Chapter 1
“I’m going to ruin you. Ruin you. Ruin you. Ruin …”
Out of the blackness, a tree emerged, its dark silhouette casting no shadow on the asphalt.
Emelia Wells abruptly jerked her car back onto the road, narrowly avoiding disaster. Her heart raced with the echoes of Wyatt’s threats.
Damn, that was close.
Although it wasn’t the tree she was worried about.
The whole trip, Emelia had been checking to see if anyone, namely Wyatt, was pursuing her—hunting her.
She gripped the steering wheel of her beat-up car. Her knuckles turned white as she attempted to hold back the flow of tears, blurring her vision as she drove down the deserted highway to a new beginning—hopefully, a new beginning.
The darkness surrounded her car like a shroud. The sun wouldn’t rise for several hours, leaving her to navigate the desolate highway alone. She hoped to arrive in Haywood Lake, Florida, by midmorning after leaving her douchebag, double-crossing ex-best friend, Wyatt Young, behind in New York.
Was it only two days ago her world came crashing down?
Emelia had been so excited for fall to arrive. She loved the cooler weather, raking leaves, taking long walks in the woods with her best friend—well, ex-best friend—and especially Halloween.
On that holiday, she always baked her famous Ghostly Goblin cupcakes and dressed up like Tinker Bell to give homemade cookies to all the little kids who came into the bakery.
The darkened road brought back disturbing memories of her and Wyatt’s conversation a week ago.
It was the end of the day. Actually, had she known, it was the end of everything she loved.
She was standing in the bakery, her happy place. At least what used to be her happy place—until she learned her ex-best friend destroyed her reputation and business. Her happy place was now a battleground, an empty shell, not unlike her tainted, with memories of Wyatt walking into the kitchen, head held high, no emotion on his face, and standing by the office door, smirking.
He betrayed her.
“Wyatt, I trusted you. Why did you steal from me and try to ruin my reputation?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Why?” She threw her hands up, but they were shaking so hard, she hid them behind her back. “I thought we were best friends.”
“Best friends? Is that what you think we were?” His voice dripped with contempt. “You’ve always been so arrogant, like you achieved everything on your own. Well, your success is because of me.” He pointed to himself, his brown eyes shooting daggers. “Me.”
“That baking contest you won. It happened because I encouraged you to enter,” he sneered. “I helped test the recipes.” He pointed his finger at her. “I made suggestions, but what did I get? Any recognition? A simple thank-you? Nooo.”
He kept cracking his knuckles, something she used to joke about, but now she wanted to break every finger on his hands. “I encouraged you to open the bakery because you said baking was your passion. Did I get any acknowledgment then? Nooo.
“If it wasn’t for me, you’d be going to school, getting a law degree like your parents wanted, and you’d be unhappy.” Then he stepped into her personal space. “I did everything I could to help you succeed. Now I’ll do everything in my power to ruin you.”
His words dripped with such venom, they hit her like a punch in the gut. It hurt.
Sure, she came from a family of overachievers. However, her parents only wanted her to be happy, and if the bakery brought her joy, they were content.
She remembered frequently mentioning how Wyatt influenced and encouraged her. Apparently, it wasn’t enough. Did that justify his betrayal?
Then she recalled how Wyatt demanded to get a share of the business a while ago because he claimed she owed him.
Emelia rejected his proposal.
After all, she used her money to lease the bakery. It was her money that paid the employees’ wages, including Wyatt’s, and her money that bought supplies. He hadn’t contributed anything financially.
Wyatt, her former friend, believed he held all the cards to destroy her.
She discovered he diverted funds from the bakery into his personal account besides stealing recipes she had developed, all the while claiming since he was the driving force behind the bakery and the recipes, they belonged to him.
Not only that, but he had his friends make baseless accusations on social media, turning the bakery and their friendship into a media circus of “he said, she said.” Sure, her friends and loyal customers stood by her, but the damage had been done. Emelia wondered if Wyatt had backstabbed her throughout the years. She’d never know. Trusting people was her downfall.
