Page 81 of The Alpha and the Baker
Saturday sped by much more quickly than it usually did, and before I knew it, Saoirse was asking to lock the door and flip my OPEN sign over to CLOSED, so we could get started on prep. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself looking forward to the Sunday slog way more than I usually did.
“All right, let’s start with bagel dough. We’ll do the plains, then the specialties. After that, we’ll prep everything we need for doughnuts and croissants.”
“Okay. I remember bagels from this morning.”
“You remember all the steps that come after they’ve proofed,” I corrected gently. “Now we’re going to do everything that comes before that.”
“Like putting them in the retarder?” she asked brightly.
“Yes, very good,” I said, a bit surprised she knew the term. “Do you have something like that at home?”
“No, but Uncle Cas warned me about it and said I needed to be mature about the name.”
I shot Cas a fairly amused look, and he gave me a wry smile. “Just being proactive. Teenagers, ya know?”
“Just because I’m not a billion years old like you doesn’t mean I’m a little kid,” Saoirse countered, and I took that as my cue to cut in.
“Anyway, Chris, would you mind grabbing me a couple of bags of flour? We’ve got a lot to do.”
Despite having a pupil at my side, we got through my Sunday prep in record time. I was so thrilled at the leap forward in my schedule that I could kiss Cas. But then I remembered we were dating, so I did kiss him.
I managed not to get carried away for once, if only because his niece began to make gagging sounds after a few moments.
Ah, to be young again.
My feelings for him were growing so rapidly in such a short time that I could scarcely believe it. I’d never felt so supported, and I could feel myself quickly growing addicted to the ease of it all. It wasn’t just what he did for me—that would be a pretty shallow basis for a relationship. No, it went beyond that. He made me want to be a better person, while also making me believe I could. The world felt so much more manageable whenever he smiled at me. Which was a feeling I never wanted to grow tired of.
By the time everything was turned, I found myself wishing they could all stick around longer so we could really dive into planning, but I could tell poor Saoirse was exhausted, and Chris was beginning to check his phone more and more, no doubt missing his wife and daughter. Another thing I liked about the McCallisters was that they all genuinely liked each other. Therewere no jokes about parents hating children or husbands hating wives. It was refreshing. While I’d never experienced that in my own family for obvious reasons, I’d seen it on television far too often and always thought it was weird. Why marry someone if you hated them?
We said our goodbyes, even if they were incredibly reluctant on mine and Cas’s part. When we kissed, his niece had the good sense to step outside, which was a good thing because I wasn’t about to shorten my goodbye for her sake.
“See you Monday?” Cas asked, his voice low and rough once our lips broke apart. Yet again, I felt that thrill of attraction rock through us, but I had to let it simmer rather than flare up. There was a time and a place, and having his beta and niece a few feet away pretty much put a stop to anything like that.
“Yeah.” I loved that he understood how slammed my Sundays were and that I needed a break from socializing to concentrate on the day. Although, it definitely required a little less concentration now with how they’d helped me get ahead. I’d get to sleep an extra thirty minutes. “See you Monday.”
“Be safe until then.”
“No promises,” I teased, only to have him catch me up in an embrace, his strong arms squeezing me like the world’s most welcome cage. “All right, all right, I’ll behave myself.”
“Good,” he said, eyes sparkling as he gave me one last kiss. God, we were like teenagers, pasted all over each other. I didn’t care. I loved it. Loved the connection and the thrill of attraction. Loved just unabashedlyfeeling.“See you then.”
“See you.”
Neither of us really wanted him to leave, and he was procrastinating as much as possible, but eventually he was outside, and I was inside.
I turned back into the shop, and for the first time, I finished Sunday prep and didn’t have an entire war zone to clean. Casand Chris had taken care of all that, wiping everything down, sweeping, mopping, unloading and refilling my dishwasher. I’d just had a preview of how much easier my life would be if I could afford an employee.
Maybe someday times two.
After everything that had happened during the week, I deserved somemetime.
So, up to my tub I went, where I decided to use it for an actual leisurely bath rather than a hurried shower. I went all out, gathering supplies to make it really special.
After grabbing a candle, a bottle of wine, a plate of cheese and crackers, and a tray I’d specifically bought for lounging in the bath, I finally slid into the hot water. Once I was settled, I made sure my tablet was centered on the tray, then proceeded to relax for the first time in ages.
Cas had only just become part of my life, yet he’d already made such a marked difference. I was really trying not to put the cart before the horse, but it was hard not to get swept up in how amazing it was. Even the bake-off was a bright point to look forward to rather than the endless drudge toward trying to make enough to cover my bills and failing by a little every day. And I was still out of the red thanks to the reunion and the upcoming baby shower.
I could probably hand out some business cards at the bake-off if we did well and possibly snatch a few new clients. Maybe some would be turned off by a professional baker competing, but I’d read the entire packet multiple times, and there was nothing in the rules about it. Restaurants and businesses could sponsor teams if they wanted, which explained how people could afford all the ingredients needed for so many rounds.
