Abilene brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her face and tied her apron around her waist. Today was a particularly cold one, so she was wearing a long-sleeve blouse with a collar that came up to just below her chin and a long skirt. It was much warmer in the bakery, and though her hands had been frigid to the touch when she arrived a few minutes ago, they were already warming up as she prepared for the workday ahead. Though she'd only been there a few days, the bakery was becoming like a second home for Abilene. It had all the things she loved- baking, a homey atmosphere, warmth, the occasional chance to see a child smile at her as they took a bite of a pastry- and she hoped she'd be able to work here for some time yet.

Glancing to Andrew in the kitchen, she called, "'Morning, Andrew!" in a cheerful manner. She'd received a letter from home yesterday evening and in it was news that her grandmother was wavering on her opinion of Linnie, Abilene's wheelchair-bound sister, coming to Whitby to live with the baker's apprentice. A light flush was on Abilene's cheeks from the cold and as she entered the kitchen, a bright smile on her face and her hair done up in a comely bun, she looked quite lovely, though she would have been embarrassed to be told that, being a relatively-humble girl.