Chapter 402

Olivia

“You won’t regret this,” Angela said as she gripped me by both shoulders and shoved me toward the door of the bakery. “Now get in there!”

Before I could come up with a retort, I was already being shoved inside. The door on the bell chimed pleasantly, and the woman behind the counter looked up to see me standing there with a nervous expression on my face. Her name was Ms. Abernathy, although I didn’t know her first name.

“Oh! Luna!” Ms. Abernathy said, wiping her hands on her apron. “Can I help you?”

I swallowed, glancing around. The bakery was mostly empty, with only a few people sitting at various tables. It seemed as though the breakfast rush had already come and gone, and I was glad that there wasn’t much of a crowd.

“Erm… Actually,” I said as I approached the counter, “I saw you had a help wanted sign in the window—”

“Oh, yes,” she said with a grin. “One of our bakers left to follow her dreams in the big city. Do you know someone who might want the job?”

For a moment, I almost considered just saying that I would check around for someone. But my wolf bristled inside of me, pushing me to stay confident.

“Actually,” I said, clearing my throat, “I was hoping to apply.”

Ms. Abernathy looked a bit confused for a moment, and during that moment, I almost felt a little silly. But then her grin widened, and without a word she produced a packet of paper from beneath the counter and handed it to me.

“Certainly. Here you go,” she said warmly. “I didn’t know you had culinary experience, Luna.”

As I took the packet, however, I felt myself blanching. Truthfully, I didn’t have any culinary experience; not formally, anyway. I had waitressed at a few different places, I had washed dishes at another place, and I had worked as a line cook in a restaurant for a few months. But I didn’t have any real training, especially not with baking.

But, just as I was about to reply, the door chimed again and another customer came in. Feeling too shy to admit my mistake, I simply took the application, thanked Ms. Abernathy, and left in a hurry.

“Well?” Angela said as I met up with her and the twins outside. “I see you got the application.”

“Uh, yeah,” I said, glancing down at the packet in my hands. “But…”

Angela frowned. “No excuses, missy,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “I won’t hear it.”

With that, we kept walking for a while longer. I didn’t have the heart to admit to Angela that I was having second thoughts… At least, not yet.

…

As I settled the twins back into their playpen after lunch later that day, I couldn’t help but think about the application sitting on the counter. The woman’s words—‘culinary experience’—kept running through my mind, and I wasn’t so sure if it was worth applying.

But I really wanted this job.

It wasn’t that I didn’t love being a stay-at-home mom; I cherished every moment with Elliot and Aurora. But the idea of having a job, contributing to our family in a different way, had ignited a spark of ambition inside of me.

With one final deep breath, I decided to at least look at the application. I grabbed the packet and slid onto the stool by the counter, flipping it open to get started.

“Looking for ambitious, friendly, and hardworking people,” the job description read. “If you’ve got a sweet tooth, that’s a plus!”

I chuckled to myself. “Well, I’ve certainly got a sweet tooth,” I murmured out loud as I flipped the page.

And then I saw it: the job requirements. There it was, in big, bold letters.

“A degree in the culinary arts is a must!!”

So it was true: the bakery was looking for someone with a degree in the culinary arts after all. I had never gone to college, and that piece of paper felt like it was just laughing up at me. I couldn’t apply, not without any experience. It would just be an embarrassment.

And so, with a heavy sigh, I crumpled the application into a ball and tossed it into the trash can.

I knew it was foolish to even consider the idea of working at the bakery without the necessary qualifications. But the flicker of hope that had briefly ignited in my heart had been extinguished, leaving behind a sense of disappointment and inadequacy.

I sat at the kitchen table for a moment, lost in thought, when the front door swung open, and Nathan stepped inside. He was wearing his usual confident and commanding demeanor, the kind that had made him a strong Alpha.

“Hey, Liv,” he greeted me with a warm smile, his eyes filled with warmth as he made his way over to the playpen and scooped Elliot and Aurora up, who had noticed his entrance before I even did and were already reaching their grubby little hands out for him. “How was your day?”

“It was nice. I went on a walk with Angela,” I replied, forcing a smile as I rose from my chair. “The twins enjoyed the fresh air.”

Nathan followed me into the kitchen. Almost immediately, eyes shifted to the trash can, and he spotted the crumpled application peeking out from the top. He furrowed his brows.

“What’s that?” he asked.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain my sudden bout of ambition and subsequent disappointment.

But Nathan was never one to let things go easily, and he was already setting Aurora down in her high chair so he could have a free hand to retrieve the balled-up paper. Before I could stop him, he was already unwrinkling it and reading the contents.

“A job application?” he asked.

“I... I thought about applying for that job at the bakery,” I admitted, turning away so he couldn’t see my red face.

“You did?” he asked. “Why did you throw it out, then?”

I sighed, feeling a pang of insecurity as I spoke. “I... I thought about it, but then I saw the qualifications they were looking for. They want someone with a degree in culinary arts, and I don’t have that.”

Nathan scoffed and touched my shoulder, turning me to face him. “Liv, qualifications are just one part of the equation,” he said. “You have skills, work history, and a passion for baking. Don’t let a piece of paper hold you back.”

I stared at him, his words sinking in slowly. His unwavering belief in me ignited a spark of hope once again, but it wasn’t enough. “But what if they don’t even consider my application without the required degree?” I asked.

“You won’t know unless you try,” he said. “You’re talented, Liv, and besides; they know you there. Maybe they’ll give you a chance.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his encouragement. “You really think so?”

Nathan nodded. “I know so. And, hey, the worst thing they can say is no, right?”

I sighed. Nathan was right; it would likely do me more harm to stop myself from applying than to just apply and see what happened.

“Alright, alright,” I said with a slight chuckle. “You win again, Mr. Positive.”

“Hey, that’s the spirit, Liv,” Nathan said with a smirk. “Now, fill out that application… And then I’ve got some exciting news for you.”