LYDIA

 

I would be embarrassed if anybody found my diary. But it wouldn’t be because of all the nasty things I did or all of the dirty secrets I kept. I would be ashamed because there weren’t any of those things. Just a mundane day-to-day grind that was slowly eating away at my soul.

I’ve enjoyed my life. Well, most of it, anyway. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. But I need a change. I need to get away.

I wouldn’t call it a midlife crisis. I’m still only 25 and I’ve got my whole life ahead of me. I know that there’s something else for me out there. I intend on finding it, even if it means leaving my life and traveling to a town unlike any I’d ever been to before…

 

* * *

 

Ivory was a small city in the middle of nowhere. The population was only a few thousand. I could tell not because I looked it up on the Internet but because there simply weren’t any people around.

There wasn’t any bumper-to-bumper traffic. People actually drove the speed limit and didn’t appear to be in a hurry. The people walking along the side of the road moved down the sidewalks without their eyes glued to their cell phones. Even the buildings seemed more quaint than the massive skyscrapers I was used to.

Yeah, this town was definitely different. It was the change of pace I needed.

“It’s right up there. Just ahead…”

I pointed my destination to the cab driver and he pulled the car along the curb. As soon as I stepped out, I was greeted with a blinding sun that made me feel like I was on fire. It would only be a few seconds before I started to sweat.

“So far, so good…”

I muttered to myself as I grabbed my luggage out of the backseat. I hadn’t packed much, so I could handle it all by myself. After paying the driver, he sped off into the distance, leaving me alone in the strange town.

An elderly couple smiled politely at me as they walked by. Despite the heat and the newness of the town, I had a strange feeling that I was welcome. I never felt that when I lived back in the big city. Everybody was too focused on themselves to notice anybody else.

I walked down the sidewalk for a bit until I reached my destination. I looked up at the sign and could barely read it. The sun had dried and faded it out. The paint was chipping. A strong gust of wind would loosen the nails holding it up.

“This is it.”

I sighed a deep breath before stepping inside of the small shop.

When I swung the door open, a small bell connected to the handle echoed off the walls.

“Hello?” I called out. “Is anybody here?”

There was no response to my questions.

I moved over to the display case and looked down at it. It was filled with assorted pastries. Donuts, cakes, cookies, muffins. I knew they were handmade because they didn’t have the uniformity you would see from something that came out of a machine. They looked delicious either way.

“Hey! What’s up?”

A loud voice interrupted my pastry-gazing moment. I jerked my head up and saw a young woman standing across the counter from me.

She looked like she was in her early 20s. Black hair up in a bun. Pale skin, accentuated by red lipstick and dark eyeshadow.

“What can I get for you?” she said.

The younger woman leaned across the counter and I noticed how much cleavage she was showing. Her breasts were big and the small, white top she wore accentuated it.

“Um… I’m here to see Amy,” I said. “I think that’s what her name was—”

“Amy? She’s out back. Who should I say is looking for her?”

“Lydia.”

“Gimme a sec, Lydia.”

She gave me a wink then headed to the back. I was once again alone in the small bakery. I took a moment to examine my surroundings.

The place was just as old as it looked from outside. There were a few wooden chairs that were barely holding up. The tables were clean but they still needed to be replaced. A small fan spinning above the ceiling provided only a bit of comfort from the heat outside.

I started to wonder if this were the right place.

A few seconds later, the raven-haired girl returned with an older woman right next to her.

She was a silver-haired woman, her blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. She moved from around the counter and walked up to me with a kind smile on her lips.

“Lydia,” she said.

“Amy,” I said, giving her a nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

“Thank you,” I said, shaking her hand. “I’m really grateful for this opportunity.”

“I should be thanking you,” she replied. “It’s not often we have people coming from the big city. And they don’t usually apply to work in places like this.”

“You’re from the big city?” the other girl replied.

“That’s right,” I said to her.

The younger woman’s eyes widened.

“Gina, this is Lydia,” Amy said. “Gina’s my best employee.”

“I’m her only employee,” Gina said. “As you can see, there isn’t much work for you here. Business these days is kinda slow.”

“That’s all right,” I said. “That’s why I’m here. I’m looking forward to working with the both of you.”

“You are?” Gina said.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. Her face contorted like she smelled something funny, making me giggle.

“It looks like you just got here,” Amy said as she noticed my luggage. “Maybe you should head home. There’s no need for you to get started so quickly.”

“It’s all right,” I said. “It’s just one piece. Besides, I’m eager to get started. What can you tell me so far?”

“Well…”

Amy sighed before continuing. Despite the smile on her face, I knew she wasn’t completely happy.