How stupid was she that she never knew or even guessed what he was doing until the vendors started calling her for overdue bills? Wyatt handled the back end—the accounting, the ordering of supplies—everything. She trusted him. They’d been best friends since junior high. How could she ever have known that he was intensely jealous of her success?
To add insult to injury, he was upset that Emelia rejected his advances a while ago.
Wyatt was just a friend, and that was all he would ever be. Now he wasn’t even that.
He didn’t make her heart skip a beat or give her goosebumps when he kissed her, even though it was only once, but Emelia knew then he wasn’t the one.
Why had she ever considered him attractive?
Maybe she was a sucker for red-haired men with scruff on their face, but as he stood in her office with his furrowed brow, tense jaw, and flared nostrils, he looked more like the devil than the man she thought she knew.
She hoped the prick’s cock shriveled up and fell off.
She prayed he’d lose all the money he stole from her, and that social media turned on him like a locust plague.
Emelia blew out her breath. None of that would happen, of course. Wyatt had incredible luck.
Her family was sad to say goodbye. But Emelia couldn’t face their pity anymore.
She lost a good portion of the money she inherited from her grandmother, and it hurt. Although there was still money for a new bakery, she wasn’t in any position to borrow more.
It stung that her father warned her not to do any business with Wyatt. But had she listened? Nooo.
There was something about Wyatt her family didn’t like—never did. Yet she always defended him and look where that got her.
He was a troubled kid who stood by her by listening to her when she needed to talk, making her laugh, encouraging her to follow her dreams and telling her he would always be right beside her.
Over time, she noticed subtle changes in Wyatt. His encouragement and support came with strings attached. He liked to be in control, making her feel guilty if she didn’t follow his advice. When she questioned him, he would always charm her—mentioning how successful she was, how talented she was, how no one was looking out for her like him.
Finally, her eyes were opened when he threatened her. Emelia realized he’d been emotionally abusing her for years. She was just too naïve to recognize it. Well, to hell with Wyatt. She was a strong woman and no one—and she meant no one—was ever going to make her doubt herself again.
Bah. She was done with thinking about Wyatt. She needed to concentrate on the road. Her favorite CD was playing, and the music soothed her as the miles passed by. She prayed the Florida sun would cheer her mind and wounded soul.
Emelia was looking forward to establishing a new bakery in Haywood Lake. The tantalizing scents of vanilla and cinnamon, the sensation of her hands kneading dough, they all fed her soul. Plus, it was a chance for redemption, a second chance, if you will. She’d learned a valuable lesson and knew she’d never trust another person with her business.
While visiting the town a few months ago, she’d noticed a successful bakery and stopped in. Giselle Thatcher owned the Queen of Tarts and sold different products than what Emelia was imagining she’d sell, plus she didn’t serve coffee. Emelia talked to Giselle before she decided to move, and Giselle was thrilled there would be another bakery in town.
Giselle’s welcome decided Emelia’s fate. She found an empty storefront and was in the process of bidding on it. Actually, she was in a bidding war with a person who kept upping the bid. She’d learn in a couple of days whether the sale would go through, and hopefully, the price wouldn’t be out of her range. If not, she’d find another place.
Emelia had fallen in love with the quaint town and its variety of shops, from high-end to artisan. There was an abundance of restaurants, and the downtown had a vibrant cultural scene. Numerous lakes surrounded it, perfect for sailing, canoeing, or kayaking. Not that she was the outdoorsy or gym type, but it was nice to know.
However, there were so many challenges she still had to face.
One was suing Wyatt for embezzlement of money and defamation of character. Proving those allegations would be challenging, since he was very careful about accounting for the money. Claiming he was behind the negative social media reviews would also be difficult to prove—no, downright impossible.
Another challenge was finding an inexpensive place to live and, if she were lucky, finding a calm, sensible, trustworthy man who made her heart sing.
Emelia shivered. Wyatt’s threats chased her down the highway. They were a promise to destroy everything she held dear.
Dawn was approaching. It was a new day. She was strong.
She would survive.
Emelia exhaled and vowed that no one would ever break her spirit or steal her dreams again.
She’d had enough drama in her life to last a lifetime.