Chapter 17
Every muscle in Nia’s body screamed at her as she rolled out of bed.
As she sat on the side of her mattress and stretched, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d put her body through so much.
Her mind instantly went back to the events of the previous day.
Nia was thrilled that Eve and Joel were reunited, but she couldn’t quite feel happy.
Shoving herself to her feet, she wondered how things had gone for Beck and Kendrick.
The two of them had gone back to Joel and Eve’s home with them, but the wolves and Nia had returned to Montclair territory to give them some space.
There were still plenty of details to work out, and Cole had decided the pack’s work was done.
Sunlight streamed into the kitchen, and she blinked with irritation.
“Why’s it gotta be so bright and sunshiney?
” she grumbled. Nia was usually a morning person, but not that day.
She’d helped achieve something great, something that meant a lot to her.
She’d helped keep a woman and her children safe from a terrible situation.
Even more, she’d managed to change that terrible situation into something completely different.
Thanks to her magic, Joel had seen his own future.
He’d come to understand just what his intentions for his children would bring.
He’d found the infinite possibilities that came with being a patient and understanding father instead of a warmongering drill sergeant.
It was incredible, really, and plenty of the Montclairs had told her so.
That was one major requirement Nia had set for herself before leaving for Salem, and she could check it off the list. She just wished it made her feel better than it did.
Her stomach knotted as much as her muscles when she spotted a note on the counter.
Though Brianna had seemed impressed with Nia’s efforts the previous day, Nia wouldn’t fool herself into believing that anything had been fixed between them.
Helping the dragons was great, but it didn’t change who Nia’s fated mate was.
Left something for you in the microwave. Could use some help prepping for tomorrow if you want to come.
There was no signature, and Brianna hadn’t put any little smiley faces or hearts in the note as she’d always done when they’d left messages for each other back at their dorm, but Nia still felt a bolt of hope.
She tried to tamp it down, not wanting to be disappointed all over again as she opened the microwave.
Inside was a plate of treats. Each pastry had been cut into a square and filled with cream cheese and raspberry jam.
The diagonal corners were brought together into a tiny knot at the center to hold it all together while still showing off the filling.
It only took two bites to eat one, and Nia rolled her eyes in satisfaction.
The tart raspberry, the creaminess of the cheese, and the flakiness of the crust were pure heaven.
She looked at the note again. Did Brianna really mean it? There was only one way to find out. Nia had taken plenty of risks up in the mountains with Joel and the rest of his clan, so driving into town didn’t seem like too much of a hazard by comparison. What did she have to lose?
“Hey,” Brianna said without looking up when Nia stepped inside. She was carefully piping icing onto a pan of sugar cookies.
“Hey.” It wasn’t as if Nia expected Brianna to come rushing up to her and give her a hug, but she still felt a pang of disappointment that nothing had changed between them. “What can I help with?”
Brianna’s shoulder rolled slightly, just enough not to disturb her careful work. “I’m putting together some giveaway goody bags and trying to prep as much as I can with baked items, so if you could help clean up the place, that would be good. I think the windows need to be gone over again.”
“Sure.” Nia hadn’t come halfway across the country just to spray clean and mop. She was there to dive into a fun business adventure with her bestie, but she would hold up her end of the bargain. Nia went into the back to get a bucket of vinegar water and a couple of rags.
She started on the glass in the door, since that was what everyone would see as they walked in. “Do you need me to make any social media posts?”
“If you want. I haven’t put much out.”
No music was playing in The Cozy Crumb at the moment, which made Nia’s work seem more solemn and dreary than it already did. Even the smell of cookies and icing didn’t make it any better. Her dry rag squeaked loudly against the glass as she finished with the door.
“It’s probably pretty quiet at the packhouse with all the babies back home,” Nia noted as she started on a window. It was conversation that didn’t directly relate to the two of them, which felt somewhat safe.
“I guess. I haven’t been back over there.” Brianna placed the cookies aside so the icing could finish setting.
“I’m glad it all worked out.” She attacked a bit of grime in the corner of the window that hadn’t been taken care of during the first round of cleaning. “I like thinking of their family being back together again.”
