Page 30 of The Baby Dragon Bakery
Until he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out; his mother, Amaya, was calling. He had never called her back the other night. He should pick up now and get it over with. He watched his phone ring, bracing himself. Finally, he picked up.
“Hey, Mom,” he said.
“Theo, hello,” Amaya said. “You never called me back.”
“Sorry, been really busy,” he said. He got to the Rolling Pin but walked straight past it; he would talk to his mother for a few minutes while pacing up and down Main Street, then head back in.
“What are you busy with?” Amaya asked, sounding confused.
“Just work,” he replied.
“And how is work?”
“Fine.”
“You’re still at the bakery?” she asked.
“Yup.”
She made a thoughtful noise. He bristled, his pace quickening.
“Your father says hello,” she said.
“Tell him I said hi back,” Theo replied.
“Come visit soon,” Amaya asked. “Surely work at a bakery can’t be so busy that you can’t even visit your family.”
He wondered if she said that out of formality or if his parents really wanted to see him. He always hoped for the latter, but realistically, it was probably the former.
“Sure. I’ll try and visit this weekend.”
“Good.”
“I have to get back to work now, Mom,” he said.
“Okay. Goodbye.”
He hung up, then did another lap around Main Street, just to calm his nerves a little. He was always so full of energy, and as a kid, it made him hyperactive. His parents were calm, and that was what they had wanted from their only child, as well, but he couldn’t be still or quiet. All those years had dulled some of his radiance, to be sure, but it was never enough.
He rubbed a hand over his face, then went back into the Rolling Pin, getting back to work. It was a good thing he had football with the guys later that evening. The sport helped a bit with his restless energy.
Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he couldn’t clear his head entirely. He kept thinking of Lavinia, her going out with Calahan. He couldn’t get the image of Lavinia and Calahan kissing out of his head.
Even though it was driving him crazy to think about it, his thoughts returned again and again to the two of them together. It was like picking at a scab, and he couldn’t stop, no matter how much it hurt.
Chapter 12
Lavinia was at the Animal Hospital, preparing for an appointment. It had been a hectic week between work and school and spending time with Calahan, and she felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day for everything.
She followed Dr. Quan to the patient’s room. She would be seeing Luke Hayward, who was here with a chimera. She hadn’t seen many baby chimeras in her time interning here, so she was excited to see this one today.
Lavinia recognized Luke’s name and vaguely knew of him because he was on Genevieve’s cousin Emmeline’s hit list for trying to poach Saphira’s business from her. Luke owned a coffee-roasting company called Tempest, which rivaled Emmeline’s own coffee-roasting company, Inferno.
While Emmeline’s company had dragon-roasted coffee, Luke’s had chimera-roasted coffee. A chimera had the body of a lion with the head of a goat and the tail of a snake; they had wings and breathed fire, just like dragons, though they weren’t as coveted as dragons. Dragons were rarer, a status symbol of power and privilege, but Lavinia liked all animals equally.
Luke was in today with a year-old chimera, who must have been the baby of one of his fully grown chimeras that roasted Tempest’s coffee. When she entered the patient room behind Dr. Quan, he gave them both a charming smile, and she felt a little weak in the knees, if she was going to be honest.
Luke Hayward was supermodel gorgeous, clothed all in black. He had deep, rich brown skin and a clean-shaven face that showed off his sharp jawline and high cheekbones. The top buttons of his shirt were undone to reveal glittering chains against his chest.
