I Ache For You.

“Keri, love. Can I have a word before you open?” Mrs. Brown's soft-spoken voice reaches me as I pull the door to my bakery open.

“Yes, of course, Mrs. Brown. You know I always have time for you.” Removing the key from the lock, I spin around and make my way to where Mrs. Brown is standing, shoving the key into my bag.

I also try not to be distracted by the scent of Tobias's cologne, which is being carried away by the whisper of a breeze that brushes past me.

“Kip told me what happened last night,” Mrs. Brown begins with a hint of bitterness coating her words. “I will admit that it was me who put him up to the idea of asking you out. It took some badgering on my behalf to get his confidence up. But never in my days would I have suggested such an act if I had known that you married the same man who tried to evict you, straight after you found out that your boyfriend got your evil little sister pregnant.”

My heart grows heavy at her use of her words, and I start to feel offended by th