The Baker's Man (24 page)

“You cash that rain check in any time you need it,” Baron whispered. “I’ve been working out.” He winked at her and flexed his muscles before they walked into the kitchen where Anna’s daddy sat at the table folding the newspaper. Evelyn ladled spicy chili to the rims of their ceramic bowls.

18
Forget-Me-Not Cookies

Anna sat on the low brick wall the masons had finished the day before. The new wall framed an outdoor seating area and garden for which the previous bakery had not made space. Anna thought the patio was needed for those spring and fall months when sitting outdoors was preferred. She tapped her feet against the blue and gray flagstones. The masons had created a break in the wall big enough for two people to step through onto the patio. Anna was still debating whether or not to add a wrought iron swinging gate.

The men inside the bakery’s new structure hammered and laughed. Tiles were laid, and clouds of fine white dust puffed across the floors and clung to everything. Country music drifted out through open windows, and Anna listened to one of the carpenters hanging cabinets and shelves in the new kitchen sing decidedly off-key and with a twang so sharp she couldn’t help but laugh.

Anna decided to rebuild the apartment on top of the bakery, but she’d eliminated the interior stairs that once connected the two together. Now the apartment could only be accessed by an outdoor staircase. She knew she wouldn’t live there anymore, but someone else might want to rent it, and she could use the extra pocket money for a vacation, or a new pair of jeans, or an industrial-size mixer.

A cool wind blew and toyed with Anna’s long hair. She closed her eyes and inhaled. The air smelled of cinnamon and sugar with a distant hint of pine trees, reminding Anna it was only a week until Christmas.

“Every day I’m surprised by how much they’ve finished,” a man’s voice said behind her.

Anna opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Eli stood on the sidewalk with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. She’d seen him every day for the past few weeks but only in short spurts. He’d been working odd jobs around town, which was another thing she loved about Mystic Water—the people never hesitated to extend a helping hand. They knew she and Eli were out of work, and while Anna had family in town she could rely on, Eli was a wanderer. The townsfolk called him every day to ask for help putting up shutters or painting a bedroom or planting bulbs for the spring. Eli had become a jack-of-all-trades.

“It’s amazing how quickly this has been rebuilt,” Anna agreed. “No one can say the people in Mystic Water don’t work hard. I imagine by Christmas I could be inside baking again.” She could already see the smiles on everyone’s faces. She imagined standing behind the counter and welcoming them inside on her official opening day. Her mama would stand among the crowd and beam so brightly the cake plates would throw rainbows of light on the walls.

“Walk with me?” he asked.

Anna threw her legs over the side of the low wall and faced him. His blue eyes carried a faraway look, and she inhaled slowly. Her heart pumped against her ribcage in slow, heavy beats, and then it quickened its pace. She stood and followed Eli down the sidewalk toward the park at the end of the street. They walked in silence, and uncertainty spread in her chest like an inflating balloon.

“I helped Mr. Parker install new faucets in his house yesterday,” Eli said as they stepped onto the dead winter grass. He walked toward a large, leafless oak tree. “His son is opening a sandwich shop in the Outer Banks.”

Anna nodded to show she was listening, but she wasn’t sure how to respond. The air felt charged, as if a thunderstorm was approaching. She shoved her hands in her pockets to keep herself from fidgeting. Eli stopped walking, and they stood beneath the great oak.

“James, Mr. Parker’s son, is looking for a partner—someone who has experience,” Eli said. “I talked to him last night for a couple of hours. We have a lot of the same ideas. He seems to really know what he’s doing. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember.” He smiled ruefully at the sun shining down on them. “Which I suppose isn’t all that long.”

So, this is it. It’s over.
Anna couldn’t speak immediately. She blinked down at the brown grass, shifted on her feet, and listened to the blades crunch beneath her tennis shoes. Eli had found his dream, and he was following it. She tried to smile, but the motion pulled something deep in her chest, and she felt the sensation of suffocation. Eli put his hand on her arm, and she looked up at him.

“I wanted to tell you first,” he said. “I’m leaving this afternoon.”

This afternoon
. Anna pressed her hands to her chest. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t look him in the eye. She tried to open her mouth to congratulate him, to tell him she was happy, but nothing came out. Eli pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She wanted to be strong, to show her support, but instead, tears filled her eyes, so she squeezed them shut. Her tears were aggressive and needy, and they forced themselves out the corners of her eyes and leaked down the sides of her cheeks. Her breath hitched. She tried not to choke on the sadness.

