He sat beside me at our little kitchen table and helped me make another plan.

Six years ago, when I decided to start a bakery, he was the first person to believe I could make it work.

He helped renovate our detached garage.

Installed shelves.

Painted the walls.

Built counters that were exactly the height I wanted.

I spent months researching food-safety requirements, attending training, arranging inspections, purchasing equipment, and building a customer list.

Our first week brought nine orders.