Page 19 of The Alpha and the Baker
“Hello?” I asked cautiously. I wasn’t really scared of dogs, but I knew one should always be careful when being introduced to a new one, especially if there was food around.
“Arietty!You can’t just wander off! Your mother told you we have a h—” A flustered man rushed up, then skidded to a halt when he saw me. “Oh, hello!” he said, smiling nervously. “You’re the baker, right?”
Had everyone heard about me? I hadn’t thought I’d madethatmuch of a splash considering no one had had dessert yet, but clearly I was wrong.
“I am,” I drawled, wishing my tongue was a little more steady in my mouth. It, like the rest of my body, felt so floppy. And when had I gotten so tired? I could really use a nap.
Once I finished my plate.
And maybe half of a second one.
And some dessert too!
Yeah, that sounded good.
“Nice to meet you. Sorry about her, we’re still, uh, training her. She’s a brand-new sh—rescue.” It was probably just in my head, but I could swear multiple people were now staring at me and the dog, like they were waiting for something. “Leave the nice lady alone now, Arietty.”
“Oh, I don’t mind her,” I said, reaching out slowly and letting my hand hang limply so she could smell of the back of it. “She’s beautiful.”
“She is,” the man said pridefully. “But she knows she’s not supposed to be in the tent where people are eating. So let’s gonow, Arietty, or I’m sure your mother is going to have words for you.”
It was kind of funny how he was referring to what I assumed was his partner as the dog’s mom. The large pupper hesitated, but then it let out a huff and turned around to follow the man.
“What a sweetheart,” I said, turning back to the table. And again, it must have been my imagination, but I swore several people around us heaved sighs of relief as if they had been holding their breath.
Weird.
Then again, didn’t every family have their quirks? There was bound to be a lot of that in a family this large, so I just went back to my food.
My delicious,deliciousfood.
Eventually, however, I was stuffed to bursting and even the promise of tasty desserts wasn’t enough to entice me to put another morsel into my mouth. I sat back, feeling full and content, and let myself look at the bounty all around me. Everywhere my gaze landed, there were smiling and happy faces. The tent was abuzz with all sorts of pleasant chatter undercut by the occasional clank of someone dropping something on the fold-out table. I couldn’t recall the last time I had felt so relaxed.
Then again, I also couldn’t remember the last time I’d even had a drink to the point of being affected by it. I wasn’t anti-alcohol by any means, but I didn’t really have the time to enjoy it, and drinking alone felt depressing.
Well, I certainly wasn’t depressed at the moment. Who would have thought that an emergency cake order—which anyone with good sense would have turned down—could turn into something so incredibly lovely? I certainly hadn’t had a clue. Although initially I’d only done it for the money, and because I’d felt bad for the girl who burned the cakes, I wouldhave done it for free if I knew such a great experience was in store for me.
Okay, maybe that last part was the alcohol talking. Mama needed her bucks after all.
I wrinkled my nose at myself for that particular line of thought. Since when did I call myself Mama? Really wasn’t my vibe at all. But maybe it was Tipsy Felicia’s vibe. She was a bit of a wild card.
What was really surprising was the fact that I still hadn’t sobered up yet. Maybe I was coming down with something, or was it because I’d had the drink on an empty stomach? I wasn’t usually so sensitive to alcohol. Because while yeah, I probably hadn’t drank in ten or so months, it wasn’t enough to make methatsensitive.
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice a strange new noise had joined the fray until Cas began to cough from where he was sitting across from me, almost as if he was trying to cover it up. Weird. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound. It was like a strange howl.
Wait…
Was someone yodeling?
Another smile broke out across my features as I listened to the long, low notes that carried across the wind for impossibly long. It wasn’t expected, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. Where was the singer? I looked around, but I couldn’t see them anywhere. Man, they had to be classically trained with how far their voice traveled.
I wished I had an aptitude for singing. I could casually carry a melody if the radio was playing, but that was the extent of my skill. Not that it stopped me from having my own personal concert when the mood struck me in the middle of a baking frenzy.
“I’m gonna go handle that,” Cas said quickly with an embarrassed smile.
I wasn’t sure why he looked so flustered. Yes, at first, I’d been a little startled by the somewhat wild sound, but now I thought it was quite beautiful. Also, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a culture thing and maybe he was just worried about how it would come across to someone with a different background. I didn’t think the Irish were known for their yodeling, but I could be wrong. “I’ll be right back.”
“Tell the singer I think they have a beautiful voice,” I said. I hoped everyone could tell I genuinely meant it. Sometimes, my dry humor got me into trouble because people couldn’t tell when I was being serious or not. And I definitely didn’t want any of the McCallisters to think I was being rude or making fun of them.
