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After lunch yesterday, Carter had told her Gio ordered them all for her. She couldn’t bring herself to open a single box before Gio gave his permission. Carter had shrugged and drifted back off to sleep.

Between baking and caring for Cater, yesterday had passed quickly. Then Geo came down, they had dinner and the next thing she knew, the three of them ended up in bed together.

“A lot has happened in only a few days,” she said to Babette as she tied the twine to the dog's collar. It was hard to do because Babette refused to be still. At least there were plenty of bags forher to grab on the way out the door so she could clean up after the dog if needed.

There was a cold ocean breeze that made Mila wish she’d dressed in even more layers. What happened to her South Dakota hardiness? Could someone acclimate to warm weather this fast?

Stepping into the sun helped, and after crossing an empty street and a short trip over a sandy embankment, she and Babette were on the beach. After spending her life staring out at a horizon of nothing but farmland, it was startling to see so much water. The sight would never get old.

Babette tugged at the leash, and they walked closer to the water. She could see a few people in wetsuits sitting on their surfboards chatting while they waited for a good wave. Further out were some sailboats silently gliding over the water.

It was all so picturesque that it was only Babette's insistence that kept her moving. Otherwise, she’d be content to stand somewhere and stare out into the sea, simply soaking it all in.

When her shoes started filling with sand, she slipped them off and tied the laces together so she could carry them over her shoulder. The sand was warm on the top but cold as her feet sank in.

“Sea, sand, sun, and wind. So many sensations to create this moment,” she said to her companion. “It reminds me of mixing spices to create a single flavor.”

Babette came to a stop and stared intensely at a spot of sand.

“What is it?” she asked Babette, assuming there was some small creature there she couldn’t see. The dog responded by digging furiously, sending up rooster tails of sand behind her.

“I guess there’s treasure there," Mila said with a laugh. “I hope it’s not something dead and rotting!”

When her phone rang, she decided to sit down and let Babette keep digging. She answered it without looking to see who was calling, relieved to hear Rissa’s familiar voice.

“Mila, how are you doing? I wanted to check on you! I should’ve texted, but sometimes you just gotta call, you know?”

“After what happened, I can understand,” Mila agreed. The attack had happened only the night before last, but it felt like months. It was as if she’d known Gio and Carter for years. “Carter’s recovering.”

“But what about you?” Rissa asked.

“I think I’m good,” Mila answered. The conversation about starting a business with Gio came back to her, making her feel unsteady. Was starting a business with your lovers any wiser than sleeping with your bosses? It felt like the plot to a movie. The problem was that she wasn’t sure if it was a Hallmark movie or realistic drama.

One meant she’d have a happy ending, the other meant she was probably going to end up alone and crying.

No, not alone. She had Babette now!

“Mila?”

“Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought,” Mila apologized. “What did you say?”

“I wanted to know how the guys were treating you,” Rissa said.

Mila felt her face get hot. “They’re really nice. We might go into business together.”

“Business?” Rissa sounded confused. “Doing what?”

“They’ll let me use their kitchen and help me buy supplies and I’ll bake,” she explained. She’d done something similar when her brother’s wife was on bedrest for four months. When she wasn’t caring for Jen, she would bake and package. She’d sell her stuff to local coffee shops and was doing pretty well and thought about turning it into a full-time business.

That was until her mom pointed out that she was breaking all kinds of health and safety laws and could be sued.

Terrified of losing what little she had, she’d stopped. Thinking of that made her wonder about the laws here. She’d never looked them up back in South Dakota, but she should’ve. Now there was no excuse. She needed to know what the rules were and what kinds of licenses she needed.

It was probably going to be a lot, but Gio might help her. After all, this was going to be his business too!

“What are you going to bake?” Rissa asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“At first, probably a little of everything to see what sells,” Mila answered. “Things like cookies, muffins, brownies, blondies, palmiers, and eclairs."