Elena raised her head up from where she was at the counter to see who walked in.
Ga- Gabriella Elena stuttered.
“Elena!” Gabriella exclaimed, rushing forward with her usual smile. “Good morning! I’m so sorry I’m late. I had an urgent meeting I couldn’t miss.”
Elena forced a polite smile. “It’s all right, Gabriela. You’re here now.”
But inside, her stomach churned. She looked at the girl carefully—the same friendly face, the same calm tone—but now Elena saw something beneath it. A shadow. A lie.
As Gabriela moved behind the counter to assist a customer, a thought struck Elena like lightning.
The recipe book isn’t here anymore.
She froze.
If the recipe book is gone—if it’s at home, locked in the drawer where Gabriella can't reach—then what is Gabriela still doing here?
Her heart b
