The Billionaire's Burden (Key to My Heart #2) (2 page)

The road to the bakery was more crowded than I had ever seen it before. I even had to park nearly half a mile down the road. It used to be that I could pull right up in front of the doors. Luckily enough for me, I could sneak in the back door instead of waiting in the line that circled around the block.

Just what had Sebastian done to make this place such an attraction? I couldn't even imagine what my parents would have thought seeing this.

Honestly, I also wasn't even sure if they’d be happy about it. They’d so loved their small but ample client base before their passing. They'd so loved getting to know the parents who always brought in their children, or the elderly man from around the corner who always requested a slice of cheesecake.

It was their stories and their personalities that added to the homeliness and popularity of the bakery.

Now, the shop was just like all of those other stores. There were too many customers to care about their individual needs. It was all so cold and calculated.

Had I made the right choice by allowing Sebastian and Alissa to renovate?

I snuck in the back door, listening to the loud chatter resonating from the main entrance of the shop. Alissa had extended the walls for more room, but even still, the people were packed in like a tin of sardines.

"Ma'am," An alarmed voice came from a young female cashier turning the corner, "I'm sorry but you can't come in that way."

"Excuse me?" I began, confused.

"Lucy." Another voice interrupted, a man joining the girl quickly, "That's Mrs. Davis. She can use any door she wants." He murmured, shooing the young clerk back to her stand.

The people in my own bakery didn't even know me.

My heart panged painfully, though my avoidance of this place hadn't helped very much. If I came around more, perhaps I'd be better known.

"I'm so sorry about that, Mrs. Davis." The man said quickly, approaching me and extending a hand to shake, "It won't happen again."

I'd seen the tall blond manager a few times when I'd stopped by, though never spoke to him. I could only be sure of his competence, seeing how well things were run around the shop.

He stood taller than me, his shoulders square and jaw strong. Cinnamon freckles dotted his fair face.

"Macy." I replied, abruptly aware of my awkward staring, "Call me Macy."

Being called by the Davis name made my stomach twist in a strange way.

"I'm Lewis Carson." He added, smile parting his lips over sparkly white teeth. Twin dimples burst in his cheeks as he shook my hand, "Can I show you around a bit?"

"I'd love that." I exclaimed, following him from the back office where I used to sleep, the old cot long gone, into the kitchen.

Though the kitchen and main hall used to connect, a thick wall had been constructed to separate it.

Memories of my mother chatting with patrons while frosting cookies fluttered to the surface. That would never happen again, I realized, biting my lip.

"What do you think?" Lewis asked, gesturing towards the sparkling, state of the art equipment.

The old machinery, too temperamental and too sentimental, had no doubt been tossed to the curb. Again my soul panged.

"Is it not to your liking?" the blond said with a frown, eyes quickly studying the ovens and mixers. This was the best equipment he'd ever been able to work with, it was basically space age stuff in these walls.

"No, it's fine. Just thinking back to when my parents were here. It’s hard not to compare…" I finally said, doing my best to work up a smile for him.

It was obvious he wanted to please me, or at least he wanted to make sure a good report went back to my husband.

"I heard it was a real nice place." Lewis offered, though I wasn't sure if he was being serious or just polite. I doubted any of the people in the building had visited it when it was owned by my parents.

"It was." I responded, "It was so different. It's basically a completely different place now."

"You should see the books." The manager offered, goofy grin once more on his lips, "Sales are doing great."

"I heard you were making us a lot of money." I replied civilly, nodding my head.

I wish it was that simple.

Glancing around, Lewis lightly took my elbow and led me back into the office. Shutting the door, he gestured for me to sit down at the desk. Though at one time red notices overdue bills scattered across the rickety wood, it was now neatly organized with binders.

I watched as Lewis grabbed a spiral notebook, flitting through the pages and snagging a pen.

"What can we do to improve?" He asked earnestly, emerald green eyes studying my face, "We have our mother's recipes on file, though we did tweak them a bit for efficiency. What about new uniforms for the cashiers? Something perky, like mint and pink?"

Lewis was more like Sebastian than I'd realized, always with business on the mind.

With a sad laugh, I shook my head, "No. It's nothing like that. I just miss what my parent's built." I shrugged, averting my gaze, "It's very silly."

"That's not silly at all." Lewis replied softly, "I'm sorry that we've skewed your vision. It obviously means so much to you."

"You're doing a wonderful job here." I insisted, holding up my hands. The last thing I wanted was to discourage an employee, who on paper, was doing fantastic work, "We're lucky to have you on board."

"Thank you." He said back, slight frown on his face as he watched me.

For a few moments we were quiet, and then he leaned forward towards me and pressed his warm palm against my arm. I almost shrank away from his touch in surprise, but it was such a sincere and gentle effort that I leaned into his touch instead.

"You don't have to just let this spin out of your control, you know." He said, letting his notebook flop back onto the desk. HIs pen rolled, almost dipping off the end.

I laughed again, confused by his words, "What do you mean?" I asked.

"This place belonged to you before it belonged to Mr. Davis, right?" He questioned.

