Unforgotten Love - Book 2

Vandalized

LENA POV

As the end of July nears, I begin anticipating the school year which won't start until after Labor Day, but it's still foremost in my mind as I'm excited about the kids' new school, Anchor Beach. Of course, Tess also enrolled Stefanie into fifth grade as I had told her not to bother putting her in the public school.

Stefanie is adapting rather well, it seems, and the fact that Frankie and Corey have a new friend to play with adds to some of the disorganization happening in the house-hold. It's true that I live with Julius and Ryan, but the entire basement was mapped out into a kind of apartment where the kids could still reach the guys' part with no issue, and more often than not, I find myself searching high and low for the kids only to find them upstairs with Stefanie using Julius' nice television.

We have been able to come up with a well planned system that works for us as well since we all work at the bakery. Most mornings, I open while Julius takes care of the kids. By the afternoon, I'm off and to class, and that's when my kids are either with Ryan, Jillian or Sandra.

"Come on, Ryan! I'll drive this morning!" I smile as he sleepily pours his coffee in his giant thermos. We had all gone in to bake last night so we could go in at six this morning. We were trying something new and were hoping this might work.

"Isn't Tess opening with us?"

"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry! I set my alarm for PM instead of AM!" Tess is out of breath as if she was running a marathon.

I laugh and hand her a thermos of coffee. "You'll need this. I made sure to add extra milk."

"Thanks, Lena. You're such a morning person!"

I laugh as I grab my keys, "I'm used to having to get up to go fishing with my dad remember?"

"Ahhhhh, yes! The fisherman!"

We jump in Ryan's truck, and I drive us to the bakery which usually only takes us ten minutes this time of day. Today is no different, but as I park, the headlights show us a shattered front window. I can't park fast enough as all three of us jump out and run to see what happened.

"Oh my god!" Ryan cries out as he turns the lights on to see the entire café part is trashed, tables overturned, glass on the tiled floor and spray painted across the walls obscenities not worth repeating.

This is all too familiar to me, and flashbacks of the army base in Oakland flash through my head, but this time I'm not scared. I'm angry. Livid. Beyond belief. "What the actual hell? Who would do this? This is uncalled for!" I holler as I look at the smashed glass case where Julius usually shows off his cakes and pies.

I notice every last detail including the cherry pie that was smeared across the floor making it look as if someone was stabbed and blood stained the concrete. Our brand new register is bashed in, yet no money was taken which is surprising to me. Yet I know even more that this was a hate crime instead of a robbery. Walking further back, I notice that all of the giant cinnamon rolls that were to be our morning special, are smashed and all over the floor.

Tess looks shaken up, but I hear her say something about calling the police. So, I keep walking to try and find Ryan. Stepping over broken dish wear and across the soapy, sticky floor, I find him in the back by his office as he glares and growls, "Don't touch a damn thing! Not one thing! We don't want our fingerprints on anything!"

I'm not used to seeing him this upset either, but I understand it. This is beyond a hate crime as the terrible words painted were not only racial but also hate against Ryan and Julius being a couple, and I can feel my insides shaking. This is not happening all over again. I won't let it. At all. And if I have anything to do about it, I will hunt down whoever did this.