Chapter 1
Luna knew three things for sure in life: croissants had to be crispy, she couldn’t live without her coffee machine and her grandma Marie was the most important person in her life, At least she thought so. Until that Thursday evening.
She stood in her far too small, old kitchenette- barely big enough for one person- which was nothing more than a small microwave oven and an old coffee machine, which she could not live without. The coffee machine had kept her on her feet for years, and she could not live without it. As she poured a cup of coffee, after a long day’s work, she heard her phone go off.
Sighing, she put down her cup of coffee, and answered. ‘Good evening, am I speaking to Luna Sheppard?’ Asked a businesslike, aloof voice on the other end of the line. ‘Yes, hello to Luna.’ She asked cheerfully. ‘What are you calling for?’.
The voice did not hesitate ‘I am calling from a law firm. But I am calling on behalf of the old people’s home, Marie Sheppard died of a stroke at ten this morning’. Told the lawyer heartlessly into the phone.
Luna stiffened. The words were like a hammer hitting mid-chest. ‘What... are you saying?’ She stammered, as her hands began to tremble.
‘Your grandmother died this morning’ the voice repeated, as matter-of-factly as before.
This could not be true. Luna had visited her grandmother just three weeks ago to help her move into an old people’s home. Marie was an 86-year-old woman who was stubborn but always very sweet to Luna. When her grandmother had called her a few weeks ago to ask if she wanted to help with the move, of course she had said yes. Her grandmother lived in a small village near the coast. Luna spent every summer in her childhood in this village, which she loved. Every summer they would go and make apple pies in the bakery, and then give them to people in the village. The idea that she was no longer there... it didn’t fit in Luna’s head.
She blinked her eyes quickly a few times, sat down on the sofa and took a deep breath. ‘Did...She die in pain?’ She asked softly.
‘I don’t know any further details, Ms Sheppard.’ Replied the voice coolly and not interested. ‘But I am also calling to inform you that your grandmother, Mrs Sheppard, has left a legacy.’
Luna frowned, her head still completely confused, by this unexpected turn of events in the evening. ‘Her secret apple pie recipe?’ She tried with a forced smile.
‘Not exactly,’ said the lawyer dryly. ‘She left a bakery. You can drop by my office tomorrow morning to pick up the keys and further documents.’
Luna frowned again, a bakery. Of course. She laughed, but it sounded more like a barking seal. She loved her grandmother’s bakery, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread and cake, but baking herself? Luna had never baked anything that wasn’t burnt, half-baked or just plain inedible. How was she supposed to keep a bakery running? She was in shock from all the information she had just heard.
The rest of the evening was a blur of memories of her grandmother, of summers full of apple pie, the smell of her favourite snack, cinnamon rolls and Marie’s stubborn but sweet soul. She always wore dresses with flowers, and made every summer day a party.
Luna had moved to the city on her own when she was 18, it took an 15-hour long drive to arrive at her grandmother’s coastal village.Unfortunately, this meant she could not visit her grandmother and parents as often as she would have liked. She had moved because she wanted to find a good job in the city and she was looking forward to a new adventure. Not that that’s going very well. She has been working at a magazine writing agency for 4 years now, but she still has the role of assistant to the assistant, just like 4 years ago. So she has not progressed much, this may be a ‘new’ beginning for her.
The next day, she packed her things at the writing desk. When Luna had told the boss that she was moving out due to the loss of her grandmother, he seemed more pleased that she was leaving than sympathetic for her loss. It was better that she left, she thought. When she had packed her few belongings, and said goodbye to everyone, she quickly left for the law office.
With sweaty hands, Luna pulled open the door to the lawyer. ‘Good day, Ms Sheppard’ the lawyer said professionally. ‘Hi, good day’ she said nervously. When Luna was outside again, having signed all the papers, with the key to the bakery in her hand, she was ready for a new adventure. Luna knew her grandmother would love her to do this, She had left the bakery to her for a reason. Maybe this was her chance for a new beginning.
Two days later, Luna parked her rusty van on the village’s main street. The vehicle, which was more like a moving biscuit tin, had survived the journey with an orchestra of scary noises and a few near-silences. But there she was. In the coastal village where she had spent many summers.The memories of the wonderful summers made her heart lighten a little again.
The bakery was on the corner of Main Street, and although the property had not been refurbished for years, it felt very familiar. The crooked wooden signboard that read ’bakery Marie’ in flaking gold letters, weaved gently in the sea breeze. The property seemed smaller than before, with the chipped paint and a feral planter in front of the window. Her grandmother had closed the doors of the bakery several years ago, not maintaining it, as it became too much at her age. But Luna had never thought about taking over the bakery before. She sighed. This was going to be her job: to breathe new life into the old bakery. For her grandmother.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a shadow moving near the front door. A man stood there, tall, broad-shouldered, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He had a face on which the words ‘grumpy’ and ‘stern’ seemed stuck.
Luna swallowed, and got out of her van. Her trainers crunched across the gravel as she walked towards the man. The man looked up. ‘You’re Luna, surely?’ He asked in a deep, sharp voice. She nodded slowly ‘And you must be Alex.’ ‘True’ he hummed, his gaze still sullen.
The lawyer had told her on Friday that she would probably need a business partner to keep the bakery running. And because Luna did not have the money to go it alone. The lawyer had recommended Alex, he was a businessman who could see something in all businesses, the lawyer said, and breathe new life into them. So Alex was now co-owner.
His voice cut through her thoughts ‘I hope you’re serious about this,’ he said, looking at me with his dark eyes. ‘This is not going to be easy.’ Luna took a deep breath and straightened her back. ‘And I hope you’re ready for a new adventure, because it’s time for this old bakery to sparkle again, just like it used to.’ His eyebrows shot up ‘sparkle?’ ‘Yes, Alex. Sparkle.’ The tension was high and was almost palpable, as if sparks were jumping in the air. Luna felt her heart beat faster, partly due to nerves, partly due to... something else.
What she did not know at that moment was that the old bakery was not only a legacy, but also a maze of memories, secrets and new opportunities. And Alex? Alex was more than just a cranky business partner. Alex was her biggest challenge. But she would never admit that out loud.
