Flour and First Impressions
The scent of vanilla and brown sugar drifted through the open window, mingling with the soft drizzle of Auckland rain.
Isla Dawson stood behind the counter of her home-based bakery, Avenues Cookies, carefully outlining tiny lavender petals on a freshly baked sugar cookie. It was supposed to be a simple flower, but like everything Isla did, it was layered with care—and perfectionism.
Her phone buzzed again. Another email inquiry.
“Hi Isla, can you print my fiancé’s face on a cookie for our engagement party?”
She smiled. The business had started as a hobby, but now it was gaining traction—and fast.
And then he walked in.
Tall. Soaked from the rain. Carrying a box marked “Lily Events & Co.”
“Hey,” he said, brushing damp hair from his forehead. “I heard you make cookies... that can talk?”
Isla tilted her head. “They print, they sparkle, they occasionally blush. But talk? That’s new.”
He laughed, and in that moment, Isla knew—this wasn’t just another client. This was the beginning of something unexpected.
