A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 19: Spice & Everything Nice

~2 weeks later~

The next couple weeks went by very quickly for Ana, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

Thankfully, there hadn't been much contact from Jose during that time, which was a bonus. After the cops had shown up to the bakery and he left, he wisely didn't show his face there again. He instead sent Ana a long email a couple days later, explaining his reasons for publishing that article in the Times. He said that he wanted to "protect you from assholes like Grey" and "expose the truth about what he's like to the world" and other nonsense. He at least apologized for his brawl with Christian and assured her he wouldn't try to contact her again after this. Ana had chosen to not respond to his email, and thankfully Jose kept his word and stayed away from her. Ana doubted it was him being considerate more so than it was him fearing retaliation from Christian and his security force if he did set foot near her or her bakery again. But a win was a win, and she would take it.

Ana wasn't necessarily concerned about Jose bothering her again, but she couldn't help but admit that Christian's radio silence was more disheartening. The day after the fight, Christian had wired her business account the money from the day's lost revenue, just as he'd promised, and he was quite generous too. She wanted to thank him for his generosity, but she hadn't heard anything else from him: she remembered the way he had touched her face and looked into her eyes before saying there was something he needed to do and leaving without another word. It had left Ana's heart fluttering and her mind racing, wondering what he was about to do.

Would he really end his engagement with Gia for me?

Ana knew she would never ask that of him, and yet the thought of him doing that made her heart pound in her chest. At least for the first few days – after a week of silence from Christian, and no word in the news about him and Gia breaking things off, Ana felt whatever hope she had slipping away.

Christian would probably be better off without me.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but whatever Christian chose to do regarding Gia, Ana realized that it likely wouldn't involve her anymore. She was still going to help Claire with the wedding cake, though, so at least she could get a decent commission for her work and hopefully generate more positive exposure for her bakery.

The Royal Treatment was still as busy as ever, and thankfully the little spectacle Jose and Christian put on with their fistfight didn't deter business in the following days. Ana still had limited movement with her broken ankle, but she was still able to get some baking done in the kitchen every morning, and even ring up customers at the cash register. She had to do most of this sitting on her rolling stool, however, since standing for too long left her ankle feeling rather achy and sore. But she took heart in the fact that her pain was improving every single day and she would hopefully be out of this boot sooner rather than later.

Mia had also been conspicuously absent from the bakery for the past few weeks, but that wasn't so surprising. She explained to Ana that she had to travel to California for some work she was doing for The Food Network, hinting that she was poised to be a guest judge on Bobby Flay's new food competition show. Ana was naturally very excited for her, but she couldn't help but miss Mia's presence around the bakery: she was always so bubbly and happy, making the customers feel welcome as she helped restock the display cases. If it hadn't been a conflict of interest, Ana would have definitely considered hiring Mia at the bakery full-time.

And speaking of the bakery…

Since it was now the end of the quarter, Ana had been busy talking with her accountant about what the company's profit margins currently looked like. She wanted to know how it compared to their initial one-year plan and if she was on track for continued success over the next five years. The numbers her accountant pulled Ana almost couldn't believe:

Since Mia's article had come out, they had been making, on average, more than five times the projected eight thousand per week goal. And these past six weeks alone, the bakery made as much money as it did the first six months it was open! Even after factoring all the costs of materials and taxes, The Royal Treatment was well on track for finishing up its first year in business with a better profit margin than Ana could have ever imagined.

I can't believe this is real!

Ana had to read over the numbers multiple times before she could fully take in what she was reading. Finally, with a wide smile on her face, she printed out the pages of her accountant's report before grabbing her crutches and hobbling downstairs, hardly able to keep in her excitement.

The bakery was opening in about twenty minutes, and Kate and Claire were busily setting up for the day. Once Ana showed them the bakery's numbers, however, the two of them stopped what they were doing and stared at Ana as if they could hardly believe their ears.

"Oh my God, Ana! This is fantastic!" Kate squealed, rushing forward and pulling Ana into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so happy the bakery is successful! I mean, I knew after that article Mia wrote, we've been doing super well. But the fact that we've been able to sustain this success for weeks now and it's reflected in our profit margins is just amazing!"

"I know," Ana smiled, and she felt herself getting a little emotional as she thought about when she and Kate first started the bakery and how many hardships they faced during the first year. "After everything we've gone through in the past year, it's nice to know that the bakery is staying in business, at least for another year."

"That's definitely good news for me," Claire was also grinning happily. "I know I've already told you guys, but I'm so incredibly happy I get to work at The Royal Treatment with you both. This is definitely the best job I've ever had."

"Aw," Kate said, looking legitimately touched by Claire's kind words. "That's so sweet Claire. Okay, bring it in, ladies – group hug!"

Ana and Claire both laughed as Kate pulled them both in for a hug, and both of them hugged her back. Ana had trouble balancing on one leg, but she hardly cared. For the first time in a long time, her heart felt completely full, and she didn't allow herself to worry about Jose or Christian or anything else in the world.

"We definitely need to celebrate," Ana said once they finally pulled away from each other. "Maybe we could throw a little party at the bakery on Friday after we close? It could just be the three of us as well as some friends and family."

