Page 41 of Games We Play
“See? Your honestly with me means I can trust you with my life, Sean. Now, try not to be such an ass in the future. I am your employer, after all.”
“Of course.” He paused for effect. “So, are we taking the company plane to Portland anytime soon? Ms. Vaughn may be the only person in America who doesn’t have you on her ‘most unpleasant people’ list.”
“Give her time.” Sloan emptied her ashtray into the nearest trashcan. “She hasn’t known me for long.”
Chapter 14
“I’ll need you for the Holland order,” Enid said with finality. She pointed to the empty square in the bakery’s communal calendar. “You’re the only one who can pull off that level of detail on a cake that small.”
Leah nodded.That’s the fourth cake I have to decorate on my own this week.For as little as she made, she would expect to do half that much work, considering some of those projects could take more than one day. Not that Gina’s list was empty. She was the master “cookie monster,” and there was a huge Valentine’s Day order for an upcoming matchmaking event. Every time Gina looked at how much work she had to do, she sighed. Enid no doubt charged extra for some of these last-minute orders, but did her employees see any of those cents? Nope. They got their standard hourly rate, and they were happy to get their paychecks every other week.Yeah. Happy. That’s the word.One day, Leah would have her own bakery. She didn’t know how the hell she would save for it, butone day.
“Great.” Enid got up, paperwork in her arms. “Meeting adjourned, girls. Oh, Leah, I need you to cover up front for the first couple of hours while I finish up the Lewis wedding cake.”
“Of course,” Leah said through gritted teeth. Manning the cold case and register meant she would have less time to get started on her first cake decorating mission. The morning crew had already baked the cakes. One girl had been nice enough to prep some of the frosting, but all the good that did Leah when she didn’t have the time to go back there and throw herself into creative energy. Nope. She was the Queen of Retail for the next two hours.
I wish I had never taken this so-called promotion.She started as one of those early morning crew members. They came long before the bakery opened. Every pastry imaginable was made there on site and sold to passersby who wanted to hop in for a quick breakfast or lunch. The morning crew was also responsible for baking most of the cakes Leah had to decorate when she came in at nine.
When she started, it was with the promise that her skills would one day be recognized and not only would she have a regular work schedule again, but she would make a good name for herself in the local baking scene.My Instagram account was all ready to go.
So much for that. It had been two and a half years, and Leah barely made two dollars more an hour. The industry was against her, too. She watched job listings like a hawk, but had yet to see anything in Portland that she qualified for. Even the job in Eugene she applied to a year ago said she was not quite ready yet.
“You got that counter?” Gina asked on her way back from the bathroom. “Because I need to get started on those blasted cookies.”
Leah leaned against the front counter. Nobody walked by on the street. Must’ve been the downpour preventing people from hopping off the MAX and rushing in to get their donuts and drip coffee. “I dunno, might be too much excitement here today. Too bad I can’t go back and get started on my work, too. Did you see how many projects I have to do on my own this week?”
“Hey, maybe I can squeeze in some time to help you.”
“No promises though, right?”
Gina laughed. “Do I look like a fairy godmother? You’ll be lucky if I can be a fairy godmouse.”
Leah almost said something witty in return, but the bell above the front door jingled, bringing her attention back to their small storefront.
“Good morning! Welcome to Rose City…” Both Leah and Gina’s mouths dropped open when they encountered the small entourage of men in Italian suits.
Four of them, each one bigger and more imposing than the last. Black umbrellas closed and left water droplets on the white floor. Each man looked at the other before one took the lead, his posture perfect as he approached the case and studied the pastries freshly baked earlier that morning. Technically, he was the first customer of the day.
Something about that unnerved Leah. It wasn’t unusual for them to get some of Portland’s finest businessmen in there on their way to work, but these men hardly looked like they came in to buy a light breakfast and some coffee.
“If there’s one thing about Portland I love,” the man said to his comrades, “it’s the abundance of glute-free options.” He stood up and flashed the bakery employees a charming smile. “We’ll take a dozen donuts. Half gluten-free, half regular. Thank you.”
Gina opened the case and grabbed a disposable glove. “Do you need them in separate boxes, or is a standard one fine?”
“Standard is fine.”
While Gina grabbed the tongs in the case and started throwing together a box of donuts, Leah punched the order into the Square tablet and put on her best customer service smile, though she felt like this man and his squad of formidable goons studied every inch of her face and followed every curl of her hair.
“That’ll be $12.99,” Leah announced. “Do you have a frequent buyer’s card? A dozen donuts gets you three punches.” She motioned to the small stand of cards, ready for punching.
The man, who smelled frustratingly familiar, held out his hand to the man on his left. That same man dug in his satchel and pulled out a leather wallet, which soon landed in the chief’s grasp. “No,” the man in charge said, as he pulled out a black credit card and handed it to Leah for swiping. “Afraid we don’t live in the area. A colleague told us that this was the place the locals went to for donuts, so here we are.”
Gina brought forth the box of carefully selected donuts. She took her time folding in the corners while Leah likewise feigned to hurry through the transaction.We both have the same reaction.Strange. Weird.Uncomfortable.“Well, hopefully the rain isn’t deterring you from our fair city,” Leah said, handing back his card.
“I love the rain. As long as it’s not snowing, I’ll take whatever precipitation you throw my way.” He signed his name and glanced at Leah’s name tag. “Ah. You must be the talented Ms. Vaughn I’ve heard so much about.”
She contained the gasp bubbling up her throat. “Do I know you, sir?”
“No, of course not. I’ve merely heard good things about your work here.” With a snap of his fingers, the deferential assistant stepped forward and tucked the box of donuts beneath his arm. Before handing his wallet back, the man in charge pulled out a ten-dollar bill and deposited it into the tip jar. “You may not know this, Ms. Vaughn, but you’ve made quite the name for yourself in my neck of the woods. Have a good day.” He flashed a smile at both her and Gina on his way out the door. His small posse of Italian-suited gentlemen followed.
