The oven timer's insistent beeping faded into the background as you yanked off your apron and dashed for the door. The bell jangled violently as you shoved it open, cold rain immediately stinging your cheeks. Down the street, the woman's hunched figure was already halfway to the corner, her coat collar turned up against the downpour.

'Wait!' you called out, your voice nearly lost in the drumming rain. She turned slowly, rainwater streaming down her face like tears. You jogged to close the distance between you, your shoes splashing through growing puddles. Up close, you could see the dark circles under her eyes, the way her hands trembled slightly as they clutched her coat closed.

'I shouldn't have sent you away,' you said, breath visible in the cold air. 'This place... it's called the Bakery of Second Chances for a reason.' The woman blinked rainwater from her lashes, her expression unreadable. A delivery truck rumbled by, sending a wall of water from the gutter that soaked your pantslegs completely.

You extended your hand. 'Come dry off. We'll talk over something warm.' For the first time, something flickered in her eyes - not quite hope, but maybe the memory of it. The rain continued its steady percussion against the pavement as she hesitated, then reached out to take your offered hand.