My heart tumbled sharply into my stomach at his words. It belonged to Sebastian? I'd certainly felt less and less like it belonged to me lately, but to hear it said aloud was almost heartrending.

"Yes." I managed to whisper, unable to force more words out of my lips. My hands balled up, trying to stay calm.

This wasn't right, none of this was right.

I'd started this impossible journey with Sebastian in order to retain the bakery, but not just the building. No, it was more than simple walls that made up this place.

It lacked heart, it lacked soul, it lacked the very essence of my parents that it once had.

"I'm sure Mr. Davis would listen to you if you told him you were unhappy with the direction." Lewis offered, shrugging, his hand moved up and down my arm, soothing me.

Screw that.

I didn't need 'Mr. Davis's' permission to do anything with my own bakery.

It was time for a change. It was time for me to stop laying down and letting whatever happen, happen.

Oh, no. I was done with that. I was done with letting my days slip away from me, I was done with the waves of apathy that clung to me day after day. I was done spending all of my time just hoping for another hour to pass by.

I had to reclaim what was mine, I had to reclaim the joy that my parents infused this place with. This bakery didn’t belong to Sebastian, it didn't belong to Alissa. It belonged to me and it was going to stay with me.

Thankfully, I grabbed suddenly at Lewis's hand, his green eyes widening just slightly.

"You’re right." I finally said, brain working too fast for my words to follow, "You are so right!"

I shot to my feet, hands clapping together as thoughts raced around like wild birds inside my skull. Where would I start? How would I manage this? There had to be someone I could talk to about this, but who?

My thoughts loped at a million miles per hour, soaring faster and faster over the different options.

I certainly couldn't fire all the workers, that was a lawsuit waiting to happen. The constricting walls would have to be changed. The colors, too fanciful and strange would need to be toned down just a bit. I didn’t even know how to do that though, or which colors to choose.

What I could do, however, was take charge. No more tweaking of the recipes that my mother and father worked so diligently to perfect, no more taking the customer for granted.

It was time to turn this boat around.

Suddenly aware of Lewis's warm hand still held tight between my fingers, I dropped his grasp.

He continued to stare at me, rosy hue just barely grazing his cheeks.

"So, you're okay then?" He managed to whisper, eyes shifting away, "You got this?"

I nodded happily, starting back towards the door, "I do. Thank you, Lewis. You don't know how much you helped me out today."

"Anytime." He whispered back, following me towards the door.

I waved goodbye, darting back towards my car.

I couldn't be sure how I was going to get this done, but the new resolution I felt inside of me wasn't going to fade.

It was time to take back my bakery.

The next few days passed in a blur of phone calls, insane amounts of time in front of a computer doing research, and a lack of sleep.

"Macy, you need to eat." Harry said as he frowned at me, nudging a bagel closer to where I sat at the dining room table.

With a nod, I managed to tear my eyes away from the laptop for a second and take a large bite of bagel.

Harry's homemade chive cream cheese was like heaven in my mouth.

"What's going on with you lately?" He asked curiously, glancing towards the door to see if Karina had slunk in before settling down beside me in a chair and crossing his arms.

My mother in law would not have stood for ‘the help’ being so informal with a Davis, even if that Davis was just me.

The older man leaned back in his chair, gray hair dusting into his eyes as his thick eyebrow arched, "You've been a ghost for the past few days. Is it Karina again?"

That crabby woman had been around every single day this week. I wasn't sure whether she was bored or if she wanted to make sure I didn't wreck the house with a wild party while Sebastian was gone.

"No...Harry, I'm doing something a little crazy." I finally said, grin playing on my lips. I hadn’t spoken to anyone except Lewis about my plans for the bakery, and I was dying to spread the word a bit.

He almost groaned, swiping his hair back off his forehead, "This family has a habit of driving people insane." He muttered, "What exactly are you doing?"

"My bakery." I said, shutting the laptop and turning to face the chef, "It's changed so much since I let Sebastian and Alissa take over. You should see it. All the equipment, the paint, hell, even the walls have been reconstructed."

Harry quietly frowned at me, nodding slowly along as I spoke, "Yes, I've heard talk of it ever now and then. When Bast was a child he used to beg me to make those cookies of your mothers."

I laughed, nodding, "Exactly. I'm going to turn it back to how it was. It's no different now than any other chain bakery down the block. It's not special anymore. My parents wouldn’t like that I sold out, I need to keep it how they would like."

Harry hummed, stroking his chin as he watched me.

"What is it?" I asked, "Is it that bad?"

I was nervous to see how Sebastian would react when he returned home. Would he feel like I was throwing his hard work back in his face? Would he feel as though I wasn't grateful for all he'd done?

Butterflies flopped in my belly, reminding me of his impending return. It would be any time now.

Would I even be able to ask what went on between him and Alissa while they were alone together overseas? Was it even within my right to have that discussion?

What did I really want from Sebastian Davis?

What did he want from me?

"No." Harry finally said, interrupting my wandering thoughts, "I was just thinking how very un-crazy that sounds."

"You think?" I asked, excitement bubbling like carbonation inside my tummy, "I was hoping you'd feel that way."

