idea that we somehow ended up in the same place. I’d never forgotten that kiss.
I’d only told one person about it, who’d promptly told my parents.
Then, my parents wanted to do a whole episode on it.
I had to beg them to the point of tears to talk them out of it.
It was one of the few times they’d actually respected my wishes.
Other private conversations I’d been forced to have on camera included my mom buying a box of tampons for me when I got my period, my mom helping me pick out a bra, and me struggling through math homework.
Surprisingly, they hadn’t filmed when I was practicing baking.
They always wanted to put the uncomfortable awkward moments on camera.
Those got more views and, in turn, more money.
The travel itself became exhausting. While Alaska was big geographically, there were only so many chances for social interactions.
Most years, we traveled to the lower 48 for the winter.
I didn’t think I ever wanted to travel again in my life. I took an unsteady breath and shook my thoughts away. As I finished boxing up the last box of donuts, Casey popped into the back. “I just sold all of those!”
I looked at the stack of ten boxes, my mouth dropping open as I turned back toward her. “All of them?” I squeaked.
“Luna, your donuts are famous.” Casey bounced on her toes. “Seriously.”
“Um, I don’t think my donuts are famous.”
“They’re famous here, and that’s all that matters.” She began stacking the boxes. When her gaze swung to mine again, she stopped. “Are you okay?”
I meant to keep it all together, but the next thing I knew, tears were splashing onto my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say. Just then, Josie came walking in from the break room. I hadn’t even realized she was back there. “What’s happening?” she asked.
The second she saw my face, and before I could even say a word, Josie raced across the kitchen and pulled me into a big hug. Like Casey, Josie gave good hugs. Actually, every friend I met in Willow Brook gave the best hugs.
“What’s wrong?” she demanded when she stepped back.
I swiped at my tears with my fingertips and sniffled. “It’s way too much to explain right now.”
Janet’s voice came from the front, calling for Casey. “I need to—” I didn’t know what I needed, but it was too busy here for me to fall apart.
Josie nodded. “You hold that thought. We have card night coming up, and you’re gonna fill us all in on what’s going on.”
I took a shaky breath as I nodded. As recently as a day ago, I wouldn’t have wanted to tell an entire group of people my whole story, yet it suddenly felt like a huge relief.
I needed some advice. I also desperately wanted to stop feeling like I had to keep my past a secret.
On top of that, I definitely needed help to figure out how to explain the mess to Parker.
“Okay,” I said firmly.
Josie thrust a box of tissues in my hand. I blew my nose and dabbed at my eyes as Casey hurried to the front while Janet came bustling in the back.
“Luna, can you stay and make some more donuts?” Janet asked as she made a beeline for the dishwasher with a tray full of dirty dishes in hand. “Pretty please. We’re completely out in the front.” She glanced over her shoulder, caught a look at me, and skidded to a stop. “Are you okay, hon?”
“Yes,” I replied, even though it had to be obvious I’d just been crying. “I really am,” I insisted when Janet tipped her head to the side, her brow crinkling with worry.
“Luna is okay,” Josie said. “Well, maybe not right this second, but she will be.”
A laugh sputtered up. Janet quickly put down the dish tray before walking over to give me a big hug. “You will be okay,” she announced.
“I know.” And, I did know. The reservoir of strength from my friends buoyed me. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of all the hugs around here.
Janet smiled softly. “Good. Can you stay and make more donuts?” she repeated.
“Absolutely.”
Josie squeezed my shoulder as she wrapped an apron around her waist. “You bake. I gotta get out front. It sounds nuts out there.”
“One of those tour buses is here,” Janet tossed over her shoulder as she hurried out of the kitchen.
I settled into making another batch of dough for donuts.
I loved it here. My grandmother had suggested asking Janet about baking here.
My original plan had been to just use the kitchen, but then Janet wanted to sell the donuts.
I was making enough from the donuts that it would keep me afloat financially while I tried to figure out my next steps.
Janet returned to the kitchen and began prepping the other items she baked for the café. With Janet and my grandmother old friends, she knew my story and me pretty well.
She glanced up at one point as we worked. “I hope you’ll be more open with your friends.”
When I lifted my focus to her, the warmth in her gaze made my heart squeeze. “I’m trying,” I said.
Her smile was soft. “I know you are. I’m really glad you’re here.”
“I am too.” I swallowed through the emotion tightening in my throat. It meant so much to have a place to stay, to feel like I could belong somewhere instead of feeling adrift in a traveling life.
“I have an idea,” she said a moment later.
