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from the woman’s cheeks. “Did I just insult you?”
    â€œBelieve me I’ve heard worse reviews of my sophomore release.” She gazed around. “You have a beautiful store.”
    Lauren’s hands clasped together much like Kara’s had earlier. Emily wondered if the woman would start jumping up and down, too.
    â€œThank you,” Lauren said. “I can’t believe you’re standing in it. What in the world are you doing in Covington Falls?”
    â€œCar trouble. I’m waiting for the tow truck to get through pulling Belinda out of a ditch.”
    Her brow crinkled. “A who out of a what?”
    â€œLong story, long wait for a tow. I’m exploring.”
    â€œOh, you’re stranded for a couple hours. It’s too bad you’re not staying longer. I’d love for you to come speak to the kids. You have a lot of fans here, and I know they’d love it.”
    â€œSorry, but I doubt I’ll be sticking around long.”
    Lauren’s shoulders drooped. “Of course, you probably have someplace to be.”
    Emily nodded. “I should get back to the repair shop. I’m sure the tow truck must have returned by now.”
    Emily headed for the exit and escape.
    â€œHey, when is your new book coming out?” Lauren called out as Emily reached for the handle.
    Emily paused but didn’t turn her head. “Good question.”
    Back out on the sidewalk, Emily heaved a bone-deep sigh. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked, trying to stop the flow before a deluge began. She wondered if she’d ever recapture the passion she’d once had. The wonder of the ah - ha moment when an entire book came together in her mind like a jigsaw puzzle. So far the only thing she’d conjured up was a jumbled mess of pieces that didn’t fit together.
    She headed back toward the repair shop. The white church she’d seen earlier came into view. The tall steeple glistened in the sun, seeming to reach right up into the heavens. She’d visited the world’s most beautiful cathedrals — St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, Notre Dame — but for some reason the simple, country church called to her more than those architectural masterpieces. Called to her and made her nervous in some way. Like she’d been missing something all her life and was only now realizing it.
    Which was ridiculous. She wasn’t missing anything in her life. Other than her imagination. She hadn’t seen God take any steps to fix her problems. Any suggestions would have been helpful. A sign. A clue. A big, red arrow pointing, This Way Emily!
    Holding back a sigh, she scanned the street once more. A flash of red caught her eye.
    Help Wanted
    The sign even had an arrow.
    Her pulse kicked up. “No way.”
    She glanced at the name of the store. Jessie ’ s Treats . A bakery? Not the kind of missive she had imagined receiving from On High.
    Emily stared through the window and contemplated. She’d baked before. A few times anyway. Then she winced as a memory surfaced of a kitchen coated in white. But how could she have known breaking the sack open would result in a volcano explosion of self-rising flour? Her parents’ cook had banned Emily from the kitchen afterward.
    Emily slammed the door on the thought. Well, so what? She’d only been ten at the time. She could handle cookies and cakes now.
    It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to be, despite what she’d let the bookshop owner believe. She couldn’t ignore a sign from God, either, though it was quite a stretch to think the big guy upstairs had arranged for a Help Wanted sign to be hanging there. Besides, something deep inside her screamed Covington Falls held the key to sparking the fires of her long-dormant brain matter.
    She stared in the window once more.
    Then without another thought, she walked into the bakery.

Chapter Three
    â€œMom, I made some cookies,” Nate said, as