Page 32 of Tart
“Faster than you agreed to marry Able Baker Brady.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I guess we better get an ad in the window then.”
I held up my hand to stop her. “Taylor is calling a friend of hers who was just laid off. The woman is looking for full-time work. If we could get her full-time, up Monique’s hours, and hire one more part-timer, we’d be in good shape. Taylor said she knows a couple of people looking for part-time work, too. With any luck, I can do interviews later this week and get them started. In the meantime, I’ll ask Monique about picking up more hours. I can’t take Taylor from you guys right now to cover my front hours. You need her worse than I do.”
She nodded and sighed. “Especially with all the summer orders.”
I rubbed my hand on my thigh and eyed her, unsure how to say the only solution I could find last night. “I thought about our discussion, and I know you’re right. It’s time for me to take control of this place. The only way I can figure to do that is to become the manager over everything but you and Brady.”
“Meaning?” she asked, confused.
“I don’t work in the front anymore except for emergencies or to cover vacations. I’ll do all the scheduling, marketing, ordering, paperwork, payroll, and be the face of the business for the community. I’ll make deliveries and meet with brides and those looking for special occasion cakes and buns. That gives you breathing room to bake without spending hours every week doing everything else.”
She clapped once and grinned. “Thank you! You don’t know what a relief that will be. Both for my schedule and my worry about your leg. I know you don’t want to admit that you have to slow down, but you do.”
I nodded and gave her a lip tilt. “Bishop reinforced that opinion last night. I know you’re both right. That doesn’t make it any easier to do.”
She held my hand and patted it. “I understand. I remember what it was like last year when I couldn’t bake. I knew it was temporary, and it was still frustrating. Yours isn’t temporary. That’s what makes it that much harder. You saw Bishop last night?”
I shook my head at her. “Yes, but we aren’t talking about Bishop right now. We’re talking about business. That’s why I’m here. I’ve decided I’m going to load all of this nonsense up,” I said, motioning at the paperwork on the desk. “Then I’m going to take it home and spend the next week sorting, shredding, storing what we need in bank boxes, and bringing the rest back here for the file cabinet. When I finish that, I’ll get all those digital accounts set up that we keep saying we need to do, but never find the time to get done. That will keep this paper explosion from happening again. I’ll also set up a new way to keep track of everything on the computer, so we all know where to find anything at a moment’s notice. Once all of that is finished, I’ll start planning new campaigns and marketing ideas. We’ll have a meeting once a week to keep everyone on task and up-to-date. How does that sound?”
“Like you’re a lifesaver,” she said, her chin trembling. “I’m already overwhelmed, and I knew I was going to have to get this all done somehow, too. If you take all the paperwork, Brady and I will redo the office. It will be your office when you come back. I’ll allow you to work from home as long as you keep that leg up while you’re doing it, and you make an appointment to see the doctor.”
I crossed my heart and winked. “That’s my plan. I’m hoping by taking time off my leg that it will improve drastically.” She opened her mouth, and I stuck my finger against it to keep her from speaking. “I’m still going to see the doctor. I have to find some relief from the pain. It’s wearing me down to the point I can’t control my emotions. I nearly lost it last night with Bishop when the storm took us by surprise.”
“Oh, no,” she sighed. “I wondered if you were okay.”
“We were outside by the fire, so I had to go into his house since mine was too far away. As the storm got worse, he figured it out pretty quickly. I guess Brady said something to him about the accident. Anyway, he took me downstairs where we stayed until the storm passed, then he walked me home.”
She rubbed my shoulder compassionately, the same way she has done since the accident happened. “You weren’t too embarrassed?”
“I most certainly was,” I said on a laugh. “It was too late to do anything about it, though. He asked appropriate questions, and was more than understanding about it. Then we talked about his daughter and—”
“His daughter?” she asked, leaning back in surprise. “He’s got a daughter?”
“Yes, Athena. She’s eighteen and away at college in California. He was a teenage father.”
“Holy man,” Haylee said on an exhale. “Proof positive that you never know what’s going on in someone’s life.”
“He told me a few nights ago. He never married Athena’s mother or even lived with them, but he has taken an active role in Athena’s life. Considering he was sixteen when she was born, he stepped up and did the right thing by her.”
“For sure,” Haylee agreed, her head nodding. “As a foster kid married to a foster kid, I know where that girl might have ended up if he had walked away.”
“It sounds like her mom had very supportive parents who helped. Sam is a social worker now, and married to Athena’s step-dad, who helped raise her. They co-parent well together.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“How does what make me feel?”
“Bishop being a father.”
I gave her the palms out. “Uh, fine? It’s not like she lives with him. She’s an adult and goes to school across the country. Besides, I have no right to have any feelings about it. I’m his neighbor, not his mother.”
“I see,” she said as if she didn’t. “Did you explain to Bishop about your leg.”
“Yup, and my arm, and the situation as it stands. I also told him my best friend ripped the rug out from under me, and I needed to sort out what to do.”
“What did he say about that?”
