Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 1

The mornings lately had been warm with a hint of a chill to them. It meant summer was right around the corner. The trees were green and producing shade, and flowers were blooming all over. It was a calm morning like most had been recently.

However what was calm on the outside was not on the inside. Since it was just after eight in the morning, most coffee shops on this side of the mountain town were packed. One in particular was a little busier than others.

Since opening in 2010, Kyle's Confectionery had had a steady stream of business. At first it was because of the amazing donuts and bear claws, but then a coffee shop was added. After that, the business kept coming. Then the shop branched into catering, birthdays, and weddings; and since then, business was booming.

For the last six months, the little shop had been in the top ten for their sleepy town's places to visit. Since they were in the mountains, Daluca's Pass was a small city instead of a town, but there was a lot of tourism. Every year when the leaves turned colors and when the snow melted in the spring were the biggest times of the year with so many weddings taking place due to nature being at its finest. Summer also saw a steady influx of tourism as people passed through either to the hot springs or the mountain cabins. There was a nice revenue for everyone involved.

Even though mornings were super busy, some people just thought their lives were more important than others. The line was nearly out the door as the morning rush waited patiently for their orders. Everyone knew there were only four other workers employed at the moment. However one had quit recently so they were short staffed. Most people were patient because they knew the quality of the baked goods.

This morning unfortunately one lady was not having any of it, and everyone knew her. Mrs. Ryan was a lawyer at Reagan & Sons Law Firm, and she thought she was highfalutin since she got her law degree from Harvard. She lived in her family home on Greene Street and took great pride in the old Victorian home. Unfortunately, she was a bit prickly and not very patient.

She bypassed four people in line and slapped her hand on the counter twice. The girl behind the counter jumped and her eyes grew to the size of saucers. She was well aware of the woman's reputation, and this was only her summer job.

"Katie, I'm late for work," Mrs. Ryan said. She looked at her watch in hopes to prove a point. "I ordered early so I could come in, get my order, and get out. Why am I standing in line?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ryan, but Lark turned in her notice and we're short staffed. She was the one who kept the online orders together and ready," Katie apologized.

"And that has anything to do with me how?"

The man she passed scoffed. "Louisa, get back in line. We're all late, but none of us are complaining."

Mrs. Ryan turned to him. "Reese, you should be. How would your patients feel if you were late?"

Reese smiled. "My first appointment isn't until ten, so get back in line and wait your turn."

The woman wasn't going to back down. She continued attacking the poor girl about how they should be more timely and not make their customers wait. She talked and talked and talked until those behind her started to get annoyed. They weren't annoyed at Katie, but at Mrs. Ryan. She was running her mouth about making them late when she was the one taking up the most time! They knew Katie couldn't control anything more than her counter.

The tirade lasted for another few minutes until the door to the kitchen opened. A tall man with grey starting to come in at his temples came through with six boxes of donuts. He set them atop the display counter and handed Katie the order numbers. He leaned a lazy hip against the counter and crossed his arms.