“…It’s just like Gina says. There’s not much business these days. Maybe I’m getting too old for this. Maybe the people of Ivory have moved on. But I feel like I have to do something.”

“I don’t see a problem with the pastries,” I said. “Everything looks great.”

“Still, it would be nice to have some new blood in here. Maybe some of your fresh ideas can get people talking about us again. You did say you worked at a bakery in the big city, right?”

“A restaurant. I was a chef. But my real passion is baking. I had to get away from that place. This seems like the perfect opportunity.”

“Well, I don’t want to put any pressure on you on your first day here. And I can’t promise to pay you much…”

“That’s all right. I have enough saved up to get by for a long time.”

“…I still have some work to do. I do have a catering order coming up. Why don’t I let Gina show you around? Gina, let Lydia sample anything she wants so she can get a taste of this place.”

The old woman shook my hand before excusing herself to the backroom. As soon as she was gone, I turned my attention to the display case to see what interested me the most.

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Everything looks good. What do you recommend? What do most people usually get?”

“They usually try the donuts,” Gina said. “People like ’em even when they’re not fresh.”

“Then I’ll try a donut.”

“You got it.”

Gina gave me a donut and I took a piece out of it. It was just as sweet as I expected it to be. It was unique in its own way.

While I ate my donut, I couldn’t help but notice Gina continuing to stare wide-eyed at me.

“So, you’re from the big city?” she said.

“That’s right,” I said with my mouth half-full of donut.

“The big city up north?”

“That’s the one.”

“Why the hell would you move to a place like Ivory?”

She asked the question so bluntly, I couldn’t help but laugh in response. I shook my head as I searched for the right way to phrase it.

“Well… It’s a long story,” I said.

“I mean, they’ve got everything up there. I’m sure they have bakeries up there, too.”

“You’re right. They do. Maybe I’ll go back one day. For now, I think I’m comfortable with where I am.”

“If you say so…”

I finished the rest of my donut faster than I’d realized.

“That was good,” I sighed.

“Why don’t you try one of the muffins?”

“I don’t know if I should—”

“I made them myself. The chocolate ones are the best. They’re really good.”

“All right… I’ll try a chocolate muffin.”

I’d already had enough sugar to last me for the rest of the day but Gina persisted. Just as she handed me the muffin, the door opened and the bell rang.

A man in a brown police uniform walked up to the counter. He greeted me with a smile before turning his attention to Gina.

“Sheriff Sutton,” Gina said. “What are you having today?”

“I’m having the usual,” the man said.

“You got it, boss.”

The man was old, his hair gray and thinning on top of his head. His skin was wrinkled and covered in liver spots. There were some bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in days. I guess that came with the territory when you were a cop.

His stomach bulged out and hung over his belt but he didn’t seem to have any trouble moving.

Gina bagged a donut for the man and set it down on the counter next to a cup of coffee.

“It’s on the house,” Gina said.

“Now, you know I can’t be taking free food from you,” he said. “That’s not why I come here.”

“I know. But it’s Amy’s orders. What do you want me to say to her?”

“Tell her… You got some new orders.”

He took out a few dollars and put them down on the counter. He picked up his order and was just about to leave.

“Oh, Lydia, this is Sheriff Sutton,” Gina said. “He runs things around here.”

“I don’t run things around here,” the old man said with a nod to me. “I’m just in charge of the Sheriff’s Department.”

“Like I said, he runs things.”

Sutton rolled his eyes at Gina and I giggled at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said to him.

“Lydia is new in town,” Gina said.

“Oh, is that right?” Sutton said. “Well, it’s a pleasure to have you here. I hope you find your stay in Ivory pleasant. The entire police force is doing all it can to make sure you’re safe.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said.

“You ladies take care now.”

Sutton excused himself and I turned my attention back to the muffin in my hands. While I tasted the sweet chocolate, Gina had her eyes locked on me.

The look on her face was different. Her eyes were narrowed. Her lips were twitching like she was trying to fight off a grin.

“So… It’s your first day here,” she said.

“That’s right.”

“You got any plans?”

“Um… Not really. I was just planning on going home and settling in.”

“I know, I know. But what about tonight? You doing anything else? You going out?”

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” I said with a laugh.

“Great! You and I are gonna go out tonight. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anybody to drink with. You do drink, don’t you?”

“Sure,” I said with a shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with a drink now and then. What did you have in mind?”

“Just wait ‘til tonight. You’ll see.”

She winked at me.

I wasn’t sure if I should have been worried or not. The grin on her face made me more curious than anything else.

I took another bite of the muffin and realized just how good it was.

“This is tasty,” I said.

“Of course. I made it, remember?”