“Mm.” Brianna rustled around under the counter, pulling out a stack of paper bags with the shop’s name stamped on them. She began assembling the goody bags for the first one hundred customers. “Yeah, that’s good for them, I guess.”
Small talk with a complete stranger would’ve been more engaging. Brianna wanted help with the bakery, but their friendship seemed doomed.
Nia scrubbed at a spot on the corner of the window.
It refused to budge, and she realized it was a dollop of paint that they’d carelessly gotten on the glass.
She was just about to go find something to scrape it off with when a bright yellow VW Beetle with pink flower decals all over it pulled up next to Brianna’s car outside.
“Um, you weren’t planning to be open today, were you?” Nia asked.
Brianna kept filling the bags, which were now accumulating on the counter in neat rows. “Nope.”
“Well, someone is here. It’s a pretty funky car, too. I’ll tell her we’re closed.” Nia started toward the door, planning to meet the woman there, but then she recognized her. “Hang on. It’s your mom.”
“Mom?” Brianna charged out from behind the counter and barreled straight into the tall woman who stepped into the bakery. “You’re here! Why are you here?”
Wendy Newman wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her tight against her ample chest. “What do you mean? You’re about to open. Don’t you think I’d be here for that?”
“Well, yeah, but…” Brianna pulled back and shrugged. “You didn’t say anything.”
“Everyone likes surprises.” Wendy gently tapped her fingertip against Brianna’s nose.
Nia wasn’t so sure everyone liked surprises, especially depending on what those surprises were. “Hi, Wendy. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Nia.” Wendy took both of Nia’s hands in hers. Her green eyes gazed fondly at her through her purple cat’s eye glasses. “You look lovely, as always. How have you been?”
“Good, thank you.” Wendy had always been the one to help Brianna move into her dorm at the beginning of the year and out at the end, so the two of them had met a couple of times. Nia should’ve known that the groovy car outside belonged to her.
“Show it all to me, girls! Give me the grand tour!” Wendy enthused, spreading her hands to encompass the bakery. “The Cozy Crumb! It certainly looks cozy to me, with the color of the walls. Just stunning!”
“Thank you,” Brianna beamed, looking happy for the first time in a week. “I think the dining area is pretty self-explanatory.”
“Don’t oversimplify it, honey! Tell me every detail! How did you pick out the chairs?” Wendy ran her hand along the back of one of them.
“They came with the place,” Brianna snorted.
“Then how about this print?” She pointed to Van Gogh’s Irises in an ornate gold frame.
“Two bucks at the thrift store.”
“That’s my girl!” Wendy tucked her hair behind her ear, showing off the pink streak in it. “I’ve always told you there’s a story behind everything! As a matter of fact, I heard some anonymous donor gave you some dishes to use.”
“You want to see them in action?” Brianna led her to the kitchen. “I’ve got a few more test batches made up, and not everything will still be good tomorrow.”
It was easy to get caught up in Wendy’s enthusiasm, but Nia hung back.
If things were different, she would’ve stayed right with them and enjoyed the visit.
But things weren’t different. The sisterlike bond she’d shared with Brianna had dissolved.
She returned to the windows and let Brianna have fun with her mom.
She listened to the murmur of chatter and the clattering of dishes coming from the kitchen as she carefully cleaned each window, knowing it would be the last time she’d do it.
Not that Nia relished such a boring chore, but it felt like putting the final polish on something she’d never again get to have.
“Delicious!” Wendy said, still chewing as she came back out of the kitchen. “Not that I expected anything else, mind you. Is there anything I can do to help you get ready for the big day? Do you have all you need?”
“I think I’m good,” Brianna said.
Nia noted that she hadn’t said: "we."
“I’ve got to finish putting the goody bags together, and I’m going to have a drawing for a bigger gift basket. I want to give people lots of reasons to come in,” Brianna explained.
“Those scrumptious muffins are reason enough, but yes,” Wendy encouraged. “Make them feel like they’re missing out if they don’t shop up on opening day!”
“Oh, no.”
Nia turned to see Brianna leaning against the counter with her hand over her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I just realized what time it is! I’m supposed to go do an interview with a guy from the local news outlet!”
“Wouldn’t it be better if he just came here?” Wendy asked.