I was standing in front of the bakery.  The street still smelled like fresh bread and strawberries. I had assumed some things had changed in this town. Nothing was different, except I was here and my mother was dead. 

The bell rang as I walked inside, greeted by a tiny redheaded woman wiping tables. “You must be Alice! I’m Lacy.” She was smiling wide, despite being covered in flour and stickiness. 

“Nice to meet you,” I faked a smile, taking in the room. She didn’t change any furniture or decor, not even the menu. There were no customers which was unusual. “Kinda slow for a Friday morning.” 

“We only get busy on the weekends,” She opened an oven, heat filling the room. “Although you wouldn’t know that.” Her words felt like stabs to my heart.

“Right, of course.” I turned as the front door opened, smiling as Greg came in. He looked different than he was in school, more mature and attractive. 

“Alice?” He ran up, picking me in his arms. I wanted to cry as he swung me around. I didn’t know I missed him until now.

“Greg! Look at you!” I laughed, landing back on the floor. He blushed, waving me off. 

“What are you doing back in town?” He grabbed a muffin from the front. 

“My mother died, two days ago,” His smile dropped and I wanted to shove the words back into my throat. It was the same reaction every time. Why did everyone care so much about a woman they barely knew? 

“And the bills are long overdue,” Lacy informed us. “We have a week to pay back the bank, or the bakery belongs to them.”

We all sat together, blurting out ideas to earn some money. Lacy wanted to quit the job, giving up her salary towards the bakery. Greg wanted to knock on everyone's doors and demand them to donate. I thought about contacting my boss and pleading for a raise. It was useless, I had gotten one two months ago. 

“A charity sale!” Greg cheered, taking a bite of his muffin. “We hold a charity sale in Dorothy’s name.” Lacy nodded excitedly. 

“We can’t do a charity sale,” I whispered. Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach and my heart was beating too fast. I remember all the times my mother made me feel small and unwanted. How she was the one who told me to move away from town and never speak to her again. The truth was, I wasn’t sure if I was sad about her death. I think I was sad about losing our chance to make amends. I couldn’t use her name to promote the bakery, it didn’t feel fair to either of us. 

“I am not doing a charity sale!” I exclaimed, breathing hard. Greg and Lacy stopped chatting, facing me with disappointed looks. “We can do a regular sale!” They faked smiles for me and I felt a twinge of guilt. But why? They didn’t know my mother, not like I did. 

The sale went horribly wrong. Only ten customers bought products from us. They didn’t even buy enough to pay back the cost of making the batches of desserts. I had lost us more money and our sense of dignity. Lacy took the rest of the products home, wishing me luck before leaving. I would never see her working in the bakery again. 

I had sold all the decor inside, secretly hoping I could use the money to pay the bills. It wasn’t nearly enough. I had to face reality and go back to my boring office job in a town with no friends. I was overwhelmed with a mixture of grief and bitterness. I missed the mother I had when I was a child before everything crumbled away. 

“Alice, you can’t leave,” Greg was shouting through the window. “Stay with me.” I laughed at his proposal, getting ready to shoot him down. Maybe if I stayed in town all those years ago we could have worked out. But, he didn’t know anything about me and I knew nothing of him. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone else again. 

“You are crazy,” I shook my head at him. 

“A little bit, but you shouldn’t be left alone, not now,” He was sincere and I nodded, surprising myself. What did I have to lose now? My boring life would always be there waiting for me if all else failed. 

“I want to try to not be alone,” I ran to the door, wrapping my arms around him. “Thank you.” He leaned down to kiss me, filling me with warmth against the cold wind.

3 years later:

I was on a ladder, lifting a sign on the roof of the bakery. My legs were covered in paint, a mishap from earlier today. 

“Honey, please do not fall!” Greg called up at me. He had been anxious this whole week. I was bustling with excitement as I climbed down the ladder. 

“It’s perfect.” Tears swelled in my eyes as I looked at the new sign, Dorothy’s Treats. My mother would always be with me, the good and the bad. People would enjoy her recipes forever. I had already hired three employees, including Lacy. She was thrilled when I informed her about buying the bakery back. 

“She would be so proud of you,” Greg turned to me, a tear running down his face. “I’m proud of you.”

 It only took three years and a lot of crying, but I had forgiven her. She loved me enough to leave the bakery to me and trusted me enough to keep it running. We were always different and that was okay. She was gone and I was finally content with her death. She always said Greg and I would end up together. I guess she was right a lot more than I wanted to believe. Just like she was right to give me the bakery.