His Love Came Too Late, I'm Already Another's Wife novel · Chapter 14 of 24

Chapter 14: Zara's Offer

Zara came to the bakery at ten to five on Tuesday morning, before the ovens had finished warming.

I saw her through the front window, standing on the sidewalk in a camel coat with her blonde bob perfectly straight.

She had a leather folder under one arm.

I unlocked the door and she came in on a gust of cold air and vanilla lotion.

"Mar." She put her hand on my arm. "I couldn't sleep."

I looked down at her fingers.

For ten years she had touched my arm to say sorry, or thank you, or I'm with you.

I stepped back, and her hand dropped.

"I'm baking," I said. "You can talk to me over the rye."

Aunt Bev was at the back counter with a rolling pin and a mug of coffee, in her cardigan, glaring.

"Don't mind me," Bev said. "I'm the help."

Zara smiled at her with real effort. "Hello, Miss Hensel."

"Hello, Pearls."

Zara's smile slipped a little.

She set the folder on my floury steel table and opened it, and I saw paper clipped to paper.

"I want to fix this," she said. "Eldon told me about the dinner. About you and Eli. I know I'm the last person you want to see."

"You are not the last person."

"I know what I did." Her eyes filled right away, as they always did. "I fell in love with him, Maia. I didn't plan it. And I let you think I was your friend, and I was, I really was."

I pulled a tray of rolls out of the oven and set it down hard.

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