Yael stared at her building, excitement growing. The construction and remodeling were moving along quickly. The front already boasted new windows and fresh trim, ready for a coat of paint. Her heart swelled with happiness. This was exactly what her dad imagined. She only hoped he was proud of her for opening her business here.

The sound of hammering drew her to the front door of the bakery. She stepped inside and found Casey prying up the worn floor. Her contractor was laying the black and white checked tiles next week, and Yael could hardly wait. Otherwise, the store was gutted to the framework or exposed to the original brick walls. She made sure to keep those since they added warmth and rustic charm.

"Hey," Casey greeted as he pushed to his feet, his face and clothes dusty, tool belt slung low on his hips. He reached for a bottle of Gatorade on a nearby sawhorse, and desire pooled in her belly. She liked this side of him. "Dreaming again?"

"About more than the shop."

She grinned as he stalked towards her. "I'm glad you're here. I have a surprise for you. Sort of a grand opening gift."

His buoyant mood was contagious, and he linked his fingers with hers, drawing her to the far wall where a large hole had been made, allowing her to glimpse inside the neighboring store.

"Did you have an accident?" she asked with a smirk.

"No, smartass. This space," he indicated the part he was working in, "is entirely too small for a baker of your talent. You need more room to create your masterpieces, to expand into other areas if you wanted. So, we're combining these two stores just for you."

"You're kidding?" Yael inched closer, peering into the dingy room but only seeing possibilities.

"The hole should say I'm pretty serious."

"I was perfectly fine with the original space."

"It'll give you more room for tables and to grow," he told her. "To continue growing."

She surveyed the new floor plan, letting her mind visualize it. The curved counter and display case she wanted would fit really well right where the stores used to share a wall, giving her a much bigger kitchen than she dreamed. She wouldn't have to sacrifice anything. More seating intrigued her, maybe even a couple couches to relax in and sip a cup of tea. Live music.

Impulsively, she leapt forward and threw her arms around Casey's neck. "I love it!" She pulled back, beaming at him. "I never even considered doing this. The square footage has doubled. I am going to have an amazing kitchen."

"Figured you'd hone in on that detail first. I wanted to surprise you. You deserve this."

"Well, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Although, I know you have ulterior motives." She hugged him again and stepped into the new area, taking it all in. He really was terrific on all levels.

"If you mean more room to make delicious treats, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Suddenly, a thought hit her out of the blue.

Merry.

She'd name the bakery after her grandfather's pet name for Miriam. Yael wouldn't have realized this dream if not for her grandmother. A smile lit her face, and she tested the name aloud.

"Merry."

"Did you see one?" Casey glanced at the shadowy corners of the room.

"No, silly. I'm going to name it Merry, after Miriam. Merry's Bakery and Sweets."

He considered it, nodding his head. "She'd love it and be the first one to take credit for making you do this in the first place."

"Sounds like her."

They laughed, and she hated to kill the good mood, but she had things to tell him. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"It's too early for you to have both," he groaned.

"Well, I do. So choose."

"You pick." He led her to a pile of boards, and they sat.

"I went to see Haustin."

"Fine, start with the bad."

"No." She chuckled, bumping her shoulder against his arm. "Turns out he expected it, saw you and me happening before we did. And he's getting back with his wife."

"Wow." Casey's eyes widened. "Good for him. And for the record, I saw it a while ago too. You and me."

"How long?"

"As soon as you called me 'Scott' the day we met, I knew we were a perfect, sarcastic match."

"Since we're being honest, I did too. I just ignored it."

"Ouch."

"Well, I didn't want to be a floozy, carrying on with two men. It wouldn't have been fair to either of you."

"And I know Haustin means a lot to you. He saved your life. Not to sound like a total woman, but what does this mean for us?"

"Us." Yael closed her eyes and smiled. "I like the sound of that."

He surprised her with a kiss that curled her toes and left her panting. When she caught her breath, she said, "I've been wanting to do that since waking up this morning."

"Same here."

"Being with you feels so natural, but I still worry."

"Why?"

She bit her lower lip. "From the beginning, the way I saw it was you were light, and I was dark. I hate the possibility of infecting you with all the negative things in my past, of changing who you are."

