Sophia
The storm rolled in fast that evening, the kind of sudden late season downpour that rattled the windows and turned the quiet street outside into a blur of rain and flickering streetlights.
Noah had stayed later than usual, helping me close up after a long day, the two of us falling into the same easy rhythm we always did when it was just us in the empty bakery. I was wiping down the last table when the power flickered once, twice, then went out completely, plunging the shop into darkness except for the dim glow of emergency lighting near the register.
"Well," Noah said from somewhere near the front counter, his voice carrying easily through the sudden quiet. "That's not ideal."
"Storm probably knocked out a line somewhere." I fumbled my way toward the small drawer where I kept a
