Chapter 2
BERTIE
“Go, go,” Camila says. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?” I ask, although I know it’s true. With her unflaggable strength and dedication, she keeps my bakery running…has done for years.
“No problem. Wednesdays are always slow.”
“Thanks, Cam,” I say as the front bell rings and Hideo comes in the door. “I owe you one for this.”
“I’ll just add it to your tab,” she says with a wink.
I’ve been looking forward to this all day. My husband and I don’t have lunch together often, apart from those rare days when we both synchronize our days off, but we gathered as much holiday spirit as we could find and made it happen today.
I grab the little bag with two of the new kouign-amann and take my handsome husband’s arm.
Even after all these years, he takes my breath away.
Tall, handsome, fit, with those high cheekbones and luminous gold skin.
And that trim beard, the glossiest black.
I stumble, picturing his equally glossy nest of pubes, my favorite place in the entire world.
Why he ever said yes to this chubby baker bear, I’ll never know, but I’m not complaining.
He’s all mine, my shogun warrior, bravely battling the ravages of time every day at the clinic.
He gives me a sweet little kiss, and we’re out the door.
“I grabbed some sushi on the way over, if you don’t mind.”
“Perfect!” I answer. “Let’s go eat in the park. It’s a beautiful day, and I think they decorated the tree.”
I watch for it, and there it is. He gives the exasperated scowl that’s my constant companion during the winter holiday season.
I know he misses the snow and winter chill, but honestly, I don’t understand.
Anything that needs to be shoveled off your driveway in the freezing cold is something that needs to be avoided at all costs.
I’ll stay right where I am, thank you very much, warm and cozy on the west coast. Snow is something to enjoy on vacation, then leave behind and return to warm winter sanity.
If, that is, we ever find time for another vacation.
It’s daunting to look at the calendar and realize we’ve lost another year.
When we get to the park, we find that they have, in fact, decorated the big pine tree with the usual collection of huge plastic ornaments and cut-out pictures.
I used to love this as a kid, identifying all the cartoon people.
Unsurprisingly, the chef was my favorite, but the firefighter was a close second.
Firefighter Bertie…maybe not. I suppose I would spend most of my time cooking meals at the station and rescuing cats from trees.
The festive decorations remind me I need to start planning our contribution for the Christmas Eve finger-food fest. Note to self: contact the guys and coordinate, and while I’m at it, chat with them about New Year’s Eve. Speaking of which…
“So, Doctor Genji, are you still good for the Beard Bash competition?”
“I cleared out my schedule for the holiday, so yes. The New Year’s resolutions won’t kick in until later in January, so the clinic should be quiet, and I’ll have no problem getting away for Christmas and the New Year. Looking forward to cheering you on!”
“I still haven’t decided if I’m going to compete this year.” It’s fun to compete, but it’s also a lot of work, with all the styling and coming up with an exciting theme. It might be easiest to hang on my hubby’s arm and enjoy the spectacle this year.
“You have to!” Hideo says. “You know you love it, and it won’t be the holidays if I don’t get to help with the hairspray.”
“Well, if you twist my arm, I suppose I must.” He does this every year, my biggest fan, and I love him for it.
My phone buzzes and it’s my number-one taste-tester, Orion, the hunky ginger giant.
“Do you mind?” I ask, knowing the answer. My hubby is always on call, so we’re both used to meals punctuated with interruptions. It’s a text message from Orion!
Hi Bertie. Just finished the new pastries. What did you call them?
Kouign-amann. But watch your step. Say that to the right fella and you’ll get kissed.
There’s a long pause. I hope I haven’t been too forward with him. I always flirt with my customers—it’s just who I am—but I admit I may let it get out of hand with Orion.
:)
Five stars. Well-defined lamination, buttery to the point of perfection, and caramelization complements beautifully. Cardamom?
Nice catch! Just a hint.
Works for me. Pencil me in for half a dozen when they go into production!
Hideo peeks over my shoulder and exclaims, “You’re making kouign-amann!”
I reach over and give him a kiss. We had them every morning during our fall vacation and turned it into a fun little ritual. We soon found that kween a-mahn is about as close as a non-French speaker can get, and if you do it right, it does irresistible things with your lips.
“I dare you to say it again,” I challenge.
“Kooooouign-Amm…” he starts, milking it for all it’s worth.
I smother it with another kiss, considerably longer this time.
“Mmmm. That brings back some nice memories.”
“Exactly my intention. I wanted to surprise you with them, but I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Not soon enough for me,” he jokes. “Do you have one in that bag?”
“I might,” I tease. “And I happen to be auditioning taste-testers.”
“Looks like they’re already getting rave reviews.”
“Ah yes. My shy ginger giant seems to like it. So, are you ready?”
“Gimme!”
“Payment first.”
This time he’s the one giving the kiss, considerably more lusty.
“And a tip,” he says, pecking me on the cheek.
I hand him one and he gazes at it for a long moment, a big sentimental smile breaking across his face. I tried to capture the look of the ones we had on vacation, with little toasty peaks. After one bite, the smile gets even bigger.
“It’s perfect, BertieBear. Even better than I remember. You really are my magician in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, sweets.”
“You know, these really are delicious. I’m sorry to impose, but could you do a couple dozen for me on Friday? We’re doing a holiday thing for the whole practice, and I think they’d be a big hit.”
“No problem. You can drop by the bakery mid-morning and grab them. Glad you like!”
“Speaking of tasty treats,” he says, nibbling my ear, “I’ve been meaning to mention: you’ve been so busy with the holiday rush, and my appointments for nips and tucks never seem to stop.”
“Good thing, too,” I say. “A girl gets accustomed to the better things in life.” My bakery makes a decent profit, keeping Camila and our bakers comfortable, but Doctor Hideo Genji, M.D., is the one who made our beautiful house possible.
He laughs and agrees, “Of course, but it seems like we’re slipping between the cracks. You and me. Us.”
“You know I love you,” I say, getting worried.
“I’ve never doubted it for a single second, and I love you too, BertieBear, but our work has been getting in the way.”
“And…” I coax, intrigued, worries dispelled before they had a chance to congeal.
“We need to schedule a date.”
I like where this is going. “Sounds fun…”
“A sex date.”
I really like where this is going. “Sounds even more fun…”
“Tonight!”
Jackpot!
I gush, “And there, in one word, I know exactly why I married you. It’s a date. Only one problem. Now I’m going to be horny all day!”