She rang it up and slid it onto a small paper plate.
“I’m Claire,” I added, mostly because the silence felt too heavy.
“Harmony,” she said easily. “Nice to meet you.”
I took my tart and leaned against the counter. “This place is great. I didn’t realize Val-du-Lys had a bakery like this.”
She laughed. “Most people don’t until they need it.”
“I definitely need it,” I said. “I’m working at the orchard.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Maple Valley?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Asher Thorne is my boss.”
Her smile widened. “He runs a tight ship.”
“That’s one way to put it,” I said, smiling despite myself.
“And you?” she asked. “You just passing through?”
“Seasonal work,” I said. “Free housing, decent pay.”
“Smart,” she said. “That job’s no joke, though.”
“No kidding,” I said. “I’m starting to realize I probably need to pack my own lunches. I’ve eaten Asher’s food two days in a row.”
Harmony laughed, the sound easy and genuine. “He won’t starve you. He’s a good guy.”
“That seems to be the consensus,” I said.
I added a bag of focaccia buns to the counter. “I should probably attempt to be self-sufficient.”
“Always a good goal,” she said, wrapping them up. “But don’t feel bad. Asher takes care of his people.”
I nodded, unsure why that statement sat with me longer than it should have. She rang me up and I paid.
Harmony handed me the bag. “Come back anytime. You’ll need the calories.”
“I will,” I said. “Thanks.”
As I pushed the door open, the bell chimed again. Every instinct in me wanted to turn back around. To ask her everything all at once. To say, my friend disappeared. Do you know anything? Have you ever heard her name? Do you remember that night? The questions crowded my throat. But I didn’t ask. People didn’t open up when they felt cornered. I knew that better than most. If I wanted Harmony to trust me I couldn’t come at her like an investigator. I had to be patient.
So I walked out with my pastry and my bag of bread and pretended my heart wasn’t racing. I told myself that connections weren’t built in a single conversation. That answers came slower than fear. I didn’t know what Harmony might know. But I knew one thing with absolute certainty. If I wanted the truth, I’d have to earn it.
CHAPTER 5
Asher
Eric and Harmony were hosting another family dinner. That wasn’t a complaint. I loved my family, but I was tired after working the orchard in the morning and running classes at the community center all afternoon. Phoenix and Elyna were already there, Braden balanced on Elyna’s hip, his curls sticking up. Sandy was setting out plates while Dad hovered near the counter, pretending not to oversee everything like he always did. Becket leaned against the far wall, beer in hand, expression unreadable in that familiar cop way of his.
“Uncle Ash!” Braden shouted when he spotted me.
I smiled despite myself and scooped him up, earning a sticky-handed hug and a wet kiss on my cheek.
“Hey, buddy,” I said. “You saving any food for the rest of us?”
“No,” he said cheerfully.