Chapter 8 : Welcome to Disaster
1293 Words
The universe, apparently, was not finished with Tamara Joseph.
At seven-thirty on a Friday morning, the bakery’s coffee machine stopped working.
At eight, a supplier called to say a delivery would be late.
At nine, Emily nearly dropped an entire tray of macarons.
And at ten…
The industrial mixer made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a dying animal.
Then stopped completely.
Tamara stared at it.
The mixer stared back.
Or at least it felt that way.
“Tell me it’s joking.”
Emily looked nervous.
“I don’t think machines can joke.”
“I don’t care.”
The mixer remained silent.
Tamara sighed.
Of course.
Of course this was happening.
Mia appeared beside her holding coffee.
“Bad news?”
Tamara pointed at the machine.
Mia nodded slowly.
“That looks expensive.”
“Very.”
“Can we threaten it?”
“No.”
“Have we tried?”
“No.”
Emily raised a hand.
“I could cry.”
“That won’t fix it.”
“It might make me feel better.”
Tamara considered that.
“Fair.”
⸻
By noon, Sweet Haven Bakery was running entirely on determination and caffeine.
Mostly caffeine.
The staff had adapted as best they could.
But everything took longer.
Orders piled up.
Production slowed.
Stress levels increased.
Tamara had flour on her cheek.
Chocolate on her apron.
And exactly zero patience left.
Which was why she almost dropped a tray when the bakery door opened.
And Guy Harrison walked in.
The entire bakery froze.
Emily froze.
Mia froze.
Even Tamara froze.
Only Guy appeared unaffected.
Naturally.
“Mr. Harrison.”
Guy’s gaze moved across the bakery.
The display cases.
The customers.
The kitchen visible through the glass partition.
Then finally settled on her.
“Miss Joseph.”
Mia slowly leaned toward Emily.
“Oh.”
Emily nodded.
“Oh.”
Tamara didn’t even look at them.
Years of experience had taught her that acknowledging chaos only encouraged it.
“What brings you here?”
Guy glanced toward the kitchen.
“The gala.”
“The gala is in three weeks.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you here?”
A pause.
A dangerous pause.
One that suggested he wasn’t entirely sure himself.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Fortunately, Guy recovered quickly.
“The board requested updates.”
That sounded reasonable.
Suspiciously reasonable.
But reasonable.
“Fine.”
Tamara gestured toward the kitchen.
“Welcome to the disaster.”
⸻
Twenty minutes later, Guy was standing inside the Sweet Haven kitchen.
And for the first time in years, he was completely outside his comfort zone.
The bakery was loud.
Warm.
Chaotic.
Nothing like Harrison Holdings.
Employees moved quickly between stations.
Timers beeped.
Orders were called out.
Someone dropped a spoon.
Someone else laughed.
And somehow, despite the madness, everything still worked.
Mostly.
Guy watched Tamara move through the kitchen.
Answering questions.
Solving problems.
Checking orders.
Fixing mistakes.
Never stopping.
Never slowing down.
Never asking for help.
It was exhausting just watching her.
“Do you ever take a break?”
Tamara glanced up.
“No.”
“That’s not healthy.”
“Neither is stress.”
“You seem stressed.”
“I am stressed.”
At least she was honest.
Guy found himself almost smiling.
Almost.
⸻
Meanwhile, Mia and Emily were conducting highly important research near the ovens.
“He’s handsome.”
Emily whispered.
“Very.”
“Stop that.”
Tamara didn’t even turn around.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You whispered it.”
Emily looked offended.
“Whispering is technically not saying.”
Mia nodded immediately.
“That’s true.”
“It is not.”
“It absolutely is.”
Guy listened to the exchange with surprising amusement.
The bakery felt different from his world.
Louder.
Warmer.
Alive.
Nobody watched every word they said.
Nobody treated him like he carried the weight of the world.
It was…
Refreshing.
A dangerous thought.
He immediately ignored it.
⸻
The moment ended when a loud metallic crash echoed through the kitchen.
Everyone turned.
The mixer had finally surrendered.
Completely.
Tamara closed her eyes.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The silence lasted exactly three seconds.
Then—
“Do not.”
Mia raised both hands.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was.”
Emily nodded.
“She definitely was.”
Tamara laughed.
A real laugh.
Bright.
Unexpected.
The sound filled the kitchen.
For a brief moment, she looked different.
Lighter.
Less burdened.
As though she had forgotten whatever weight she carried on her shoulders.
And for reasons he didn’t care to examine…
Guy found himself wanting to hear that laugh again.
The realization was deeply inconvenient.
⸻
An hour later, Guy prepared to leave.
The bakery remained busy.
Chaotic.
Perfectly imperfect.
As he reached the door, Tamara stopped him.
“Mr. Harrison.”
He turned.
“Yes?”
She hesitated.
Only briefly.
“Thank you.”
Guy frowned.
“For what?”
“For not offering to fix everything.”
The answer surprised him.
Apparently it surprised her too.
A small smile touched her lips.
“Most people assume I need rescuing.”
Guy studied her for a moment.
Then glanced toward the kitchen.
Toward the broken mixer.
Toward the endless orders.
Toward the mountain she was currently trying to climb alone.
“No.”
His voice was calm.
Certain.
“You don’t.”
For a brief second, neither looked away.
The moment felt strangely still.
As though the noise of the bakery had faded into the background.
Then the front door opened.
And the moment disappeared.
A man walked inside.
Tall.
Well-dressed.
Familiar.
The same man Guy had noticed outside the bakery before.
The same man who seemed to appear whenever Tamara was around.
Interesting.
The man’s gaze immediately found Tamara.
Not the display cases.
Not the customers.
Tamara.
Guy noticed the way the man’s shoulders straightened.
The way his expression softened.
The way he looked at her.
Like someone who had something to lose.
Tamara’s smile vanished instantly.
Not dramatically.
Just… gone.
The change was subtle.
But impossible to miss.
The atmosphere shifted.
Even Mia noticed.
Which was saying something.
Because Mia rarely paid attention to anything that wasn’t coffee or gossip.
“Daniel.”
Tamara’s voice was polite.
Careful.
The kind people used when they were trying very hard not to start a fight.
The man nodded.
“Tamara.”
Silence followed.
Uncomfortable silence.
The kind that suggested history.
A lot of history.
Guy looked between them.
Then back at Tamara.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Eventually, he broke the silence.
“That guy seems persistent.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Tamara blinked.
Apparently she hadn’t expected that.
Neither had he.
For a second, the corner of her mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
“He is.”
Guy nodded.
A reasonable answer.
An incomplete one.
But reasonable.
“Should I know who he is?”
Tamara picked up a tray.
Giving herself something to do.
A distraction.
“Not unless you enjoy bad decisions.”
Mia nearly choked on her coffee.
Emily immediately turned away to hide her laughter.
Guy’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
That wasn’t an answer.
And somehow it told him enough.
“I see.”
The conversation ended there.
At least officially.
But as Guy walked toward the door, he found himself glancing back one last time.
Daniel was watching Tamara.
Tamara was pretending not to notice.
And for reasons he couldn’t explain…
The scene bothered him.
Only slightly.
Not enough to matter.
Certainly not enough to think about later.
At least that’s what he told himself.
The problem was…
Guy Harrison was very rarely honest with himself when something mattered.
- Writer