"Ooh, yes! That sounds perfect," Kate clapped excitedly. "We could get a taco bar or something for dinner, and I can pick up some liquor for mixed drinks."

"And I'll get decorations," Claire offered. "Do you think we should invite the Grey family? I feel like none of this would have been possible without them."

Ana felt her heart clench slightly at the thought of seeing Christian again on Friday. A part of her wasn't quite sure how to feel after his radio silence. "Well, we should at least invite Mia. If she'll be back from California by then, that is."

"Yes, the Queen of the Food Network should absolutely be in attendance for our little peasant party," Kate grinned, and she checked her watch. "Oh, the store's opening in like five minutes. We should probably finish prepping."

Kate and Claire hurried off, and Ana limped over to the stool, preparing herself for the day ahead. Her mind cast to Friday, and she smiled, feeling excited to celebrate with her friends.

~Friday~

The days leading up to Friday went by rather quickly and without incident – and still without hearing anything from Christian. Kate was handling most of the setup for the party, and she told Ana that Mia and Elliot both said they could come. However, Christian hadn't responded yet to her invite.

"I mean, the guy's a billionaire – he's probably got a ton on his plate right now," Kate said to Ana as she rang up customers. It was nearing the end of the day, and Ana was busy replenishing the display cases with the rest of the baked goods Claire had made that morning.

"Yeah. Including a wedding," Ana said flatly, rearranging the cherry danishes so they looked a bit nicer. She had been feeling rather listless and sad for the past few weeks now, and she was sure she knew why. "And I doubt Gia Matteo would let him out of her presence to come to a party anyway."

"Ooh, are you guys talking about Christian Grey?" a bespectacled girl standing at the front of the line asked eagerly. "I'll have three of the chocolate croissants, please."

"Sure. For here or to go?" Kate asked politely, moving to the display case to grab the croissants.

"To go, please," the girl said before looking at Ana. "You heard they broke up, right?"

Ana seemed to freeze, staring at the girl with wide eyes. Did she hear that correctly? "What?"

"Yeah – Christian Grey and Gia Matteo called off the wedding. I read it in The Seattle Times this morning," the girl said eagerly, reaching into her coat and pulling out a folded newspaper. "They don't give many details, but like everyone's talking about it. You seriously haven't heard?"

Ana and Kate glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. They hadn't heard, but of course they'd been working at the bakery all day and hadn't had a chance to read the news. "No, we haven't."

"Well, if you want to read about it – here," the girl handed Ana her newspaper, which Ana took. "Do you guys know them or something?"

"We do. The Royal Treatment is actually Christian Grey's favorite bakery," Kate smiled sweetly, handing the girl her bakery box. "He's been here several times, in fact."

The girl's eyes seemed to bug out of her head at that news. "Wow, are you serious?! Christian Grey's actually been here? That's so cool!"

"I know. Be sure to tell your friends," Kate said as she rang the girl up for her purchase. "Next please!"

Kate continued serving the customers as Ana continued refilling the display cases, although she kept glancing at the newspaper she had set down on the counter. She wanted to read the story, but another part of her didn't think her heart could handle it; she felt like she couldn't process all her emotions about Christian right now and needed to separate herself from news about him whenever she could. The bakery was still busy, and she went back to work, but her mind continued to linger on it.

Finally, closing time rolled around, and the customers all filtered out. Once Kate flipped the Closed sign on the door, she untied her apron and threw it into the air in celebration. "Now it's time to party!" she exclaimed excitedly, and Ana and Claire both laughed.

"The taco bar is supposed to be delivered around three o'clock, and I have the decorations in my car," Claire explained, taking off her own apron. "Kate, you said you were going to pick up the liquor?"

"Yup, I'll head out after we finish cleaning up," Kate said, picking up her apron off the floor before heading to the kitchen. "Anything in particular you guys want for drinks? I was thinking of getting beer and wine to start, and maybe some mixers for margaritas?"

"Well, if we're getting a taco bar, margaritas are pretty much a must," Claire said humorously. Kate grinned.

"Obviously."

Ana was about to suggest some soft drinks when they heard the squeal of car tires from outside the bakery, causing the three women to turn toward the windows in alarm. A black Audi came to a sudden stop in front of the bakery as the driver slammed on the brakes, and three people got out of the backseat. There was an older man in a suit, a woman Ana recognized as Christian's mother, and Christian himself. All three of them appeared to be arguing about something.

Ana felt her heart catch in her throat before pounding anxiously in her chest. Their voices were muffled, but it was clear they were all upset about something.

"…Being absolutely ridiculous, Christian! I told you I'm going to help you see sense," Christian's mother was saying to Christian first. She stalked up to the doors of the bakery, which Kate hadn't locked yet, and entered.

"Dr. Trevelyan," Claire greeted the woman, looking stunned and a bit wary.

"Hello Claire," Dr. Trevelyan nodded at her. "May I speak with –?"

She glanced over and saw Ana standing behind the front counter. "Ah, Miss Steele," she said, fixing her with a steely glare. "Can you tell me what exactly is going on between you and my son?"

A/N: Apologies for the cliffhanger, but there are only a few chapters left in this story, so hang in there! Thank you all so much for reading :)

If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review! And if you aren't already, be sure to follow me on Amazon and Facebook. I go by the author name Rae Trescott.