“Well, I love hearing your ideas, Janet,” I said lightly.
“What if you took over all of the baking here?”
My gaze whipped up to hers. My surprise must’ve shown because she chuckled. “I’m not that young, and I love it here, but I need a plan.”
“What do you mean?” Worry spun through me.
“Oh, I’m healthy, Luna, don’t you worry about that.
But I’m not getting any younger, and I’m close to seven decades.
It’s coming faster than I would like. I hope to live for a whole century, which wouldn’t be crazy because my mom got close to that.
But—” She took a quick breath. “I don’t have any children.
I think of many people in town as my honorary children, but you have a special place in my heart.
What if I stay on and “manage”—” She used air quotes for that.
“And eventually you take over the whole thing. I promise you it’s profitable. ”
Flummoxed, I stared at her, my mouth dropping open. For entirely different reasons than earlier, tears stung my eyes again. “What are you even talking about?”
“I’m talking about giving you this café,” she said firmly.
“Not right away. You do your donuts and take over the baking, but in the long run, I would give this place to you. We’re talking some years down the road.
As long as I stay healthy, I still want to work.
But I’m not territorial. You can change it to fit with your donuts.
I think those alone could be a whole business.
Jasmine rents the space in the back for her pottery studio, but there’s room in the garage behind us that you could update for a bigger baking kitchen if you ever wanted. ”
“I didn’t even know that was part of this,” I said slowly, envisioning the square steel garage back there.
Janet nodded. “I own it. It came with the property. They used to use it for storage for the fire station, and I would rent it to them, but they don’t need it anymore ever since they expanded the new station.
I was thinking, while I’m still in charge here, you could get that up and running for your bakery. ”
I couldn’t really absorb all of this. “Um, I could pay rent,” I said.
“Luna, I don’t need the rent. I own all of this free and clear.
This café is really profitable, in part because I don’t have to worry about overhead except for paying staff and utilities.
That’s why I pay everybody well. Restaurants either fail or they do amazing.
I’ve lucked out here, maybe because I kept it simple.
That’s my best advice to you. If you want this place, when you’re ready, just keep it simple. ”
Overcome with emotion, all I could do was gape at her.
I’d known Janet my whole life, but I didn’t get to see her much because we didn’t come back often after my parents started traveling.
Whenever we came back to visit, I was pretty sure my mom got an earful from my grandma, so they only came on the holidays.
I was silent long enough that Janet’s brow furrowed. “Luna, you don’t have to do this. I just—”
“Oh, I definitely want to do this, but I don’t want to take anything from you. At all.”
Janet smiled softly. “I love it here. This place is part of me, but I’ve thought long and hard about this.
I’ve known for a while that I need some kind of plan.
When you finally came home, I knew you were the plan.
Your grandma is one of my best friends, and I love her to pieces.
She has worried and worried and worried about you.
When I told her I’ve been thinking about this, she thought it might be a great idea.
She told me you don’t want to leave Willow Brook again. ”
I shook my head emphatically. “Definitely not.” I paused, an old pain stinging in my heart.
“I don’t want to travel. I’ve done enough of that.
More than anything in the world, I want to be in one place.
Willow Brook is where I was born and where I always wanted to come back to.
I guess because when I was here, I felt—” I considered my words.
“Settled. Maybe because of Gram being here.”
“Well, here’s the status. I’ve already talked to my attorney about it.
Not just for you, but whatever I do, I need to know how to handle it.
We could meet with her together, and she’ll line out how we need to handle it.
For now, as far as baking full-time, your donuts are your thing.
I don’t want to change that. For the other baking, how about I pay you an hourly wage?
I can also add you to our health insurance.
You need to work here twenty-five hours per week to qualify for that. ”
“I am one hundred percent on board with this plan!”
Janet knew about my heart issue and that health insurance was a big deal for me. At the moment, I was paying through the nose for it.
She beamed. “Perfect! How about you start baking next week?”
“Works for me. Do I need to figure out a schedule with you?”
She shrugged. “Let me know what works for you. As long as we have the baked goods, I don’t care when you do the work.”
“I love you, Janet! I’d hug you, but I can’t.” I held up my hands, which were currently dusted in flour. “Air hugs.”
As the day went on, Josie and Casey heard the news about me coming on to bake full-time, and they were both ecstatic. Janet and I decided to wait on discussing any plans for me to take over the cafe until we hammered the details out and actually confirmed it.
That afternoon, as I was leaving, my phone vibrated. I glanced down to see a text from Parker. Pizza?