Page 4 of The Orc Who Hated Christmas
Cas froze. His smile disappeared in an instant.
“Of course.” Cas’s throat bobbed, and he placed the loaves on the counter. “Sorry.” His wings drooped, and he landed on the floor. “I just like Christmas. I get carried away.” He gave a weak laugh. “I didn’t mean to push.”
Guilt gnawed at Graal’s gut as he counted out his coins for the loaves and placed them on the counter. He hadn’t meant to make the pixie feel bad. Graal just didn’t want all that other fancy, frivolous stuff. That sort of stuff wasn’t for orcs like him. Couldn’t the pixie tell?
Cas gazed out the window and smiled. “The snow is so pretty, don’t you think? It’s really coming down now.”
“Pretty? Snow’s shit!” Graal huffed. “It’s fine if you get to work inside. But it is not so nice if you have to work in it every day.” Graal took the loaves.
“Oh.” Cas frowned. “Right. I’m sorry. I hadn’t thought of that.” Somehow his wings drooped ever further. No pixie dust would burst forth from Cas anytime soon. Not when he was in Graal’s gloomy presence.
Graal wanted to take the words back. He wanted to say something to take away the pixie’s frown. Graal held in a sigh. Turned out Graal could ruin the Christmas pixie’s day without even trying.
But Graal had been working all day! He just wanted to go home with his brick bread and be left alone.
Cas gave him a strained smile. “Merry Christmas,” Cas said, but his tone sounded deflated.
“You too,” Graal mumbled.
And as Graal walked to the door, regret at causing the bright Christmas pixie to lose his sparkle ate at him.
Fuck, I’m an arsehole. Why am I such a grumpy arsehole?
CHAPTER 3
Cas sighed as he watched the orc leave the bakery, broad shoulders so wide they almost brushed the sides of the doorway. The four loaves of brick bread were tucked under the orc’s arm.
Cas’s nose wrinkled.
Brick bread! Disgusting stuff.
Cas could never understand why anyone bought that horrid bread. The Magic Bakery sold some very nice loaves, so why would anyone buy that unpleasant stuff?
Cas had tried it. Once. His father had given him some when he’d been a tiny little pixie fluttering around the bakery. His father had laughed at the expression on Cas’s face as he’d chewed the thick, dense bread.
“Why do we make this?” Cas had asked after he spat it out. “It’s yucky.”
His father had chuckled. “Because some of our customers want it. And it is our calling to provide and nourish our customers the best we can. That is what being a hearth and kitchen witch is about.”
Cas supposed he understood that. But why would the orcnot try something nicer? An onion and tomato loaf, a garlic loaf, or even just a plain white loaf? All were better than brick bread.
Of course, Cas had a sweet tooth, and he preferred cookies, cakes, and truffles rather than any bread. That was what he loved to make. He liked to see children’s eyes widen with joy as they ate the treats he’d made by hand.
Cas stared out the window into the snow. The snow the orc had made very clear to Cas was not pretty if you had to work in it all day. He flushed with embarrassment. He’d just been trying to cheer the orc up, maybe make him smile a little.
“Don’t let him get to you, Cas,” Jack said from the back. “He only ever orders brick bread.”
“Yep. He gets the same thing every day.” Lacy came out front and leaned against the counter.
“I know,” Cas said. “But surely he needs some variety. Or something with sugar. That would definitely brighten his day! After all, it’s Christmas!” And the orc had seemed so unhappy. No one should be unhappy at Christmas.
What would it take to make the orc smile? Cas wanted to see him smile, especially with those tusks.
“You can’t make everyone love Christmas like you do.” Grady packed cookies, tarts, and other treats into crates to take to the Christmas markets.
Cas pouted. He did not like that at all. “But it’s the time of year for happiness, belonging, and cheer,” Cas protested.
“Not for everyone, Cas.” As the eldest of the siblings, Grady had taken over as the unofficial head of the family when their parents died. “For some, it can be a hard time, especially if they don’t have family or friends. And some people don’t have good memories of Christmas. For a lot of people, Christmas is painful.”
