Page 66 of Friends That Heal Us
After she leaves, I head for the back and look over all the ingredients I bought earlier. I’ve been needing to bake something in here to make sure everything is working, even though Ezra’s inspector said it was. But I need to get a feel for it myself.
I made vanilla cupcakes with blackberry frosting. I thought it would be fitting for Violet’s Bakery. The color turned out better than I expected, a pastel purple with a blackberry right in the middle of it.
After cleaning up, I unwrap one cupcake, and take a bite. The sweetness of the vanilla mixes perfectly with the tangy blackberry and my taste buds burst with flavor.
“Mmmm,” I say to myself. “I forgot how good I bake.”
It’s been so long since I’ve actually slowed down to enjoy something I baked instead of rushing through it or worrying about the next batch. I lean my lower back against the table, licking a bit of frosting off my thumb. I’m enjoying this quiet moment, when a voice cuts through the silence.
“Hello.”
I freeze, set the cupcake down, and chew the last bite faster. I spoke too soon and jinxed this quiet moment.
I walk out to the front, and a girl with blonde hair has her back to me.
“Please don’t be Rya,” I whisper to myself. Even though I know that wasn’t her voice, seeing the blonde hair makes me question it. “Hi,” I say hesitantly.
She whips her body around so quickly her hair goes flying with her. “Hey.” She has a bright smile on her face, and her blue eyes shine as bright as a clear blue sky. “What is this place?”
“It’s a bakery. Well, it will be. I haven’t opened it yet.”
She nods her head, looking around. “It’s pretty.”
“Thank you. Can I help you with something?”
“Um,” she starts and then hesitates biting her lip. “Are you hiring?”
“Actually, I am?—”
“Really?” she cuts me off in excitement. “Can I apply?”
My stomach twists at the other thing I haven’t even thought about. “I don’t have that set up yet.” Then I think about what Haley said. ‘Find someone who can take orders and make coffee. It’ll be very simple.’
“Well, how old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“What work experience do you have?”
Her face falls and her shoulders slump a little. “I’ve babysat. That’s about it. But I promise I’m a quick learner.”
“All you would be doing is taking orders and ringing them up on that iPad,” I say, pointing to the iPad on the counter. “And making coffee orders.”
Her eyes light up. “I can do that. Sounds simple.”
“Are you in school or anything?”
She groans softly and her cheeks flush pink as her gaze drops to her feet. “Ugh, no. I graduated high school this past May, and I was supposed to go to college. Well, I started college, and I hated it, so I dropped out. I don’t know what to do with my life, and I’m like way too young to know right now.” She exhales a long breath. “So my parents are mad at me for dropping out sosoon since they already paid for the semester. They told me I had to find a job and pay them back. So here I am.”
She sounds a lot like me. Not knowing what to do, but starting college anyway and then dropping out. She’s right. Eighteen is way too young to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.
“I’m free to work any day, any time,” she says, pleading her case even more.
“What’s your name?” I ask, stepping closer to her.
“Olivia. Liv, for short.”
“Okay, Liv. You’re hired.”
