Chapter Three.

Seven years had passed, and Joan and Isabella were still as close as ever. With Joan running a bar back in Norman and Isabella, a very successful bakery of her own several miles away in Riverdale.

Life was good turning twenty nine with two seven-year olds and a much larger house, a stable job and her peace of mind—but it wasn’t always like that.

The many months after the twins’ birth was the toughest of her entire life.

Isabella had to look for jobs while taking care of babies that hated to be quiet. Luckily, Majorie was there for the most of it but she could only do so much.

When she started Bella’s bakery, it was barely thriving at this part of the town, until the Annual Baking Fair put her on the map—where she’d won two awards to her name and several hotels chased after her.

One going as far as to offer her a store in New York City. But Isa couldn’t leave her twins, so she stayed. A month later, the offers died down but the customers never did.

She heard the chatterings echo from outside her windows before she brought it to close.

“Sorry, we’re sold out for the day.” Her words were met with a chorus of murmurs and a smirk crept to her lips.

Heaving a sigh, her eyes darted to the recognition plaque across the table, on which was engraved her very name—Isabella Evans, baker of the year.

It was how she secured her second job, delivering the best of her daily cakes to the best hotel in Riverdale, Marriott Suites.

And usually by the time when she closed, she’d toss her apron off and grab her keys with the boxed desserts, and she’d drive all the way there. It wasn’t that much of a distance, and in barely five minutes, she was at the entrance of the five star hotel.

“Shit” She muttered, running late for brunch in its restaurant.

Nodding at the waiters who knew her, she dashed past into the storeroom, placing the first cakes on the table. Her eyes immediately met Tony, the restaurant manager and he had a half hearted smirk on his face.

“I’m sorry, got caught up in work” She apologized, shrugging her shoulders and he nodded.

“Hm. What do we have for today?” He asked.

“The usual, red velvet and i have chocolate in the car. I’ll go get it now” Isabella replied, turning back to the direction of the door.

She opened her car doors to get the last of the cakes and she soon found herself at the foot of the hotel elevator.

The door chimed open and suddenly a young man charged through and before she could get a hold of herself, the cake fell to the ground in a mess, having bumped into the stranger’s shoulders.

He walked past her, and she fell to her knees.

“Shit” She couldn’t gather what was left.

“You ruined it” Words gritted through her teeth as she looked up to the man that was now guarded by an army of security. “Watch where you’re going” One of them said, threatening to hit her with the stick in his hands.

“Bastard” Came a subtle cuss from Isa’s thin lips.

“Watch your mouth, young woman” He inched closer and she took a timid step back.

“You watch your manners” Her shoe smeared the rest of the cake.

“It’s okay” Her aggressor gave way, walking through his security.

He had his phone in his hands, which he was clearly engrossed in. And he dipped his hands into his pockets with wavering eyes.

“Here” His voice was thick as he tossed to the ground some wads of cash. “That should do it”

He turned around, strands of his glistening dark hair falling down his shoulders and her eyes darted to the money scattered on the ground. “You keep your money” Isabella kicked it to him and he halted, throwing his head over his arms.

“Such an ungrateful piece of shit” He croaked, his emerald green eyes saying much more than the words from his mouth. And before Isa could utter another word, a voice called unto her.

“Isa” It was Tony and he had his hands against his hip.

“My office. Now!” There was an authoritative tone to his words and her shoulders fell.

“I swear he bumped into me and he ruined the cake” She argued once his door closed. Tony stood behind his desk and she was frantic, obliged to prove a point. “It’s okay” He muttered.

“No, it’s not. I hate whatever privilege and pride right people like him have to look down on someone like money is everything—“ He scoffed at her words before breaking in.

“You have an offer, Isa” His words were low, but somehow still halting her. Her hands fell to the table with intrigue in her eyes.

“What?” Isa asked.

“Good news huh.” He said.

“There’s an opening in Norman, and i just got word from my partner. Marriott is setting up a hotel at one of its axis and he was around the other day to taste some of your cakes. He loved it” Tony said and Isa squealed with disbelief in her eyes.

“He loved it so much that he offered to have you back. Do you know what this means?” He asked and Isa nodded, narrowing her eyes with a wide grin.

And suddenly the frown across her crinkling brows turned upside down.

“You could have your own bakery with Marriott and you wouldn’t have to go back and forth. You’d be a fully contracted baker” He scoffed.

“Now i tried my best to sway him with the idea that you might not want to come back to Nor—”

“I will” Isabella suddenly blurted.

“I will, Tony. It’s been a dream to work fully contracted with Marriott. It could put me more on the map you know” She said and she shrugged his shoulders.

“Way to throw me under the bus” He teased and she scoffed.

“You’ll be fine, Tony” She said.

“You’ll be fine without me.”

“He’s paid off your contract so i can’t really hold you back, can i?” Tony asked with that little smirk of his.

“You really worked hard for this, Isabella. I’ve watched you grow over the past few years, you deserve this” Toni said and she nodded.

In her widest fantasies, she might have imagined a life with him—where he wasn’t her boss and she wasn’t a baker. That they’d just met and fell in love.

Tony was the kind of person you fell in love with.

“I really hope you take it” He muttered and their eyes met.

“Well, are you?” Came an enthusiastic yell from her phone as Isa battled through her doors.

She placed her coat by the chair and walked into the dining with som leftover pastries. Both Ryan and Emily pounced out at the scent of the cake.

“Mummy” They chorused, rushing to grab her into a hug and she ran her hands through their hair.

“Thank you” She whispered to Majorie before walking into her room. “Joan” She called into her phone.

“Yeah?” Her best friend replied.

“I asked are you going to take the job?”

At that question. Isa heaved a deep sigh. For the first time that night, the thought of returning to Norman seemed to intimidate her. She fell back into her bed.

“You know how much you have wanted this, manifested this” Joan reminded her and she pushed a lump down her throat.

“But Colton?” She whispered, remembering the last time she was in Norman, she hadn’t reached out to him, neither had she spoken to her family ever since.

All she had was Majorie and her twins.

“Screw Colton, you’ll have me” Joan exclaimed. “It will be like old times, Isa” She whispered and a smile crept to her lips.

“Old times” She echoed, realizing that it wasn’t meeting Colton that scared her, it was meeting the father of her children.

But it was a slim possibility, right? Right.