Chapter 72 After The Snowfall

• The new year arrived with the soft hush of fresh snow and the quiet anticipation of something beginning again.
• Lila stood at the bakery window that morning, watching the townsfolk move about with bundled coats and bright eyes. There was something about January that made even the old seem new again. She hugged her cardigan tighter around herself, the heat of the oven behind her contrasting with the chill in the air outside.
• Behind her, the bakery buzzed with familiar warmth. The cinnamon snowflake cookies had become a local favorite, and they’d added new items to the winter menu—a rosemary orange loaf and cardamom honey buns. Emma had insisted on a rotating seasonal recipe, and now she was fussing with a tray of pastries like they were about to be judged in a national contest.