Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
YOU’RE FIRED.
Blair
“When is your first official day of work?” Kodi asks through the phone speaker sitting on the end table next to the couch.
“Today!” I beam.
Kodi and I have been trying to find a happy medium for updating each other without disrupting each other's lives—not that we would be. We've settled on the regularity of weekly phone calls, always for a minimum of an hour at a time, to keep each other informed and up to date about life.
“Lily allowed me another week to get acclimated to the town more after my orientation session. If you even want to call it that.”
“How much training do you need in a bakery, Blair? Honestly,” she asks seriously. “I’ve had your baked goods, and they are the best. Plus, you know how to work an oven.”
I laugh. “That’s why I made that comment. It was really just showing me the industrial size oven, and how to work the cash register.”
“Okay, that makes more sense.”
I pick up the phone and turn the speaker off, putting it to my ear as I let Reginald out the door to take care of business. The act sparking a memory from last week I’d forgotten to share with my sister.
“Oh my god. Did I tell you I met my neighbor last week?”
“No! Are they nice?”
“It’s a man, and he’s definitely solo in that large house.”
“Oh, wow,” Kodi says, shocked.
“I didn’t catch his name because he was kind of rude. And let me tell you, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I don’t think Nan is actually his Nan. I can’t figure out who she belongs to yet.”
“Maybe she’s one of those meddling town folk.” Kodi laughs. “You know, the wanderers who are always in everyone’s business, but keep theirs private.”
“Not sure. But I kind of love her.”
“She sounds fantastic. But can we get back to your hot and single male neighbor?”
All I heard was the word hot come out of her mouth.
But I don’t tell her she’s right.
My nerves were on high alert when I saw Reginald sitting on his step waiting for me and Nan waving me down with a grin on her face. I almost turned around to go back home, telling myself she could bring my dog back when she’s done. Except, my neighbor walked onto the porch with the same I can’t stand you look etched all over his face. The closer I got, the more the hairs on my neck perked up. He is totally one of those burly mountain men. Born and raised in the dirt and woods. Scruff dusting his jawline. The one clenched so tight as he stared at me while standing on his property, I thought he was going to snap a tooth.
His hair remained tucked under a baseball cap, but from what I saw when I finally got close, it’s dark. Matching the color of his facial hair and dark brown flannel shirt. A stark contrast to the stormy blue color of his eyes. It should actually be illegal for a man who comes across that mean, to have such pretty eyes.
“Did you not hear me when I said he was rude?” I ask her.
“No. All I heard was he’s hot. ”
“Those words never left my lips.”
“But you thought it,” she says in a playful tone.
I groan out loud. “He’s okay. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s ugly on the inside.”
“Well, what did he actually say to you?”
“Nothing at first. I even extended a hand to shake in a very friendly manner, and he looked at it like touching it would poison him. Then he told me to stop letting Reginald pee in his rosebush.”
She gasps. “Oh no, not the rosebush. Let me play Switzerland for a second. Maybe dog pee isn’t good for them. Maybe he takes pride in his gardening abilities and likes to keep things looking nice.”
I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me. “It’s not what he said, it’s how he said it. His tone was just mean. Demanding. Ugly.”
“Okay, whatever you say, Blair.” She laughs.
Looking at the clock on my microwave, I realize I’m about to be late. “I have to head to work. I’ll text you later.”
“Wait, before you go. Did you get the clothes I mailed?”
“No! I could knit my clothes faster than the postal service around here.”
“Jesus. Okay. Well, have the best first day at the bakery. Proud of you. Go set the world on fire, just not the bakery.”
I snort at that. “Thank you, Kodi. Love you.”
And I hang up the phone, tossing it to the couch before letting Reginald back inside.
Looking down at my outfit, I know it will have to do. It’s the least dressy thing I could find. The store didn’t have any pants in my size. Being as short as I am, it’s hard to find pants that don’t drag along the floor. But I found a sweatshirt that I’m choosing to wear today.
A little corny, if you ask me.
It’s two cartoon geese fist bumping, and it says “goose bumps”. But it’s better than showing up at the bakery with a button-down blouse.
It will have to do.
It’s time to do my favorite thing ever.
Bake.
“You just whipped these together?” Lily asks, taking another bite of the oatmeal cookies that I made.
In an attempt to hide my emotions, I give her a reluctant nod, feeling the heaviness in my chest. Simply because I loathe the thought of making these cookies again. They were Theodore’s favorite and the memories of the last time I made them came rushing back as soon as I started mixing the batter in the oversized bowl. This is a new kitchen for me, and my thought process wasn’t to bring up my past, it was to find the most basic recipe I remember so I can learn my way around the kitchen and how the oven bakes.
If you’re a baker, you know that not all ovens are the same. One you might only need twelve minutes, while another might need fifteen.
It’s a real thing.
“You all right?” she asks as if she’s picked up on my mood.
“Yeah. I’m all right. Just…this type of cookie sometimes stirs up old memories for me. Not the good ones.”
Swallowing past the knot in my throat, I turn away from her. I’m definitely not trying to unload my trauma on her during my first day. But there’s an undeniable sense of comfort in Lily. Kind of like a need to talk to someone about what’s on my chest. Someone who isn’t my sister.
“My parents were intense growing up.”