Anna pulled away from him and quickly wiped her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling foolish. “I’m overly emotional today. With the bakery and starting over, there’s a lot going on. I don’t mean to ruin your excitement.” She cleared her throat. “It’s a great opportunity for you,” she added. “I’m sure you’ll love it. I love sandwiches. Sandwiches are good. Everybody loves sandwiches. Everyone will love you.”
Like I do
.

Eli grabbed her hand and grinned. “You’re cute when you babble,” he said. He wiped a stray tear from Anna’s cheek. “It’s not easy for me to leave either, but it’s for the best.”

For the best
. Anna wanted to wrestle that phrase from the sky and beat it into the ground with a wooden spoon. “For the best” was what people said when something unfortunate happened, like being rejected from one’s college of choice, or when a boyfriend moved to California without discussing anything with his girlfriend, or when a bakery burned to the ground and a new start was needed. She nodded and lowered her head. Clouds covered the sun and tossed them into shadow. A shop door opened down the street, and “Blue Christmas” followed the customer out onto the sidewalk. Eli squeezed her hand and pulled her along beside him as he walked. The park was full of metal, plastic-coated outlines of elves, reindeer, gingerbread houses, snowmen, and various Santa Claus figures that were covered in lights. During the evenings, the park was a festival of colors and Christmas music. They walked around the figures until they reached the parking lot on the far side where the orange Camaro waited for Eli. Anna noticed a packed bag in the passenger seat of Eli’s new car.

Anna held out her hand as if to shake his. “Well, good luck to you,” she said, amazed her voice sounded steady. Her insides were vibrating in a way that made her feel as though she was caught in a sifter.

Eli raised one eyebrow at her before putting his hands on her cheeks and pulling her up to him. When he kissed her, it lacked the urgency of their first kiss; the desperate need to connect was replaced with the bittersweet rush of goodbye. She balanced herself by placing her hands on his chest, but still she came undone. She couldn’t save herself from falling into Eli, from breathing him in and letting him fill all the waiting spaces. When he pulled away, she felt lightheaded, and her eyes shone with tears.

“I’m going to miss you,” Eli said, brushing her hair from her face.

She nodded because she didn’t trust herself to speak. They didn’t say anything as Eli climbed into the car. She stood and watched him put the car in reverse, and when he drove away, he hung his hand out the window. She watched his blue eyes fade from the side view mirror with her arms wrapped around her chest to ward off the chill.

“I’ll miss you more,” she said, and then she walked through the park toward the bakery, toward her new life. Candy canes hanging from the lamp posts along the sidewalk swayed in the December wind that smelled like fresh mint. Her daddy sat on the brick wall holding two to-go cups. He smiled when he saw her and held out a cup. She tried to smile in return.

“Thought you could use some company,” he said.

Anna sat beside him and sighed, thanking him for the hot chocolate she could smell through the steam rising from the slit in the top of the plastic lid. “Did you make this?” she asked after a sip. He nodded. “Wow, Daddy, it’s really good.”

He smiled. “I learned from the best,” he said. “Want to take the afternoon off, grab a plate of meat-and-three to go, and head home to watch old movies? Your mother is off doing last minute Christmas shopping with Sherry. They’ll likely be gone until dinner.”

Anna smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Sounds perfect.”

˜˜˜˜

Anna jumped off the couch and slid across the polished wood floor in her Christmas socks. She grabbed the ringing phone just as Evelyn asked, “Who on earth would be calling us on Christmas morning?”

“It’s lunchtime,” Anna’s daddy responded as he tossed ripped wrapping paper into a black garbage bag.

“Merry Christmas!” Anna said into the phone. Anna covered the mouthpiece with one hand. “Daddy, could you turn down Dean, please?” she asked. Dean Martin crooned Christmas songs from the stereo system, and her daddy climbed out of his armchair and adjusted the volume. “Oh, hey, Mr. Brown. We’re having a great day. You didn’t have to go over there on the holiday. It would have been okay to wait. Oh, there is? Well, thank you for all you’ve done. I’ll call if I have any questions. Thanks!”

Anna hung up the receiver and smiled at her parents. “The bakery’s all done!” she announced.

