Chapter 6
At two in the afternoon, Sophie arrived.
She was dressed in a pastel pink dress, and the bandage on her arm had been taken off, leaving just a faint red mark.
She walked over to David, her voice barely above a whisper.
"David, are you okay? I heard..." Sophie said softly.
David looked up at her.
"I'm fine. You should get back to work," David said.
Sophie didn't leave. She took a latte out of her bag and placed it on David's desk.
"Latte. Your usual," Sophie said.
As she bent down, her long hair slipped off her shoulder, carrying a familiar scent.
Freesia.
David stared at the latte, as if he'd seen something that shouldn't be there.
"Sophie," David said.
"Yeah?" Sophie asked.
"The perfume you're wearing," David said.
Sophie's fingers gently brushed her wrist.
"When I was at your place last time, Emily said she liked this scent and told me I could use it. So I put on a little," Sophie said.
David didn't say anything.
Sophie lingered by his side for a moment, realized he wasn't quite himself today, and quietly slipped back to her desk.
At four in the afternoon, David made his thirty-seventh call to Emily.
Her phone was still off.
He scrolled through his chat with Emily. The last thing he'd sent was: [I got back at noon. Where did you go?]
He had to dig through the chat for ages to find their earlier messages.
The previous one was from five days ago, Emily had texted: [Can you get home early tonight? I made a chestnut cake.]
He'd replied: [Working late. Not sure when I'll get back. Just eat first.]
Scrolling back further, he found a message from two weeks ago.
Emily: [Are you free this weekend? I want to talk to you about something.]
He'd replied: [I'm helping Sophie move this weekend. Let's do it another time.]
Scrolling back even further, he found another message.
Emily: [I haven't been feeling well lately.]
He never replied to that. Instead, three days later, he sent: [Company retreat tomorrow. Remember to take the day off and come with us.]
David closed the chat.
He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair.
Victor glanced at him.
"David?" Victor asked.
"I'm heading to her shop," David said.
Victor blinked in surprise. "Which shop?"
"Summer Lane Bakery. Her branch is on Main Street. There should be someone there today," David said.
He strode out quickly.
Sophie looked up from her desk, watching his figure disappear down the hallway.
She lowered her head, the smile fading from her lips as she unlocked her phone.
By the time David drove to Main Street, it was already five in the evening.
The sign for Summer Lane Bakery was still glowing with a warm yellow light. Through the glass window, he could see the display cases inside and a few staff members in beige aprons.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Welcome." A girl with a ponytail looked up, recognized him, and said, "Mr. Carter?"
"Where's Ms. Summers?" David asked.
The girl's smile faltered for a moment.
"Ms. Summers took some time off. She hasn't been here for a few days," the girl said.
"Did she say where she was going? Or when she'll be back?" David asked.
The girl shook her head.
"Ms. Summers just let the manager know. We're not really sure. Maybe you could try calling her?" the girl said.
"I can't get through," David said.
The girl looked uncertain, glancing at her coworker behind the counter, who seemed just as confused.
David stood in front of the cake display, his gaze falling on a layer cake labeled "Summer Lane Special."
Emily had created that recipe herself, testing it over thirty times. He remembered one night, woken by noises from the kitchen at two in the morning, she was crouched before the oven, eyes fixed on the timer, a streak of flour across her face.
What had he said to her back then?
"It's the middle of the night. Is it really worth losing sleep over? It's just a cake," he had said.
He turned and walked out of the shop.
His car was parked by the curb. He sat in the driver's seat, not starting the engine.
He tried calling Emily again, but her phone was still off.
He tried calling Laura, but no one picked up.
He sat there for a long while before finally starting the car.