Lara sat on the bakery counter, her legs swinging, her hazel eyes staring at the investor's contract—Ms. Harper's offer to save Sweet Haven with fifty thousand dollars but at the cost of creative control (Chapter 15). Her curly brown hair was a mess, her hands fidgeting with a pen, the weight of the decision crushing her. Ethan leaned against the counter, his green eyes soft, his black hair tousled, his white shirt still smudged from the bake sale cleanup (Chapter 14).
"I can't lose my recipes, Ethan," Lara said, her voice small, her heart torn. "Sweet Haven is mine—it's everything I've dreamed of. But if I say no, we might lose it all."
Ethan took her hand, his touch warm, steady. "Then we say no," he said, his voice firm, his green eyes locked on hers. "We'll find another way, Lara. This place is your heart—I won't let you give that up."
Her heart raced, gratitude mixing with fear, and she leaned into him, her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her. They brainstormed late into the night—new events, social media campaigns, maybe a viral baking challenge to draw in teens, who were already loving their story (as you mentioned). Ethan grinned, his voice teasing. "We could do a 'Fake Date Bake'—teens bake with their crush, pretend it's a date, post it online. It'd be a hit."
Lara laughed, the first real laugh in days, her hazel eyes brightening. "You're ridiculous—but I love it." They mapped out the plan, their hands brushing as they wrote, their closeness a reminder of why they were fighting—together, they were unstoppable.
But as they locked up the bakery, a familiar figure appeared in the shadows—Claire, Ethan's ex, her blonde hair glowing under the streetlight, her blue eyes sharp, her red coat a warning sign. "I heard you're struggling," she said, her voice smooth, a smirk on her lips. "I can help—invest in the bakery, no strings attached. But you'll owe me, Ethan."
Ethan's jaw tightened, his hand gripping Lara's, his voice cold. "We don't need your help, Claire." But her offer lingered, a tempting trap that could either save them or ruin everything, and Lara's heart raced, unsure what Claire's next move would be.
To be continued…