Page 41 of Recklessly Rogue

So, this is what it feels like to be ordered around.

It’s annoying. I’m not sure how Cian’s put up with me doing it to him all this time.

Chapter 10

Ruby

Ifeel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out praying it’s Henry.

I’m at the back door.

Thank goodness. I push through the swinging door to the kitchen and hurry to the back door to let him in. Surprisingly the cinnamon roll scented candle burning in the kitchen has convinced the men upfront that the cinnamon rolls are baking in the oven back here. But since we were an hour late opening, they’re getting grumpy despite having their coffee and their bacon and eggs already.

“He’s here,” I tell April, who's dishing up more bacon at the stove.

Personally, I think bacon can totally take the place of cinnamon rolls, but the guys in the next room don’t seem to agree.

“Finally,” she says with a smile. “I probably should learn how to actually make those.”

I give the younger girl a smile. “Sure, in all your free time.”

She shrugs. “I’d enjoy it. And Elliot is getting old enough now to be a helper.”

I know it’s not so much that April wants to bake as it’s that she wants all of the “these are amazing” and “you always start my day out right, sweetheart” exclamations to be about things she’s actually doing.

We’ve shared quite a bit about our backgrounds in the time we’ve been working together. Her parents weren’t big on encouragement and building her up and she now looks for external validation wherever she can get it.

That’s unfortunately why Christopher was able to charm her with easy accolades like “you’re so pretty” and “you’re so sweet” and “you make my life so easy”.

All of those things are true and I am sure Christopher meant them, but his appreciation of her is superficial and selfish. I am so glad April is finally seeing that. And while she eats up all of the praise from our customers, I want her to find something she truly wants to do forherself, not just for the admiration of others.

“I’m going to take this out to the guys and see who needs more coffee,” April tells me, picking up the plate of bacon.

“Sounds good. I’ll bring the cinnamon rolls.”

I watch her back through the swinging doors.

She’s another person I worry about leaving.

She’s not my responsibility. I know that. But I’m so proud of her for finally deciding to get away from Christopher and I feel like this is a precarious time to leave town when she could use a friend or an older sister type in her life.

I shove all of that away as I push the back door open for Henry.

Itisokay for me to think about what I want. It really is. It’s not selfish.

“Here you go.” He immediately hands over a huge platter of cinnamon rolls. I note that he is also carrying a casserole dish.

“Did they send something else?” I ask as he steps past me.

He shakes his head. “These are Elliott’s pancakes.”

“You made Elliot pancakes?” I ask, surprised.

“I told him I would last night.”

“But…then you brought them down here?”

“I told him he would have pancakes this morning,” Henry says firmly as if that should be obvious.

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