"It should be easy for Sebastian to find the current staff a new job somewhere. It wasn't meant to fit a whole workplace." I added with a shake of my head, wondering how the twenty cooks and cashiers even fit inside there with the expanded walls, "It's so crowded and compacted. Not how my parents would have wanted it at all. They loved how relaxing the atmosphere used to be."

"The business is booming though, Macy." Harry shrugged, "You'll never be able to see those profits again with how you want to run things."

"To be honest, I don't even care now." I sighed, "I thought I wanted it to boom like this, but now I just want it to be successful, not growing at the speed of light."

"You want to make your parents proud." Harry said softly, a smile on his withered lips, "You're a good girl, Macy."

He reached over, squeezing my shoulder, "I'm sure their more proud of you today than any other."

Before I could thank the old chef, the front door slammed noisily, announcing the presence of my mother in law.

Harry leapt to his feet, escaping into the kitchen before he could be sternly harangued. I stared longingly after him, wishing I could vanish as well.

With an inward groan, I worked up all the resolve I could muster and stood up to greet the angry woman.

Instead of her perfect heels clicking against the ground however, it was my new husband who rounded the corner.

He stopped short under the arch of the dining room, staring at me in surprise.

We stood, stiff as statues, just watching each other, waiting to see how the other would react.

Harry's curious storm colored eyes peered from around the corner, watching us, though we didn't notice.

Stiffly, I took a small step forward, unsure whether to shake Sebastian’s hand or try and hug him. Instead, my arms remained rigidly at my sides. I almost would have preferred Karina to be here. At least she would soak up his attention.

Sebastian, still looking at me, was as handsome as ever. His eyes, blue and calm as the ocean, were tired. His normally perfectly pressed suit was lightly wrinkled from the long flight back over.

"Hello." I whispered, eyes lingering on the strength of his broad shoulders. I'd forgotten how truly beautiful the young billionaire really was.

"Hello, Macy." He said softly back, himself taking a small step forward towards me.

Here we were, a newlywed couple, awkward as the day is long. Would we really ever be able to cross the wide distance between our hearts? Was that what either of us even wanted? Or were we only using our marriage in title only for our own selfish benefit.

If that was the case, at least I wouldn't have to feel guilty about turning the tide of the bakery.

"You must be exhausted." I said, glancing towards the kitchen where I only just noticed Harry's inquisitive stare recede back inside, "Should I get you coffee?"

I took a step towards the kitchen when Sebastian's robust hand shot out, snagging my wrist easily between his fingers.

Frozen in place, I slowly turned back to look up at him. He moved closer, the warmth and sweet musk of his cologne wrapping around me like a tender cocoon. The hand that cupped my wrist trailed up my arm, leaving a path of blinding goosebumps along the way.

His strong fingers finally came to a stop on my chin, face tilted ever so slightly up towards his own, my heart pounding so fast in my chest hat it resonated loudly between my ears. My breath caught in my throat, blood running like ice through my veins.

What was he doing?

Sebastian's still blue eyes locked on my own, his body so close now that one more tiny step would have our chests pressed close together.

Had I been braver, I would have taken that step. As it was, my courage only left my feet frozen in place, like cement shoes.

My eyes lingered on his perfectly pink lips, just barely parted. His breath breezed like a warm tide over my mouth. I inhaled sharply, afraid I was going to swoon like some girl in an old western movie.

At my sharp breath he released me, clearing his throat as he bent down to pick up his suit case once more.

"You're right." He finally murmured, "I'm very tired."

Just as quickly as Sebastian had entered the manor, he was gone up the stairs into his bedroom. I stared after him forlornly, fingers trailing up to touch the still blazing spot of my cheek that he had so softly touched.

Confusion finally died out the beating of my heart as I slowly shook my head. Was he delirious?

"Good God, woman." Harry whispered harshly from the kitchen door as I sluggishly turned to face him.

"What?" I asked, blinking through the daze the billionaire had left me in.

"He was all but begging you..." The chef began before giving up, shaking his head sharply and whirling back into the kitchen.

"Begging for what?" I asked, earnestness coloring my voice.

Had Sebastian really wanted something from me? Was it possible that he'd missed me while he was gone?

But why? Why would he even think about me when he had buxom redheaded goddess Alissa Grant on his arm. He hadn't bothered to call or text, not that I had worked up enough courage to do that either. The only time we talked was an accident.

The front door slammed again, Karina's heels clicking excitedly towards me. I stared at her, too stunned and happy and utterly confused to fight with her this afternoon.

"Is he here?" She asked, eyes darting towards the stairs. The dark eyed woman didn't even wait for my response, she'd seen his car out front, as she happily bounced up the stairs.

"Bast!" She called cheerily, "Bast, you must tell me all about London! Did you see Charlie Fowl? Oh, what about Martha?"

Her high pitched voice melted down the hall as I slowly sank back down onto one of the dining room chairs.

Harry came back over, shaking his head as he poured me a tall glass of wine. I stared at it gratefully, heaving a sigh.

"Drink up." He chuckled, "I think you need it."