"Yael." He stared at her in disbelief before placing his hands on each side of her face. "It kills me to hear you say things like that. You're not going to infect me. I'm not perfect, so don't put me on a pedestal. I'll fall off a lot."

"If you knew half the things I've done." She trailed off, kicking herself for being such a downer.

"Then you wouldn't be the strong and inspiring woman in front of me. I'm not concerned with your past. Only your future."

They kissed again, and Yael let it chase away her doubts. Until her conscience reminded her she still had to tell Casey about his father. Restless, she stood, wandering to the spot she planned on putting the counter and display case, then pivoted to take note of the view she'd have out the window. Standing there, she'd be able to see people walking by, the world passing. It sounded insane, but she couldn't remember being anywhere that felt this comfortable or with anyone this wonderful.

Now, the hard part. No more stalling. She cleared her throat and noticed her pulse increased.

"That only leaves the bad news, and I'm sorry I didn't lead with it, but I ran into your dad." Casey's eyebrows rose. "Or I guess I should say he tracked me down. I came out of my building, and he was waiting for me."

His face turned to granite. "What did he want?"

"Mostly to voice his displeasure with Malkah Enterprises and how we ruined his life. Thinks I owe him what he lost. He wasn't making much sense. I may or may not have made the situation worse, but he called Miriam a hag and then grabbed me pretty hard." She showed him her arm. Initially, she was going to leave that part off, not tell him his dad hurt her, but Casey deserved full disclosure to understand the severity of the situation. She didn't want to start their relationship by keeping something from him.

He gently ran his fingertips over the red skin. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, Casey."

"Son of a bitch," Casey cursed, turning and pacing with his hands resting on his belt. "He is clearly out of his damn mind. He calls me constantly, but I ignore him and only talk to mom. She says he hasn't been home in over a week. A week, Yael! If it weren't for the calls telling me he's alive, I'd put out a missing person report." He scrubbed at his hair, frustrated. "I don't know what to say to him. This man is a stranger to me."

"From what I could tell, he's beyond anyone being rational with him, but he is in dangerous territory, where he might hurt himself or others." Her heart ached for Casey. "Alcohol doesn't help."

"Perfect."

She walked over to block his path. "Don't put this on yourself. You are not responsible for his actions."

"I can't help him." He stared at her with wet, tortured eyes. "He's my dad, and I hate that he is hurting. What do I do?"

"Don't give up. Sooner or later, he will need you." She sighed. "When I was in a dark place, nothing anyone said penetrated. I didn't want to hear about how much I'd screwed up, how badly I hurt people. I didn't get better until I made the decision to. I just watched the same thing with Haustin. His moment of truth didn't come until he wanted it. I will warn you, your dad may get worse before he gets better."

"What about an intervention?"

"It could go either way. Putting him into treatment against his will could very well backfire, but it might also wake him up. You should discuss it with your mom."

"I know you're right." Casey sniffed, pinching his nose then refocusing on his anger. "I'm sorry he came to you. He's become obsessed with Malkah Enterprises, thinking they screwed him on purpose. I don't even understand what deals he lost out on. His ramblings are never coherent."

She placed her palms on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. "You don't have to apologize."

"It won't happen again. I'll go talk to him. Maybe something I say will sink in. I have to try," he said stiffly.

"Of course you do. He's your father."

He gave her a distracted peck on the cheek and gathered his tools. "Are you going to stay here a bit?"

"Yeah. I want to look around. I'll lock up behind me." He turned to leave, but she called out to stop him. "Meet me back here this afternoon?"

"Why?"

A loud bang above cut off her reply. "What was that?"

Another thud had Casey furrowing his brows. "Shouldn't be anyone up there. I'm the only one working today."

"Squatters?"

"One way to find out." He retrieved a hammer and strode towards the front door. Yael trotted behind him.

"No, stay here," he ordered.

"I'm coming with you." She held up her phone. "You knock 'em out. I call for backup."

A grin bloomed across Casey's face. "See? We're a perfect match."

Can you hear that ominous music, or is it just me?