Juliet whistled from behind her.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Tessa asked.

“Lunch hour,” she said. “That’s spectacular.”

“Will you make me a gluten-free one?” Vivienne asked, walking in from the main shop. “Because that looks incredible.” She looked a little sweaty, and her ponytail was askew, causing Tessa a little pang of guilt. Tessa hoped that if they got things off the ground, they might be able to afford to hire someone before the end of summer, freeing Vivienne to return to her life in Paris.

Tessa’s mom motioned for Tessa to stand next to the cake and pulled out her phone. “Smile,” she said. Then she made everyone gather around it and took another. And then Vivienne took over and got some artsy shots for Tessa to use on her channel.

All of which made Tessa feel really good, because her mom seemed proud of what she’d baked. And it wasn’t even bread.

“Who have you made that for, exactly?” her mom asked.

“Leo’s father, aunt, and uncle. I think that’s all who are coming. He’s just really worried about what his dad will think.”

“Well, I admire him for what he’s doing,” her mom said. “An improvement in any business in town helps us, too.”

“I wish Leo the best,” her grandmother said as she bagged the piping hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven that Tessa had baked especially for the lunch. “Even though your cake is going to be the star of the show. It looks professionally made.”

“Thanks, Gram,” Tessa said, hugging her. The compliment meant a lot. And also, it seemed that they were willing to be cordial, which was a good thing, right?

“Well, good luck,” Vivienne said, wiping her hands on her apron and hugging Tessa.

“Break an egg!” Juliet said.

There were more hugs from everyone, then her grandmother tucked the bag of bread under Tessa’s arm like a weapon while Vivienne held the door. “Thanks, family.” Tessa was a little teary-eyed as she walked the few steps out the back of the bakery to Leo’s new little patio next door. Her family was rooting for her. She was proud that her cake passed muster. Now she could cheer Leo on.

The first thing Tessa noticed was that strings of little white lights were on, even though it was noon. The area had been transformed into an adorable space filled with tables covered with traditional red-and-white-checkered tablecloths. There were even little planter boxes hanging off the iron fencing around the perimeter planted with red geraniums. For today, several tables were pushed together and covered with a large white tablecloth.