Chapter 63: Only this once
Ashley walked into her office with a wide grin and slumped into her chair, resting her head as she exhaled. She’d just finished distributing most of the cupcakes she’d baked to the employees, and the memory of their happy, surprised faces lingered in her mind.
At least her aching bones and tired eyes had been worth it.
She glanced at the ten cupcakes left out of fifty, still nestled in a transparent pack on her desk. Palming her face, she couldn’t help but think about what had sparked the crazy baking spree that began last night and ran into the early hours of this morning.
After Lorenzo dropped her off at the estate, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him—or about the river scene. Even now, he still lingered in every corner of her mind, messing with her sanity. But last night had been worse.
"I miss you, sunshine."
Those very words had kept ringing in her head. The raw emotion with which he’d uttered them. And the stupid, stupid fact that they made her realize just how much she missed what they once were. Before he left.
Shit, she was going crazy.
Sleep had refused to come. So in frustration, she turned to baking. With the help of a few maids, she prepped seventy cupcake batters. Ridiculous? Absolutely. But sometimes, stress baking helped. And last night? It had been her only escape.
Afraid they’d go to waste, she brought them to work today for anyone who wanted one. But seeing the workers rush to grab them had surprised and warmed her heart. She was already considering doing it some other time.
Chuckling softly, she turned back to work, reading and sorting the documents needing her signature.
Ashley didn’t know how much time had passed until a knock at the door jolted her back to the present.