Secrets & Desires - Locked in the Dark

Chapter 1 - Charlie

Then I straightened up with an annoyed mind and strolled into the bathroom. The bright light made my eyes wince, but I woke up all the faster when I looked in the mirror.

I was just a morning grouch and couldn't understand the people who are like stand-up men and are full of energy. Wait, that's how I used to be. Over the years, my mind had changed. But it's also logical, after all, I'm not 20 years old anymore.

After a few minutes I had tied my cinnamon-colored, long hair into a high braid and put some natural make-up in my face. My girlfriend would never leave the house without make-up, I was just too lazy at 4 a.m. for that. Some blush and mascara, as well as a subtle lipstick also served their purpose.

After slipping into my burgundy red plate skirt and black tights, I grabbed my white blouse and put on my black cardigan. It was already autumn, but luckily not that cold yet, so a cardigan was enough for outside.

I quickly put on my boots, grabbed my bag and quickly left the house.

There were still some stars in the sky and I was really happy that I could walk to my workplace.

Our city was a quiet place. Fort Saint-Laurent was located in Mississippi. The nearest town was Pascagoula and New Orleans was two hours away from us. Our city didn't even have 6000 inhabitants and everyone knew everyone here.

Fort Saint-Laurent was known for its fortifications and an insider tip for some tourists. Historically, the name of our city comes from St. Lawrence and had a touch of a French culture. Even the houses seemed very European. I loved it and it was always a dream of mine to travel to Europe. But such a trip to another continent is not exactly cheap.

Sighing, I strolled to my bakery. This was the main reason why I couldn't travel to Europe just like that.

My mother's bakery.

Riverside Hearts Bakery was founded in 2005 by my mother, Clara Rivers, a passionate baker, who wanted to create a welcoming place in our city. We were also the only bakery in our city. Of course, you could also buy baked goods in supermarkets, but you couldn't compare that with our traditional bakery.

My mother's vision was to make artisanal bread and pastries that reflected the rich agricultural heritage of the region.

Our bakery quickly became a popular meeting place, known not only for its delicious pastries but also for its community spirit. We also had a small café integrated, which was really very popular. Our Google rating of 4.7 was also impressive. Especially German tourists loved our bakery.

My mother died of Corona 3 years ago. Every time I thought back to 2021, anger and sadness came up in me. I shook my head and noticed that the light was already burning in the store.

I opened the glass door that functioned as the main entrance and already saw two of my salespeople diligently putting away the counter and the bread shelf.

Samuel Madden has been with us for 6 years and has been an excellent salesman. Friendly and courteous to regular customers and walk-in customers. With his humor, he was particularly popular with tourists. At 37 years old, he still looked young. His origin was Irish, which reflected his appearance. Red hair, as well as a red moustache and bright green eyes. But especially his smile always made others smile as well.

"Good morning, boss! Here's your coffee! Only with frothed milk! The way you like it!" he smiled and pressed a large cup into my hand.

"Good morning! There's still mail on your desk! It came a little late!" said the saleswoman named Mystelle Robinsons.