❝We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on... that's who we really are.❞
After the tragic death of her parents in a car crash, Francesca Knight starts up a bakery, Sweet Dreams, to provide for her litt...
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Francesca handed him the apron. "Your shift starts now."
After her terrible dream last night, seeing the terror on her parents' faces as they surrendered their lives to Evan, or at least, who she thought was Evan, she was on edge.
Following the death of her parents, Francesca never felt the need to track down her remaining family, considering she was an adult, and all. She knew she had family out there, but that was the extent of it. She vaguely remembered meeting a small boy—her cousin, Evan—far before Everly was born, but she never gave him much thought. Realizing this, Francesca couldn't help but think back to what the man had said. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop Evan in time. It's my fault that your parents are dead. I haven't had a chance to tell you this, but I truly am sorry."
Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, but that nightmare felt so real. In the three years since her parents' demise, she searched and searched for answers. The cause of death was a car crash, she knew that for a fact, but their bodies were never found. As they drove past the ocean, police reported, a truck rammed into their unassuming van, sending both vehicles flying into the deep water below. The person who killed her parents was never identified and the case remained cold.
The absence of a real funeral weighed on Francesca. Instead, she held a memorial service for her parents, with no concrete evidence other than the marks on the road left behind by the tires of a car and a damaged fence. Francesca carried the grief of never getting to say a true goodbye with her for a very, very long time.
Just as she thought she had finally moved on, that man came crashing into her life, acting as if he knew her parents, or something. His appearance reopened old wounds that had never fully healed, and she kicked him out without any explanation.
That dream, however,offered an explanation. A murderer with a plan to dispose of his family, striking her parents first, then moving on to Francesca while she was defenseless, and saving her little sister for last. The fleeting hope she felt, only if for a second, came with a motorcycle, identical to the one the man rode straight into the lamppost outside her bakery.
She couldn't deny that the dream had changed her perspective on, well, everything.
That mysterious man the most. He had nowhere to go, no money, no wand. What appeared to be his only form of transportation was currently wrecked outside of her bakery. She sympathized with him.
She hadn't completely lost her mind, though. He could only stay for a week, she decided. That way, Francesca could find him a new wand, somebody to call, somewhere for him to go. She couldn't blame him for his actions. He was severely drunk last night, after all.
Cautiously, Francesca began to show him around the bakery. The two made their way into the kitchen, where Sarah was mixing a large batch of brightly colored frosting.
"You can find me in here, mostly," Francesca told him, earning a nod. "We also keep the cleaning supplies here as well."
She continued the tour, taking the man back to the front. She lifted herself up onto the counter and pulled a small pad of note paper and a blue pen from behind it.
"You'll be taking orders with Sarah for now," she said, handing him the pen and paper.
He nodded slightly and Francesca watched as he fiddled with the pen. Confusion spread across his face.
"How do you use this?"
Francesca risked a tiny smile and clicked the top of the pen for him, revealing the ballpoint tip. "Press the button when you want to write, and again when you want to put it away," she laughed.
The two sat together at one of the round wooden tables. They were tucked away in the corner of the bakery, out of the way of the stream of morning customers. Francesca took her time explaining how to write down an order. She watched as the man copied down her examples, concentration visible on his face. Finally, she decided he knew what he was doing. It was better to get practice on real customers, anyway.
Francesca stood and motioned him towards the counter. "Ready?" she asked.
"I think so," the man chuckled, following behind her.
To their luck, a young woman pushed open the door to the bakery, a smell bell notifying Francesca of her entry.
"This one's all you," she told him.
The man grinned, and Francesca watched as he sloppily copied down her order. Though it wasn't too complex, Francesca reviewed what he had written and was surprised to find it flawless.
"That's perfect, nice job." Francesca smiled, earning a small grin from the man. "Your order will be out soon, miss."
Francesca headed towards the door to the kitchen, clutching the note in her hand.
"Oh!" She turned around, facing the man again. "I don't think I caught your name last night," she said.
"It's Sirius. Sirius Black."
"Francesca Knight," she replied. "Consider me your boss."
Francesca turned back towards the kitchen, pushing open the swinging door.
"Sirius Black," she repeated softly.
As the day went on, Francesca watched as the customers were greeted by Sirius, who took their orders and handed them their desserts in carryout bags.
Walking back to the kitchen, she found Sarah, who hummed softly as she threw another batch of muffins into the oven.
"Hey," Francesca waved, sitting down at her wooden table.
"Hi," Sarah smiled, moving to sit beside her. "How's it going with... him?"
Francesca laughed. "His name is Sirius, and he's doing surprisingly well. He's a natural."
"Huh," Sarah said, "I wasn't expecting much, considering his communication skills yesterday." Francesca sighed. "He was drunk."
"Oh, so you're defending him now," Sarah smirked. "I get it."
Francesca's eyes widened. "What? No! Sarah, I literally just met him."
"I said what I said," Sarah grinned, standing up and grabbing the muffins out of the oven. She sat them on the counter to cool.
Francesca rolled her eyes. "I'm going to pick Everly up from school. Don't burn the bakery down while I'm gone."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll make sure to watch over your boyfriend, too!"
"Not my boyfriend," she said, before heading out the back door.
