Page 9 of Blood Sugar

Enchantresso was open late for the various nocturnal supernatural patrons, but they would be closing up soon, so I untied my apron, brushed my shirt off, and strode out of my family’s bakery without a backward glance. Sadie would be fine. Probably.

Thirty minutes later, I had a wrinkled list of pastries, a fresh cup of coffee to go, and a headache. My visit to the tea shop had taken much longer than I expected, and my nerves were raw. Every second had been consumed with thoughts of Sadie. Did she pull the scones out of the oven on time?

I couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling in my gut. It was a bad decision to leave Sadie alone twenty minutes into her employment. But she would be working solo most of the time, so it would have to be fine.

Halfway back to the bakery, my phone buzzed. The screen flashed Amelie. My sister was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. Mumbling a curse under my breath, I accepted the call and held the phone up to my ear.

“Hey Ro, did the new baker show up?”

“Yup,” I said shortly.

“Isn’t she just so sweet?”

“No. I mean, she’s fine. Adequate.”

“Adequate?” Amelie’s voice flattened. “I hope you aren’t being rude to her. She’s so nice! I thought she could bring some sunshine to the shop. Well, not sunshine, since she’s a vampire and all, but you know what I mean. Balance out your boring seriousness.”

“Amelie, please tell me you didn’t hire her based on personality. We need someone who can get the work done efficiently, not someone who is always smiling. This is a hard job! Did you even check her references to see if she could bake?”

Amelie huffed like I was being ridiculous.

“Stop worrying. She’ll be great. I can sense it. Just give her a chance to prove herself. You’ll love her once you get to know her.”

There was no way I was telling her that I’d met Sadie before tonight, or that I’d ground against her, twisting my fingers in her hair, and seriously considered feeling her up on a patio. Telling my sister definitely wouldn’t help the situation.

“I don’t really think—” I started to say, unsure of how to finish my sentence.

Muffled voices floated through the line, and Amelie covered the receiver as she spoke to them. My fingers tightened on the paper until it crinkled in my grasp. I didn’t have time for this!

“Sorry, Ro. I’m at my new job and—”

“It’s fine. I gotta go, Ames. I’ll text you later.”

We both knew I wouldn’t text her, but it was a nice sentiment.

“Bye!”

I tapped the glass a little too hard, ending the call. That call was unnecessary, and I was vibrating with anxiety by the time I shoved the phone in my pocket. The longer I was away from Sadie, the more my intuition prickled. I wasn’t a seer, but my instincts were screaming at me as I crossed the sidewalk and let myself into the bakery.

“Rowen? Is that you?” Sadie called. Her voice was pitched high and lilted up at the end.

My anxiety spiked into panic, and I launched myself into a jog around the counter and into the back kitchen, grabbing the open doorway to brace myself as I took in the scene.

It looked like Sadie had waged battle and lost, severely.

My mouth fell open. Flour covered every surface. The oven door was hanging open, and from the crooked trays shoved inside, I suspected it wouldn’t close. The room was quickly warming, and under the layer of flour powdering her face, a deep crimson flush darkened Sadie’s cheeks.

My mouth opened and closed like a fish before I managed to say, “What the absolute fuck?”

Chapter 3

Baking Mistakes

Sadie

Do not cry. Don’t do it! Don’t you dare cry!

A fat tear slid from my lashes and trailed through the flour dusting my face.