Sweet Cravings

Chapter Ten – Time for a change?

Bri

The trip home was difficult. Sky cried on and off the whole way home, and by the time I got back there little house she had had enough, so she text Sebastian.

Bri, Hey just got home and Sky is inconsolable. Any chance she can talk to the boys?

The text had hardly had time to land before her phone started to vibrate. The video icon flashed, “Hey, Sky baby, there is someone who wants to talk to you.”

She slowly walked towards me on the couch, tears drying on her cheeks. I lifted her on to my lap and pressed the answer button.

A very sad pair of identical faces gazed back at us, “Zackie? Awex? I miss you.” Bri had to blink back tears as the three children talked and cried. In the background, Sebastian looked like he was just as close to crying.

After about twenty minutes, Sky’s eyes began to droop, so they said goodnight and ended the call, as she was carrying Sky up the stairs her phone beeped.

Sebastian, I need to talk to my friend too. Can I call you later? In say an hour?

Bri I would love that. Sky was out before her head hit the pillow, so let me take a bath?”

Seb ... ... ... okay, so now I am thinking about you naked, I think you are trying to kill me.

Her cheeks flamed, and heat flowed from her belly down to her core. She stared at the message for what seemed like forever, then a slow naughty smile spread across her face.

Bri You forgot wet, I will be naked and very wet.

Seb ...

Seb ...

Bri Speak to you in an hour xx

She decided to take a quick shower over the long soak she had planned and then spent nearly half an hour in her closet trying to decide what PJ’s she should wear.

She pulled out a sexy cami and shorts set that Gem had brought her for Christmas last year and paused....did she want to look sexy?

No....yes.....no, definitely no, it was too soon for that.

She pulled on a pair of flannel pajamas with little squirrels on them. Sky had a matching set. She looked at her reflection in the floor-length mirror, her eyes were so wide, and there was a sparkle in their depths that had been absent for three years, a sparkle she never thought would come back.

She settled into bed, her back against the headboard, and mentally gave herself a shake. Okay Bri, let’s not get carried away, yes he seems like a perfect man, perfect dad, perfect smile and God his perfect ass, his perfect tight-rounded ass, in those tight wranglers.....

She slapped herself on the cheek

For God's sake woman, you are getting in way too deep, way too fast, he may be just looking for a little fun, not forever....and am I really ready for forever? Or am I just lonely?

She jumped when her phone went off, her heart beating out of her chest, taking a large calming breath, she tried to calm her racing heart and pressed the button.

Sebastian's face and shoulders filled the screen. He was leaning against a tiled wall. She frowned, “Are you in the bathroom?”

He smirked. “Well, the boys are asleep, and it seemed like every person in the B&B are awake and downstairs, so this was the only private place I could think of.”

They talked for hours, about everything and nothing until Bri could barely keep her eyes open. After the second time she dropped her phone, Sebastian sighed.

“Go to sleep baby, you are exhausted.” She startled at the endearment but shook her head. “No, I don’t want to stop talking.”

She sent him a pout which made him chuckle, “Okay, lie down and rest your phone on the pillow next to you, I will stay until you fall asleep, okay?”

She gave a sleepy smile and did as instructed. The sound of his soft voice slowly sent her to sleep. The last thing she heard, “Goodnight darling.”

They had fallen into a rhythm—video chats with the kids before bed, then long, quiet conversations that stretched until Bri’s eyelids grew heavy and her phone slipped from her hand. It was silly, she told herself. They had only known each other for a handful of days. But she missed him. Missed his voice, his laugh, the way he made her feel like she wasn’t just surviving—she was living.

And it wasn’t just her. Sky adored him. Gem too. She had never seen Gem take to someone so quickly. On Thursday, Gem had even joined Sebastian and his friends for poker night via video call, laughing like she belonged there.

The chime of the doorbell pulled her from her thoughts. Her heart gave a little leap. Sebastian had said he was sending her tablet back today.

