business had seen a lot of growth and success. She had already expanded her small bakery as much as possible and also had added on a new catering service as well. While the growth was very encouraging and gave her a strong and positive outlook for the future, it did not come without problems. Her attorney had reminded her that there was another business out there that was still selling and using her own creative recipes, which could lead to problems later on. The fact remained that there was still unfinished business that needed to be resolved between her and Evan. Emma and Evan had stolen a lot of her recipes and had developed quite a successful business from it.
With her growing success, two bakeries using the exact same recipes could very well become a problem in the future, so she was encouraged to find out exactly how many recipes had been stolen and make a decision about what to do with them.
While confronting Evan and demanding the return of her trade secrets was completely out of character for her, she decided to visit Evan in an attempt to bury the hatchet. She thought a friendly gesture would be much more welcome than an all-out attack on his character. After all, she had reasoned, he may not have known that Emma was stealing her secrets and could very well have been a victim in much the same way as she had.
Still, she knew that it was important to find out to what extent her creative ideas had been compromised, so she knew it was necessary to make the visit. Packing up an assortment of cupcakes she had made from entirely new recipes to give him, she chose to go early in the morning before he opened for business.
On the drive over, her mind ran the gambit of different emotions. Her attorney had suggested that an injunction be ordered for them to cease using her recipes or face a long, drawn-out lawsuit. Maddie couldn’t come to terms with such a harsh decision without knowing all of the facts. She did concede that Evan had continued to use the recipes after Emma’s death and Rachel’s arrest, but she was convinced that he must have had a reason and she needed to hear it.
She had arrived at around four-thirty in the morning just a few days ago, but she had not seen Evan that morning. She approached the bakery and found the storefront was completely dark, but when she peered through the window, she could see movement in the back of the store. The light in the kitchen was on—just the same as it always was in her bakery and perhaps every bakery in the country. It was important to arrive early so that all the baked goods were fresh for their first customers of the day. Maddie could see Evan’s head standing up over his workers as they began to prepare for the morning’s rush.
The storefront had not been changed since that day when she and Bailey had come to investigate after Emma’s death. It was clear to see that Evan had continued to run the business using her stolen ideas. She struggled to understand why and knew that the only way was to talk to him directly.
She gave a quick rap on the glass doors and peered inside. It was awkward to stand there with her big canvas bag on one shoulder, holding Astoria, who was certainly no lightweight, and a box of cupcakes in the other hand. Trying to knock on the door under such circumstances proved to be rather complicated.
She knocked on the door once again but still no response. She was sure that someone would have heard her, because she knew that no matter how busy it was in her back room, everyone always heard when someone was at the door. She peered into the window and found herself locking eyes with Evan, who had come around the corner to see who it was.
She thought she saw recognition fleet across his face and gave him her most genuine smile. Evan’s face looked as if it was in conflict, and for just a moment he seemed to be in a quandary of indecision. He took one step toward the door before he stopped and reconsidered
With her growing success, two bakeries using the exact same recipes could very well become a problem in the future, so she was encouraged to find out exactly how many recipes had been stolen and make a decision about what to do with them.
While confronting Evan and demanding the return of her trade secrets was completely out of character for her, she decided to visit Evan in an attempt to bury the hatchet. She thought a friendly gesture would be much more welcome than an all-out attack on his character. After all, she had reasoned, he may not have known that Emma was stealing her secrets and could very well have been a victim in much the same way as she had.
Still, she knew that it was important to find out to what extent her creative ideas had been compromised, so she knew it was necessary to make the visit. Packing up an assortment of cupcakes she had made from entirely new recipes to give him, she chose to go early in the morning before he opened for business.
On the drive over, her mind ran the gambit of different emotions. Her attorney had suggested that an injunction be ordered for them to cease using her recipes or face a long, drawn-out lawsuit. Maddie couldn’t come to terms with such a harsh decision without knowing all of the facts. She did concede that Evan had continued to use the recipes after Emma’s death and Rachel’s arrest, but she was convinced that he must have had a reason and she needed to hear it.
She had arrived at around four-thirty in the morning just a few days ago, but she had not seen Evan that morning. She approached the bakery and found the storefront was completely dark, but when she peered through the window, she could see movement in the back of the store. The light in the kitchen was on—just the same as it always was in her bakery and perhaps every bakery in the country. It was important to arrive early so that all the baked goods were fresh for their first customers of the day. Maddie could see Evan’s head standing up over his workers as they began to prepare for the morning’s rush.
The storefront had not been changed since that day when she and Bailey had come to investigate after Emma’s death. It was clear to see that Evan had continued to run the business using her stolen ideas. She struggled to understand why and knew that the only way was to talk to him directly.
She gave a quick rap on the glass doors and peered inside. It was awkward to stand there with her big canvas bag on one shoulder, holding Astoria, who was certainly no lightweight, and a box of cupcakes in the other hand. Trying to knock on the door under such circumstances proved to be rather complicated.
She knocked on the door once again but still no response. She was sure that someone would have heard her, because she knew that no matter how busy it was in her back room, everyone always heard when someone was at the door. She peered into the window and found herself locking eyes with Evan, who had come around the corner to see who it was.
She thought she saw recognition fleet across his face and gave him her most genuine smile. Evan’s face looked as if it was in conflict, and for just a moment he seemed to be in a quandary of indecision. He took one step toward the door before he stopped and reconsidered
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