Evelyn clasped her hands together and smiled. “You’ll be open by the first of the year,” she said. “Let’s celebrate over waffles, grits, and scrambled eggs.” Evelyn joined Anna in the kitchen and looked for pans in the lower cabinets. While rummaging through an assortment of cookware, she laughed. Evelyn pulled a wrapped package from the cabinet. “Looks like I forgot one for you.”

Anna chuckled. “Why did you hide it in the cabinet? It’s not like I try to sneak into my presents early.” She plucked the red bow from the top and unwrapped the gift. The contents inside slid around, sounding like large puzzle pieces. When she opened the box, she saw a set of cookie cutters. There were outlines for seashells, a sailboat, a dolphin, and a fish. A light breeze whispered through the kitchen, and Anna’s mind drifted to the rolling waves.

Evelyn took the box from Anna’s hands. “Those are
not
what I ordered,” she said with a frown. “I specifically ordered the garden set. It had the cutest little trowel cookie cutter.” She exhaled and filled a carafe with water so she could start another pot of coffee. “We can send them back.”

Anna reached for the box. “No, I like these.” She thought of the contract beneath her bed waiting for her to make a decision. But hadn’t she already? Wasn’t she staying in Mystic Water, opening the bakery in January, buying the Clarke House?
Yes
. “How long will it take you to make breakfast? Mr. Brown said there was a package on the front patio of the bakery. I thought I’d run and grab it just so it doesn’t sit out there all day.”

Evelyn glanced at the clock on the wall. “Half an hour at the most. You have time,” she said. “Leave the cookie cutters. I’ll package them back up and make sure they send us the right ones.”

Anna wrapped the box in her arms. “Mama, I like these.” She hurried to her room and changed out of her Christmas pajamas. Then she hustled out of the house and jumped into her daddy’s truck. As soon as she turned the ignition, the radio blasted her against the back of the seat. The Beach Boys sang about everybody surfing, and Anna reached to the turn the volume down. “Dang, Daddy, you were rocking out, weren’t you?”

Anna cranked on the heat and drove toward town. She passed driveways with children riding on new bicycles and families tossing around balls in their front yards as though it wasn’t too cold for hanging around outside in footie pajamas. Smoke curled from chimneys, and the whole town smelled like wood-burning fireplaces and Christmas cookies.

She parked in front of the bakery and climbed out. The streets were empty and quiet. Standing on the sidewalk, Anna smiled at the finished product. The bakery sparkled in the noon sunlight. The windows gleamed. The tiled floors were polished and ready for business. Anna stepped onto the patio and something crunched beneath her shoe. She bent down and lifted a small, plastic sailboat. “What are you doing here?” she asked and placed it on the brick wall, imagining for a moment it had fallen out of Santa’s red bag of toys.

A brown package waited for Anna against the far corner of the patio where Mr. Brown said he’d moved it. She grabbed it, and a bird squawked behind her. Anna turned to see a seagull sitting on the brick wall. It stared at her, and she stood quietly with the box in her arms. Then the seagull called again, grabbed the plastic sailboat in its mouth, and flew off. It circled above the bakery and caught a wind current headed east toward the ocean. For a few moments, Anna thought,
Take me with you
.

She climbed into the truck and turned the ignition to warm the cab. She slid her fingernails beneath the packing tape and popped open the flaps on the box. The smell of the salty air and the ocean rolled out over the edges, filling the cab.

The item inside the box was wrapped first in brown paper, then in parchment paper, and finally in plastic wrap. It was bulky and oddly formed. Anna unwrapped it and found a lump of dough had been shaped into the form of a body, like a giant gingerbread man. Two blue M&Ms were stuck on for eyes, the mouth was a thin red smile, and an indentation in the chest had been made in the shape of a heart. A piece of white chocolate dyed red had been placed into the spot. Anna lifted the attached note and read:
Merry Christmas! Wishing you smooth sailing on your next great adventure. Love, Eli
(the Dough Boy)
.

Anna lifted the man carefully from the box and held him in front of her. She smiled despite the ache in her chest and bit into the dough boy’s arm. “Tastes as good as he looks,” she said to nothing but the empty cab and the candy canes swinging in a Christmas breeze. She leaned her head against the window and stared up at the puffy white clouds. A seahorse drifted across the sky until his shape faded into wisps.