“Mornin’, Miss Bri,” the postman drawled when she opened the door. “Got a package all the way from New York—and what looks like a magazine subscription from New England.”

She forced a polite smile, ignoring the nosy glint in his eyes. “Thanks,” she said, and shut the door before he could fish for gossip.

The box was bigger than she expected, heavy in her arms as she carried it to the coffee table. Sky abandoned her toys and scrambled onto the couch, curls bouncing. “Mama! Is it from Sebby? And Awex and Zackie?”

She laughed, her chest tightening at the hope in her daughter’s voice. “Let’s see, baby.”

She sliced through the tape, the sound sharp in the quiet room. Inside, nestled in layers of tissue, was her old tablet—and a sleek new one. A letter lay on top, Sebastian’s handwriting bold and familiar.

Dear Bri,

Your tablet was too far gone to save, but I know how much it means to you. I’ve returned it—with a slightly newer model that has all your photos and memories copied over. My intern set it up so when you turn it on, it’ll ask for a new login. That way, you’ll always have access—even if this one breaks.

The boys and I didn’t want to leave Sky out, so there are a few things for her in the box as well.

I can’t wait to speak to you tonight. I have news—and I want you to be the first to know.

I miss you.

Bast xx

Bri pressed the note to her chest, her throat tightening. News? What kind of news? Her pulse fluttered like wings as she dug deeper into the box—finding pink cookies wrapped in wax paper, a stuffed dolphin for Sky, and a jar of seashells that smelled faintly of salt and sun.

Sky squealed, clutching the dolphin to her chest. “Sebby knows me, Mama! He knows me!”

Bri smiled, blinking back tears. He knows us, she thought. And maybe—just maybe—he was about to change everything.

As she watched Sky play with her new dolphin, she reached for the envelope from New England. Inside was a copy of the Comfort Gazette. The paper smelled faintly of ink and salt, its edges soft from the journey. She frowned—she couldn’t remember subscribing to the Gazette—but suddenly hungry for news of Comfort, she began to read.

Skimming the front page, then the local events, her eyes catching on photos of the harbor and the lighthouse. Her chest tightened. She could almost feel the wind again, hear the gulls crying overhead. God, I miss it there.

Finally, she flipped to the back of the magazine, scanning the classifieds. Most were ordinary—holiday rentals, fishing gear—but one listing made her pause:

After thirty years, our beloved Doris has decided to hang up her apron. Our very own Owen Sanders will be listing The Sweet Treats Bakery from Monday.

Her breath hitched. She read on, her pulse quickening.

Doris has exclusively told me she will personally hand-pick her successor. In her words: “Whoever buys the bakery must be the perfect fit. Just like me, the bakery needs a little TLC—and there’s nothing sweeter than that.”

Staring at the words, her mind spinning. A bakery. No—the bakery. The one with the striped awning and the smell of cinnamon that had wrapped around her like a hug. The one that looked just like her sketch in college—the dream she’d tucked away when life got messy.

A fresh start. Far away from the whispers and judgment of this tiny Montana town. Away from Vivian’s venom and the weight of old expectations.

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “What am I even thinking?” she whispered. “I can’t move all the way across the country… can I?”

But the thought lingered, stubborn and sweet—like the smell of warm bread. And as Sky giggled on the floor, she felt something shift inside her. For the first time in years, the future didn’t feel like a closed door. It felt like a window, cracked open, letting in the scent of possibility.

And even better Sebastian would only be a few hours away, maybe....just maybe

The thought curled through her like warm sugar, impossible to ignore. She could almost see it—Sky running barefoot along the harbor, Gem laughing in the sun, Sebastian’s storm-gray eyes softening when he looked at her. A life that felt lighter, freer. A life that wasn’t built on surviving, but on living.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, jolting her from the daydream. Sebastian’s name lit up the screen, and her heart kicked hard against her ribs.

He wasn't supposed to call till tonight, to tell me his news.

She swallowed, her fingers trembling as she reached for the phone. For the first time in years, she felt something she thought she’d lost forever.

Hope.