Page 24 of Grounding the Baker
“Like what?”
“I’ll tell you later. Anyway, enough about me. How are you running this place and working out your notice at the same time?”
“No idea, but it’s working. The team here is brilliant, but at least from June I’ll be able to be here full time.”
“I thought you were done at the end of March?”
“They asked me to stay on longer, working remotely to help on a couple of massive deals, and I’ll still get my bonus. Plus, they’ll give me good leaver status, so I’ll keep my shares.”
“That was good of them. Do you think they’re hoping things will settle down so you don’t need to stay here permanently?”
“Probably, knowing my boss. I thought he was gonna cry when I quit.”
“That must be a nice feeling.”
“Are you saying Daddy Patrick wouldn’t be begging you to stay if you quit?”
That was Milo’s boss, who was the editor of the top newspaper in the UK. Milo had found out that he was into the daddy kink in a big way. His late husband had been his boy, and Milo had caught them in a compromising position at the office once. Liam had loved hearing about all the drama.
“Speaking of Daddy Patrick, he’s got a new boy. It’s Jason. You know the one who’s friends with Langdon, Charlie, and all that crowd?”
“You mean that group of super-hot friends who everyone in Soho wants to fuck?” It was true. They were like the cast from Hollyoaks, but queer, although to be fair, that fictional village was showered in more rainbows than Heartwood.
“Have you had Jason?” asked Liam, being provocative.
“Not my type. Thank God. That would have been awkward.”
“I think Hassan’s fucked him.”
“Who hasn’t Hassan fucked? Well, apart from us.”
Liam felt his face heat, and he couldn’t look Milo in the eye.
“No! How am I only just hearing about this now?”
“It was a couple of years ago. You and Kieran were away. We got drunk, and it just happened.”
“I have questions, but they can wait until later. Just remember not to let Hassan and Austin meet. I don’t think the hotsingledad will be able to hide his jealousy.”
“I hate you!”
They both laughed.
Milo had stayedover and left for London the next day. His dad had joined them for dinner and felt a bit like his old self. Milo had kept up the patter in that way he did, and his dad had responded with full sentences rather than just a couple of words or grunts. Liam would take any progress.
That his friend was having a secret affair with the deputy prime minister had stunned Liam. He was sworn to secrecy, and he would never tell a soul, but he still couldn’t quite believe it. That the guy felt he had to be in the closet in this day and age to have a chance of getting to the top wasn’t the best feeling for any of them. Regardless of political beliefs, seeing someone who was like you at the top of the tree was something that still mattered.
The rest of the week had been busy. Thankfully, Chloe had only been off for a couple of days, and Liam had made it all work. How was he going to do this until the end ofJune? The money they’d dangled in front of him had been too tempting, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to draw a wage from the bakery for a while. It was doing well, but there were always lows with any business. He wondered if trade would drop off soon now his mum was no longer there.
Today wasn’t the day to think about that. It was the Festival of Love, and he had a gazillion things to bake. It’s why he was in the bakery at three o’clock in the morning to get everything done. Chloe was coming in at five to help him, but he could get some of the complex things out of the way first. That was what he should do, so why he immediately started on making special cupcakes for Maisie was something he would not get into right now, but avoiding a knowing smirk from Chloe was probably the primary reason.
The festival wasthe busiest Liam had ever seen. He didn’t do this one often, but he’d done others in the summer months and they weren’t as busy as it was today. They weren’t the only food vendor here, but they were the only bakery. That was all Michael’s doing. He was selective about who he let have stalls here, and priority always went to people who already had a presence in the village.
There was someone else doing coffee, as his mother had never done both at once. Said it was much easier to sell cakes than faff around making coffee with a long line forming. Their stall had been booked before his mum died, but Liam wouldn’t have changed anything.
Liam didn’t think they’d make another two hours before selling out. He probably should have baked more.
“Do you have any chocolate orange left, Liam?” asked Giselle.
