Love's Fate (Love Trilogy #1) by Tracey Smith

was as clear as ever. I wondered if I would ever feel so drawn to another man. I realized sadly that if I couldn’t, I would never fall in love. If I couldn’t find someone who would consume my thoughts the way that stranger had, then I would never forget him. If I couldn’t forget him, I could never really feel something for anyone else. I felt so hopeless. I needed something else to focus on something to distract me.
    In addition to my pining for an unreachable stranger, I also spent a lot of time considering my future. To occupy my mind during those lonely days I spent the majority of my free time in my kitchen. I would bake small cakes and pastries and then leave them in the lobby of the apartment building.
    My neighbors loved the treats I would leave, and some would even leave notes requesting their favorite items. Baking was my passion and one day the idea just clicked into place. I was surprised I hadn’t considered it before. I could open a bakery.
    I was grateful I had chosen to pursue a business degree at UCSD, I had the knowledge to run my own business and I had the talent to be successful. Now all I needed was the money to get started.
    I had over a dozen meetings at various banks before I finally found a lender willing to take a chance on me. I was lucky that the loan officer had been one of my regular customers at the restaurant who had loved my dessert specials, and he promised to be one of my first customers once the bakery opened.
    I found a perfect location that had once been a small Chinese restaurant. It was so nice to have something to devote all my time and energy to. I no longer had any free time to let my mind wander, to let myself dwell on the man that I couldn’t have, the love that could never be.
    It didn’t take much renovation to adapt the old kitchen to meet my needs. I was able to purchase the equipment I needed and I spent all my free time setting it up. Amy offered to help me decorate the front of the store and I was grateful for her assistance. I focused on the functionality of the kitchen, and she focused on the appearance of the small lobby at the front of the shop. It wasn’t long before it was ready.
    I began distributing fliers announcing my grand opening. I had never been so nervous in all my life! My boss at the restaurant was sad to be losing me, but he was very supportive and he allowed me to leave some fliers at the hostess station.
    I spent the entire day before the grand opening baking every kind of pastry, cookie and treat I could imagine. I even made a few small specialty cakes, one was square and decorated to look like a wrapped gift, and another was a sphere decorated to look like a soccer ball.
    I didn’t figure they would sell, but they did add a bit of charm to the glass display cases. Finally when the cases were full I cleaned up and went home. I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I lay awake all night wondering: would anyone come?
    I finally gave up on sleep around 3 am and headed for my shop.
    My shop. I loved the sound of it. I was only 24 years old and I owned my own business. I knew it was quite a feat and something to be proud of. Something I had never thought to dream of, but now that it was happening I couldn’t imagine my life having gone any other way.
    I had butterflies in my stomach as I entered the small building and made my way to the kitchen. I decided to make some fresh doughnuts and began to relax as soon as I started baking. I felt at home in the kitchen.
    The butterflies returned when my watch beeped alerting me to the hour. It was time to open the doors. The sun had not yet risen, but the sky was beginning to brighten.
    I looked around at my little shop. The cases were stocked, the coffee brewed, all that was left to do was open the doors and hope people would come. I walked slowly to the front of the shop, feeling almost faint. What if no one came? What would I do?
    My fears were immediately subdued when I made it to the front door and saw