She scoffs. “Same, girl. ”
Turning to face her, I continue. “I’ve always had to be someone they wanted me to be. I’ve always had to live up to the standards in place for me. My dad was a powerful politician in California who ran the entire state basically. I hated that life. My aunt got me an Easy-Bake Oven when I was younger. It sparked my love for baking. Whenever I had the chance, I would offer to make cookies for the family just to do something . Half the time my parents didn’t care because they sat on their laptops.” I roll my eyes. “The only thing they asked of me was not to burn the house down.”
Lily pushes to sit on the small counter next to where I stir together a new batter for chocolate chip cookies.
“When I tell you I know that feeling, I do. My parents are heavy into politics too. It’s not big like California, but my dad is actually the mayor here in town. He runs it like it’s a city, though,” she huffs. “Baking was also my escape.”
I offer her a weak smile.
“Do you have someone back home? Like dating or married or whatever?” She laughs but quickly covers her mouth with her hand for a pause before continuing. “I’m sorry. That’s a really personal question. I mean, if you were married, he would be here too. Or you could be and he’s coming later.” She stops herself, looking down at her feet. “I really just put my foot in my mouth, huh?”
I chuckle in response to her rambling. “No one is back home, and no one is coming here for me.”
It feels like I’m lying, but the truth is, the only person I care about back home is my sister. There’s no one else there for me. Not anymore. I’m just not ready to share that part of my story yet.
She breathes out a relieved sigh. “That was embarrassing.”
Shaking my head, I offer her a reassuring grin. “Nonsense. It’s a valid question when getting to know someone.”
Placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here, Blair.”
I’m not entirely sure how I got this lucky to have one of the first people who accepted me as their friend in this town relate to me on such a personal level. If I didn’t think she was going to be a good friend before, she sure is now.
“I feel like a broken record when I say this, but I can’t thank you enough, Lily. The opportunity to do my favorite hobby and earn some money from it means everything.”
A friendly smile crosses her face, and she jumps off the counter. “I’m just happy I found someone who has a love for baking the way I do. It’s scarce.”
“It’s funny.” I giggle nervously. “When I first saw my new house, I wasn’t sure how I would find the space to bake in it. This feels more of a relief because of that than the money.”
She holds her arms out to showcase the kitchen. “You have plenty of space here, don’t worry. And here.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a set of keys, taking one off the ring before tossing it in my direction. “Whenever you want to bake, you’re welcome here.”
Looking down at the brass key in my hand, my eyes widen. “Seriously?”
She nods. “I know what it’s like to love this hobby. It’s in my heart. It’s in my blood. Something I got from my late grandmother. One day she told me a story about how she was mocked for being thirty and her job was in a bakery. People found it hard to believe that a thirty-year-old wouldn’t have a better job, you know? But she told me to always follow my heart. That if you do what you love, it will never feel like work. That’s why I opened Batter Up. It’s even etched into my skin. I mean, see?”
She lifts her arm to reveal a tattoo on her inner forearm. It’s a black-and-white stamp with a cupcake right in the middle.
“Anyway,” she continues before I can ask more about what it means, “I know what it’s like to need to get away from reality and get lost in a recipe. You can do whatever you want whenever you want and use what we have here.”
The emotions I held back moments ago, fight to come to the surface. Lily barely knows me, aside from hiring me and having a few conversations with her. Yet she just trusted me with the keys to her business, allowing me to use it freely.
“Thank you,” I say, thick with emotion.
“I’ll do you one better,” she says with a hand on my shoulder. “If you come up with something new, we can put it on the menu. Or, oh my god , we can start weekly specials.” She jumps up and down, flapping her arms as if she’s a bird at the ideas flowing through her head. “Marketing at its finest. Bring people back for something new every week.”
“I don’t see that being an issue for you. This place is perfect.”
Her excitement dies down, but she still keeps a smile on her face. Something tells me that no matter what mood she’s in, she’s always smiling. She seems like the person constantly trying to keep it together, while inside she’s falling apart.
“Not to get into too much detail, but I’ve been struggling a bit to keep this place alive. I’m barely making ends meet here.”
“But you hired me?”
“My brother owns part of this place with me, as well as the bar next door. That’s all his, though. He thought the idea of hiring someone would help me free up some time so my head doesn’t feel like it’s going to explode.”
“He seems really nice,” I tell her honestly. “I hope to meet him someday.”
“Today’s the day!” She does a little country line dance looking move in place and we both laugh. “Lunch is on him so he can meet the new employee.”
“That sounds amazing. I’m starving.”
“Me too. Let’s go.”
Stepping outside, I take a deep breath before following Lily into the bar. Something shifts inside of me as we cross the front door. I can’t tell if it’s because it’s dimly lit and a new atmosphere for me, or something else.
But it feels…off.
That’s when I spot him.
He walks out of the kitchen with a crate of glasses fresh out of the dishwasher. His baseball cap is backward on his head, a dish rag over his shoulder, and he’s wearing the same black and white checkered flannel I saw when I first made eye contact with the man driving past me in the old red truck.
His sleeves are rolled up just above his elbows, and the flannel is unbuttoned, showcasing his white T-shirt underneath. Holding the crate in both arms only accentuates the muscles and tendons in his forearms, which can be seen from a mile away.
As soon as he spots me, he stops in his tracks.
A wrinkle forms between his eyebrows, and I can already tell I’m not welcome in this bar.
Did he not know that Lily hired the “new girl” in town? There can’t be someone else who just so happened to move here the same time I did.
“Griff.” Lily smiles, skipping to a seat at the bar. “This is Blair, the new girl I hired.”
My skin burns as his eyes trail my body.
I want to crawl under the bar and hide.
“You’re fired.”