Chapter 4

My phone started ringing before I had finished carrying the last box into Bellflower Bakery.

Theo's name filled the screen.

I let it ring while I placed my mother's recipe files on the old wooden counter. Dust covered the glass display case. One wall still needed paint, and the kitchen smelled of plaster instead of bread, but the room belonged to me.

The phone stopped.

It rang again.

Then the messages arrived.

Where are you?

Call me now.

What is this supposed to mean?

The fourth message was a photograph of the kitchen counter at home. My wedding ring rested…