Her thoughts turned to the bakery. There was still so much that needed to be done to finish it. And she’d promised the mayor that the grand opening would be in a week. Her stomach shivered with nerves. What if they didn’t make it? What if the bakery didn’t open on time? How was she going to make the loan payment?

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s what her grandmother used to tell her. Hannah definitely willed this bakery to work out, but the way it would happen was a bit hazy at the moment. Especially when Ethan was due to leave town in just a couple of days. Would she be able to finish the rest of the bakery on her own?

She shoved the troublesome thoughts to the back of her mind as she rushed out the door. She’d knocked on Ethan’s door not once but twice. He hadn’t answered either time. And she hadn’t heard Peaches. So where could he be?

When she headed to the steps, she thought she heard some noise coming from the bakery. It seemed he’d gotten an early start. She headed downstairs with her coffee cup in one hand and her phone in the other because message after message and phone call after phone call were coming in faster than she could deal with. The people of Bluestar were all abuzz with excitement for Spring Fling.

She moved to the interior door that separated the bakery from access to the private residences. She grasped the door handle and turned, but the door wouldn’t budge. What in the world? She tried again. It was blocked. Had something fallen over? Or had Ethan left something in the way?

“Ethan?”

Nothing. That was strange. She could have sworn she’d heard activity down there when she was upstairs.

“Ethan, the door is blocked!”

Still, there was no reply. She must have been mistaken.

Someone needed to clear the blockage by the door. She’d just go outside and come in through an exterior door.

Chime. Chime. Chime.

And there went her phone…again. She wanted to ignore it. After all, she was on her way to the community center. Still, it might be something important. A sense of responsibility had her taking the call.

“Hello.”

“Hi. It’s Betty.” The woman sounded a little breathless. “I wanted to let you know that Delores has come down with a cold. She won’t be able to judge the Bloomin’ Tulip contest.”

“Oh, no. That leaves us with an even number of judges. That won’t do.” Her mind raced for a replacement.

She would ask Betty to do it, but she was already one of the judges. Who was she going to get on such short notice?

“I thought you’d want to know right away. I’m sorry about this.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. Things happen. I’m on my way to the community center right now.” The contest was due to kick off in less than two hours. “I’ll figure something out and get back to you.”