Chapter 2 #2
No words were spoken as they hugged Liam, and he couldn’t help getting choked up.
These women had been together for longer than Liam had been alive.
Both were in their mid-sixties and still had heart eyes for each other.
They were role models for him of what queer love could look like.
It was something he wanted to have one day.
“Are you three going to block the door all day?” said Edith.
Liam pulled out of the hug and wiped his eyes, whilst the three elderly ladies glared at each other.
Edith had another ten years on the couple and did like to put them in their place for gossiping.
Not that she wasn’t even worse than they were.
She wore tweed skirts, a brooch, and sensible shoes, with her silver hair pulled into a tight bun.
The woman had sharp eyes and didn’t miss a thing.
“Where do you need me, dear?” Edith asked Liam.
“Thanks, can you help Chloe on the counter? I think it might be a while before I get behind there myself.”
He’d noticed a line of people waiting to speak to him.
“We’ll get out of your way, Liam,” said Giselle.
“I made chocolate orange muffins,” he said.
“Honey, get us two will you, and the usual.” She smiled at her wife before patting Liam’s arm and going to find a seat.
Liam then spent the next twenty minutes accepting well wishes from people who talked about how proud his mum was of him.
They asked him to pass on their love to his dad.
Nobody asked where he was. It was all very respectful, albeit overwhelming.
The place was packed, with every table taken and a long line at the counter, so he joined the two women to help them serve.
“You might need to bake some more muffins,” said Chloe. “Especially the chocolate orange. You know they always go quickly.”
Liam smiled. It was his own recipe, which his mum had loved. He’d always made some when he visited each month. He’d offered to share the recipe with her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. They were marketed as Liam’s chocolate orange muffins and were an exclusive that was not on the menu all the time.
“Can you put one aside, please, in case Nathan comes in, and I’ll make some more.”
She nodded, and he watched her take one muffin and put it in a bag for the man his mother always doted on.
Nathan Okoro was such a sweetheart, but he was cripplingly shy.
The only thing Liam had ever seen him get animated about, besides superheroes, was his chocolate orange muffins.
Nathan had become visibly distressed when he learned they would not be regularly on the menu.
The man liked his routine, so whenever Liam was visiting, his mum would let Nathan know and make sure she had some muffins put aside for him.
Liam wasn’t sure if he would turn up today, but if he did whilst Liam was still baking, he wouldn’t wait around.
The noise of the bakery could overwhelm him, although he had worked in the corner sometimes with his noise-cancelling headphones on when he’d needed a break from his desk.
Sylvie had kept him supplied with coffee and sweet treats while he worked away, happy for him to take as long as he needed.
It was almost one o’clock when Liam came out of the kitchen with his fourth and final batch of chocolate orange muffins.
There was a cheer from a group of people who had been waiting, which made him laugh.
The place had been manic all day, and he’d loved it.
He knew many had come in to pay their respects, but they’d all bought something as well.
Some people had even been for breakfast then came back for lunch.
Nobody seemed to care that there were no savoury options on offer today, but that would change from Monday.
He was going to make this work until his dad was ready to come back.
Liam wouldn’t let his mum’s legacy go down with her.
His dad just needed time, and Liam could give him that.
“Can you serve for a bit while I just clear a few tables?” asked Chloe,
“Of course.”
Edith had left at noon. She couldn’t be on her feet for too long, but had been a big help with that initial rush first thing.
At least Callum would be back on Monday, but he wasn’t a baker.
Chloe was limited with what she could do, so he would probably need to hire someone, but that wasn’t something he could think about right now.
Sharing his mum’s recipes with a stranger felt wrong somehow.
Perhaps he could come into the bakery first thing and get all the baking done, and then work from home.
If they needed extra baking throughout the day, Chloe could handle that.
As long as he had all the bread done early, she’d be fine with the rest.
“Ahem.”
Liam startled. He’d been in his own head, trying to work everything out. He looked up to be greeted by Nathan’s kind smile.
“Nathan, how are you?”
“Okay. How are you?” He was frowning, looking like he wasn’t sure what the right thing to say was.
“Taking each day as it comes,” Liam replied. That was the truth.
Nathan nodded as if he understood, but the frown was still on his face.
“I made chocolate orange muffins.”
He looked as if he’d just won the lottery. It was oddly flattering that his baked goods could make someone that happy.
“Can I have two, please?”
“Feeling hungry?”
“One is for my friend, Austin.”
Nathan gestured to the guy next to him, who Liam hadn’t noticed. And why hadn’t he noticed him? Because he was a walking lumbersnack.
He was over six feet tall, broad shouldered, and had an outdoorsy look to him.
This was a man who worked with his hands.
His eyes were a warm brown, and he had a beard which was well maintained and short, but had enough length to run your fingers through.
His smile was warm, and if Liam wasn’t mistaken, there was a spark of interest in his eyes.
He was also wearing a plaid shirt, and Liam almost fainted on the spot from the amount of hotness coming off this guy.
“Pleased to meet you, Liam,” said Austin, holding out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about your muffins.”
Okay, why did that sound dirty rather than corny? Liam wasn’t sure, but he shook the man’s big hand, which was warm and callused, and he wondered what it would feel like running over his body.
“I was very sorry to hear about Sylvie. She was a wonderful woman.”
“You knew my mum?”
“I’m from Heartwood, but only just moved back. My mum was Reenie Calder.”
“Oh, you’re that Austin.”
“That would be me,” he said with a smile.
“You have a daughter, don’t you?”
“Yes, Maisie. She’s eight.”
The guy lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention of his daughter.
It was endearing. His mum had been good friends with Reenie, but he didn’t really remember Austin as he’d moved away when Liam was still young.
He’d been back to visit, but their paths had never crossed, because he would have remembered this guy.
He also remembered his mum mentioning that Austin’s wife had died and he was raising his daughter on his own.
Of course the perfect man would be straight. Ugh, life was a bitch sometimes.
Liam remembered Nathan was standing at the counter as well. He had an amused look on his face.
“Can I get you anything else, Nathan . . . and Austin?”
“I’ll get my oat milk latte and muffin to go. I think Austin will want to have his here.”
Austin glared at his friend, who chuckled.
Liam wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Nathan laugh in all the years he’d known him.
Austin ordered a regular latte, but said it would be to go as well.
Liam took their money and passed the order to Chloe, who was back behind the counter.
How long had he been embarrassingly flirting with the straight guy?
“I’m going to check on something in the back,” he said.
Liam needed to get away from Austin before he made a complete fool of himself.
Besides, even if Austin was on his bus, now was not the time to be thinking about him.
Perhaps he was just visiting, and Liam wouldn’t be seeing him every day.
Then he remembered Austin saying he’d just moved back to the area, and he just knew the man would become a regular visitor to the only bakery in the village.
Liam was going to have to get his libido under control for the next time he saw Austin.