Page 28 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
He’d had to leave immediately before he did something stupid, but that didn’t stop him from pressing the lipstick stain on his finger against his mouth, as if he could transfer the feel of her lips to his own. Desire beat through him at the thought, as it had every time he had recollected the moment over the past few days.
He had no business thinking these things. Not when Lavinia had had such a successful date with Calahan. He’d felt nauseous hearing her talk about it, which meant he truly was an awful friend. He should have been happy for her, overjoyed at how jubilant she sounded. Instead, he’d had to hang up, unable to bear it.
Since then, he had changed the topic every time Lavinia had brought Calahan up, and she seemed to get the sense he didn’t want to talk about Calahan because she stopped bringing him up.
Not that it changed anything. Not that it helped. Theo kept imagining the two of them together, the romantic scene of them sharing a blanket. Him, kissing her—
“Theo.” He felt a hand on his arm, and he jolted. He turned to peer into Suki’s concerned dark eyes. “Let’s not overwork the batter,” she said, looking at the mess he’d made of the cookie dough.
He winced. “Sorry.” Embarrassment flushed through him. He felt like a student getting a low score on an exam in his favorite class.
Instead of being disappointed, Suki only looked concerned. “It’s okay. Why don’t you take a coffee break?” she suggested.
He nodded, throat thick. Sometimes people’s kindness made him want to cry. Suki gave him a smile, and he took off his apron, going to wash his hands. When he was done, he headed out, going in the direction of the Baby Dragon.
Wind cut through the air, and he rolled down the sleeves of his flannel shirt, his hands shaking. Leaves skittered across the ground, crunching beneath his boots as he made his way over to the cafe.
He entered, immediately inhaling the scent of coffee. A pang beat through him; Lavinia always smelled like coffee. He shook his head, walking to the counter, and his mood brightened when he saw who was there.
“Theo, hi!” Saphira said, giving him a big smile. She was at the counter, and when he came over, she went on her tiptoes and leaned across to kiss his cheek. Her presence dulled some of the ache in his chest.
“Hey, Saph,” he said. “I’m happy to see you.”
“I’m happy to see you, too!” she replied, then she pouted. “It’s been too long.”
“I know.”
“I miss the good old days,” she said. Now that he had been promoted, he didn’t do deliveries anymore. Even his fusion recipes were sent with the other deliveries.
“How were the seviyan cream puffs?” he asked. He had tested out the recipe, then perfected it before making them as part of this week’s order for the Baby Dragon Bakery, as Beena liked to call it. He did only one fusion recipe each week—sometimes new, sometimes tried and true.
“Super yummy!” Saphira replied, dark eyes warm. “I had to sneak some away just for myself before they finished.” He smiled. “You’re so creative with these recipes,” she continued, voice amazed. “I would have never thought of that!”
Hearing her say that almost made him feel proud of himself. Almost.
“Anyway. What can I get you?” Saphira asked. “Are you on a coffee break or did you only work half the day today?”
“Coffee break,” he replied with a sigh. “Can I get a butter pecan latte, please?”
“Of course!” After he paid, she set about making that. He sat on one of the barstools, waiting.
“How have you been doing?” he asked, while she pulled the espresso shot.
“Good! Busy. I’m usually not even here, but I missed working the counter, so I popped in today. Otherwise, I mostly do managerial stuff now, and it’s a lot. The business is doing really well, which is wonderful, but it feels like there are always a million little things that could be optimized or done better. It’s busier than ever, so there’s more to think about.”
“It’s great the cafe’s doing so well,” Theo said. “But, yes,managing a business can’t be easy.” He knew how complicated it could be from the classes he took for his undergraduate degree.
“Aiden helps out a lot with the math, since you know I’m hopeless at that stuff,” she said, pouring steamed milk into his to-go cup. She finished the latte off, powdering cinnamon over a heart stencil, then handed it to him. “But he has his own business to run!” Aiden had a gardening company called The Bloomsmiths. “So I don’t want to put more work on his plate. He says he doesn’t mind, but still. He suggested that I could hire a business managerial assistant to help out, but there’s no one I trust, and no one has been here since the beginning, except for Lavinia, but you know how busy she is with school, obviously.”
Theo listened, making a thoughtful sound. “I could help out, if you wanted?” he said, taking a sip of his latte. The words were out before he had a chance to second-guess them, and he realized the prospect of assisting the management of the cafe interested him. “I do have a business degree,” he continued. “My knowledge might be a bit rusty, but if you wanted . . .”
“Aw, that’s so sweet! Thank you.” She squeezed his forearm. “But I know you’re really busy, too, with the Rolling Pin, and I don’t want Suki to think I’m exhausting her best baker.”
Saphira’s words made him immediately sober.Suki. How could he have forgotten? Guilt pricked at him.
“Yeah. Right.” He cleared his throat. “Speaking of, I should head back,” he said, standing with his drink. She slid him a lid, and he stuck it on. “Thanks for the latte.”
“One more thing before you go!” Saphira said. “I need help. I’ve been trying to come up with a puppuccino equivalent forthe baby dragons, but they don’t really like whipped cream or sweet milk like that. Any suggestions?”
