“Mom, I know that. That’s why I threw a test and let Leo win. I couldn’t have left everyone. To be honest…I could never have succeeded anywhere when we were all hurting so much.” She understood that now. She could never have left, even if she would have had more of a choice.

“Oh, Tessa,” her mom said. “I can’t believe I didn’t see what you were doing. I’m so sorry.”

“Mom, you don’t need to apologize,” Tessa shook her head. “It was my choice.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what I would have done without you at that terrible time. And then I guess we fell into a routine, and I took it for granted that you stayed. When you were with Sam, I convinced myself that maybe you’d be okay with working in the bakery, staying in town. I guess I selfishly wanted to keep you here.”

“I think I had myself talked into that plan, too, Mom. Somewhere along the line, I stopped believing I could achieve my dream. It seemed too…uphill.” She’d settled for Sam. She’d settled for everything because she’d lost confidence in herself. Who would ever dream that his cheating would be the best thing that had ever happened to her?

Her mom shook her head sadly. “After you and Sam broke up, I saw how miserable you were. I knew then that there was nothing for you here. That you weren’t meant to work in the bakery your whole life. That’s why I told you no pastries in the shop. I wanted you to go and get more from your life than just a shelf of pastries against a boulangerie wall. I was so thrilled when you applied to pastry school. Tessa, I want to sell the bakery so you can have tuition money.”

Tessa jerked up her head. “Tuition money?”

“Yes. For your school. For your dream.”

“We know you’re going to get into pastry school sooner or later,” Gram said.

“Mom’s right, Tessa,” Vivienne said. “You’ve done everything to help us.”

“It’s your turn now,” Juliet said softly. “We want to help you.”

Tessa was bawling even worse. Actually, so was everyone else. She looked at her mom. “I would never let you sell our bakery.”

“Leo and his father would keep us on as employees for a few more years,” she said. “Until we could make another plan. I thought that plan might work. You’d go off and create something wonderful, and maybe we’d find opportunity with your success.” She shrugged. “It seemed worth the gamble.”

Tessa squeezed her mom’s hands. “Mom, I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you would sell our business for me,” Tessa said. “But it’s not necessary. My YouTube channel is making some money, and the bakery is doing better, and I can apply for loans.