Chapter Two
Bailey
“And another batch done!” I exclaimed.
“You’re on a roll today,” Avery said.
I peeked at her table. We were always in a bit of a competition. “I cheated,” I said. “I put myself in a good mood—that always gives me an extra boost of energy.”
Avery laughed. “You think I didn’t realize that was your strategy when I came in this morning and you had carols playing already? It’s not even Thanksgiving, woman.”
I shrugged, mouthing the lyrics. I swear I knew the lyrics for every song ever written for Christmas. Personally, I found Christmas in New Orleans to be the best thing ever. Most people, tourists especially, came to the city for Mardi Gras, and that was spectacular as well. But it was extra magical around Christmas. It was also our busiest time, which meant I couldn’t fully enjoy the season the way I wanted to. But that was a good problem to have.
“Since I did such good work, I’m going to reward myself.” I took a praline from the tray in front of me, popped it into my mouth, and sighed. “I think this new recipe is going to be a success.”
“I agree. You truly do have a knack for coming up with new recipes.”
“They come easily to me. It’s like I wake up in the morning and can practically feel the taste in my mouth. And it ends up tasting exactly the way I imagined.”
Avery winked. “Thank goodness you have the creative gene. I’m just good at executing.”
We both truly loved our work. Some days I still couldn’t believe I was making chocolates for a living, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you. Isabeau and Celine are visiting today.”
I almost choked on half of the praline. “What? When?”
“I spoke to Celine this morning, and it totally slipped my mind.”
“When are they coming?”
She checked the clock. “One hour, give or take.”
I jumped to my feet. “That still gives me time to make some of their favorites, and we do have that sherry they both love.”
Avery laughed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you before. You always get frenzied when they visit.”
“I know, but I like to spoil them. They’re so good to us.”
“Yes, they are.”
“All right. Do we have pistachio?” I muttered to myself even though I knew we did. Celine absolutely loved my pistachio recipe. Isabeau was more traditional. Her favorites were the sherry pralines, and we always had plenty of those. The two of them hadn’t visited in a while, and I was ecstatic to see them. “Let’s get to work.”
“Need my help?” Avery asked.
“No, you finish doing your thing.”
“Thanks.”
Celine and Isabeau were two spectacular women. The confectionery made pralines for all of the LeBlanc the cozy feeling of baking; the fact that we only had to make pralines, which wouldn’t require too much experience.
The salary hadn’t been much to brag about, but we’d started a business on the side, making online videos for amateur bakers —an online academy of sorts. Between the two, I was making a very good income. I even bought my own house.
But if the confectionery closed, things would change. I wasn’t that worried about money, at least not in the short-term. We wouldn’t be left destitute, as we could definitely continue to grow the online business. My parents instilled in us a solid work ethic, and from the get-go, we had a very comfortable, middle-class upbringing. Mom was still a nurse, and Dad had been a salesman, retiring a few years ago when his health declined. We had a lot of fun on family trips growing up, mostly camping. My parents were my role models in life, and I longed for a love like the one they had.
But I loved being here at the confectionery. It was exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And now that might not happen.
Isabeau clapped her hands together. “So, now that we got that out of the way, why don’t you tell us what new recipes you’ve planned for this Christmas season?”
I took another sip of sherry to get some of that good mood back. “Nougat. It was a hit three years ago, and I’m pairing it with cinnamon and star anise. It’s delicious. If I knew you were coming, I would’ve made a tasting tray out of everything. But we could decide on another day, and I’ll make it for you when you come.”
“Yes, we could do that,” Celine said. “But we don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“Nonsense,” Avery said. “We’ll never be too busy for the two of you.”
“Then we’ll gladly stop by,” Isabeau said. “Actually, you know what our biggest hit was back in the day?”
“What?” I leaned slightly over the table in earnest. It was a pity these two didn’t want to be in the kitchen anymore because they were immensely talented.
“You won’t believe it, but it was a mix of mint and banana.”
“No way,” I gasped.
“Yes way,” Isabeau replied with a wink. “And I came across it by accident. I’ll tell you everything.”
I was getting giddy as Isabeau shared her story. Oh, why didn’t they come later in the day? Then we could finish this bottle of sherry and not care how tipsy we got. Sherry always paired perfectly with their stories.
As she went on explaining how her husband had eaten all the cherries she’d planned to use, so she had to resort to bananas instead, I was starting to feel more optimistic. Xander was their grandson. How different could he be from them? I was certain that once he came here and understood what we truly did, he’d change his mind.