Bake Me a Mate

The afternoon sun, around three o'clock, was shining brightly through the windows of the Sweet Surrender bakery, casting warm, golden light on the storefront. You could see all the delicious treats through the front window: a bunch of colorful macarons all squished together, bright fruit tarts just gleaming, and a dark chocolate cake sitting quietly in the corner. The sweet scents of vanilla, cinnamon, and buttery cookies wafted through the air, creating a delightful blend. The aroma was slightly sweet, but it also had a hint of something being a bit overdone, as if the oven might have been a little too hot. Then, BAM! A man in a stiff suit, a bank employee, suddenly appeared at the counter and forcefully placed a letter on the table. It sounded like ice cracking when it hit the table. The words "FINAL NOTICE" on the envelope were bright red, like they were stabbing right into Elise's heart. Elise's brown hair was messy, with some strands of white flour on it. She tried to smile, but her lips were shaking, and her voice was rough. "Mr. Brown, I need more time. I'm... I'm working on it, you know? I'll get the money together...' 'Ms. Elise, haven't I given you enough time already?!' Mr. Brown cut her off, looking annoyed. "We're a bank, not a charity. You can't keep dragging this out! If you can't pay by the deadline, the bank will auction the property. There will be no exceptions!' He said it slowly and deliberately, each word feeling like a nail being hammered into Elise. Mr. Brown didn't even look back as he left. His footsteps sounded like a heavy hammer pounding in Elise's chest. She slumped back into her chair, and everything went black for a second. She felt totally empty, like she couldn't even breathe. She looked down at the envelope, feeling stressed. She felt anxious, and it just kept getting worse. "Hi there, what can I get for you?" Elise said, trying to calm herself down. She looked up and tried to sound normal. She knew that, no matter what, she had to keep going and the store had to stay open. A young woman walked in. Her beige trench coat made her look delicate, like she was sad. She didn't wear makeup, but her features were pretty, and the redness in the corners of her eyes made her look vulnerable. She looked around, her eyes scanning all the treats, and finally landed on the lemon tart. The bright yellow color caught her eye. "I'll take a lemon tart and a black coffee, please," she said, her voice barely a whisper, like she was really tired. Elise carefully put the lemon tart in a paper box with the "Sweet Surrender" logo and little flowers on it and handed it to the woman. Their fingers touched for a second, and Elise felt like she couldn't move. Ever since she was little, she had been very sensitive to other people's feelings. She could tell when other people were feeling sad just by touching them. She sprinkled a bit of cinnamon in the woman's black coffee, hoping the warm smell would chase away some of the sadness she felt. "Here's your lemon tart and black coffee." Enjoy," Elise said softly, smiling. She hoped that everyone who came into her shop would feel a little bit of sweetness and warmth. "Thank you," the woman said, taking the coffee and sipping it. Her forehead, which had been all wrinkled, relaxed a little, like a tiny bit of snow melting. The bell above the door jingled, and Elise's nerves, which had just started to calm down, tightened right back up. "Elise! Look what I found! They were fresh blueberries from the farmers market, and they were amazing!" Olivia Carter, Elise's best friend and the one who helped out at the shop, burst in like a whirlwind. She was wearing an apron covered in cartoon characters and carrying a box full of fresh, delicious-smelling food. Olivia's cheerful voice immediately brightened the store. Olivia saw Elise's face, put the box down, and went over to her. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with the money?" Elise nodded sadly and picked up an old, yellowed notebook. She gently touched the cover where her dad had written "Sweet Surrender" – the words were a little faded now. "Olivia, am I just totally useless? I can't even keep Dad's shop going..." she whispered, feeling terrible. She opened the notebook and pointed to a page with a strange name written on it: 'Moon Grass'? "What's that?" I've never even heard of it... And look here," Elise pointed to a line of smaller writing. "It says Moon Grass can make you forget sad things? No way! It's not some kind of magic potion!" Olivia leaned in, looked curious, blinked her big eyes, and shrugged like she didn't know either. "Maybe it's a secret recipe your dad made up? He was a great baker and always had lots of ideas. Maybe he saw it in an old book. I remember he was looking into something like this before he disappeared... all mysterious and stuff, wouldn't tell anyone what it was.' 'But a lot of the ingredients and instructions in the recipe, I've never even heard of...' Elise said, frowning and feeling totally lost. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out together. We might even discover a great secret! Then 'Sweet Surrender' will be able to reopen and be super famous!' Olivia patted Elise on the shoulder, trying to cheer her up with her own optimism. When she smiled, her eyes crinkled up like little crescent moons. The two of them were quietly looking through the mysterious notebook when they suddenly heard a low engine sound outside. A sleek black car pulled up quietly in front of the 'Sweet Surrender' bakery, looking strange among all the other cars. Elise felt a sense of unease wash over her. She thought she had seen the car before somewhere. Had she seen it in an old photo her dad left? The photo was yellowed and the edges were worn, but she still remembered the name written on the back in her dad's handwriting. The back window of the car slowly rolled down, and Lucien Black's handsome profile came into view. His eyes were sharp, and he looked right at Elise inside the shop, a knowing smile playing on his lips."