Page 39 of Grounding the Baker
“Please, can we talk later? I think I might burst into flames if I have to relive it all now,” he groaned.
“Eat your breakfast, Liam. We don’t need to talk right now. I just wanted to check you’re okay.”
“Apart from feeling like death, and considering goinginto hiding from anyone who saw me drunk last night, I feel excellent.”
Austin chuckled again. At least someone found his utter humiliation amusing.
“Please, will you eat your food? Or I’ll call Kevin and tell him you turned down one of his specials.”
“Oh my God.”
He got up and pulled the bag towards him and took the sandwich of the gods out. The smell of the cooked bacon was even stronger. People weren’t allowed to bring food from other places to eat in here, but he was the boss at the moment, so if anyone complained, they could get fucked. The Kevin special was not on the menu, but he’d had it before a few times. It was a bacon and egg sandwich, which used homemade bread in thick slices, and between the egg and bacon was a fried slice. It was absolute heaven of saturated fat calorific goodness, even if Kevin removed a lot of excess fat and only used premium products. Liam had made them several times himself, and they were good, but Kevin’s sandwich was on another level.
Liam took the first bite and couldn’t help but moan. It was perfect. The yolk was still runny, and ketchup had been added. It didn’t get better than this. He glanced at Austin, who had an amused look on his face.
Within less than two minutes the sandwich was demolished, and he was already feeling better. He took a final swig of his coffee, which was still warm, then put the cup down, his hand trembling slightly, before he looked at Austin.
“I’m really sorry for my behaviour last night, Austin. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Austin took hold of his right hand and rubbed his thumb over the back. It was so soothing.
“You have nothing to apologise for, Liam. You needed to blow off some steam. Something we’ve all needed to do at one time. I’m just glad I was there so I could get you home safely.”
“Thank you for doing that, and if I said anything inappropriate, I’m really sorry.”
“Well, you don’t have to be sorry.”
“What?”
“I liked some of the things you said.”
“Kill me now,” he said, putting his head back on the table.
“Look, I know you’re embarrassed and I won’t push you to relive anything that makes you uncomfortable, I promise, but can you answer one question for me?”
“Depends what it is.”
“Fair,” said Austin with a snort. “What happened with your job?”
Liam lifted his head. That he could handle. As long as he didn’t have to relive the fact that he’d propositioned Austin.
“Do you want the short version or the long version?”
“You said you got sacked. Is that the short version, because I might need more?”
“Did I say I got sacked?”
“You saidyour services were no longer required,which I interpreted to mean you got sacked.”
“Right, well. I went in on Monday. The new boss was there. A promotion from within and the biggest arsehole you’ve ever met. The CEO then announced there was to be a mandated five-day return to the office, and all previous arrangements were revoked. Of course, I’m not the only one who kicked off about that.
“I had a quiet word with my new boss because mycircumstances are different. I have it in writing. He tells me that the previous agreement doesn’t matter, and I’m no longer needed to stay on until June unless I rescind my resignation. I won’t be getting a bonus or my shares. I’m effectively done at the end of March and need to be in five days a week until I leave, or I’ll be put on a disciplinary and that will be on any reference I request in the future.”
Austin had a scowl on his face, like he wanted to knock the crap out of Liam’s new boss. It was kind of hot, but not something that needed to be thought of right now. He knew Austin was still holding his hand and stroking it with his thumb. It made him feel relaxed and not stressed about telling this story.
“I said nothing on Monday, just got on with my work and stayed at my flat that night. It was much easier to get to work. One of my flatmates, Kieran, is a tattooist in the city and has a lot of clients who do him favours, so he spoke to this guy who’s in the same industry, but a CEO. He called me and gave me some advice on how to handle things the next day.”
Chloe appeared at the table at that point with fresh coffee for both of them. She put them down without a word, but saw their joined hands and smiled.
