Lara sat on the bakery counter late that night, the bake sale money counted but nowhere near enough to cover Ethan's ten-thousand-dollar debt (Chapter 14). Her hazel eyes were tired, her curly brown hair loose, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea. Ethan paced the kitchen, his green eyes stormy, his black hair a mess, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. "I can't lose the studio, Lara," he said, his voice breaking. "It's everything I've worked for."
"Then we'll find a way," Lara said, her voice soft but firm, sliding off the counter to take his hands, her touch grounding him. "We've faced worse—Claire, the fire, my parents. We'll get through this too."
Ethan's eyes softened, a small smile tugging at his lips. "How did I get so lucky?" he whispered, pulling her close, his forehead resting against hers. They stood there, the kitchen quiet except for their breathing, their love a steady anchor in the storm.
But the next morning, Ethan made a choice—he sold his prized camera, the one he'd used to start his career, to a pawn shop, raising just enough to pay the creditor and save his studio. He came back to the bakery, his green eyes hollow, his hands empty. "It's done," he told Lara, his voice flat, the loss hitting him hard.
Lara's heart ached for him, her hazel eyes filling with tears as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. "You're enough, Ethan. We'll rebuild—together." But the bakery's own struggles loomed—the fire damage had drained their funds, and without more help, Sweet Haven faced closure in weeks.
Just as hope seemed lost, a sleek black car pulled up outside, and a woman stepped out—Ms. Harper, a big investor Chloe had mentioned, her gray hair elegant, her suit crisp. "I heard about your bake sale," she said, her voice warm but businesslike. "I'll invest in Sweet Haven—fifty thousand dollars to rebuild, expand, make it a chain. But there's a catch: I want full creative control. Your recipes, your vision—it's mine."
Lara's heart pounded, the offer a lifeline but a betrayal of her dream—Sweet Haven was hers, her heart, her soul. She glanced at Ethan, his green eyes steady, his hand finding hers, a silent promise to face this together, but the choice was hers, and the weight of it felt heavier than ever.
To be continued…