Page 5 of Grounding the Baker
“You don’t think it’s going to be busy today? In this town? People are going to want to come in and offer their condolences.”
Liam groaned. She was right, but no matter when he reopened, that was going to happen. He loved this village. The people were wonderful. It was like a little bubble away from the world, where everyone was inclusive and kind, but the gossip grapevine was something else. You couldn’t even fart in this town without someone stopping by with a pack of Imodium, which would be gross if that hadn’t actually happened. One time, Liam had mentioned feeling a bit “funny in the tummy” as he had described it. Later that day, Giselle Leblanc had knocked on the door of his annexe with “tummy medication.” He had wanted to die of embarrassment. There was nothing that woman, and her wife Henrietta, didn’t know about the ins and outs of this town. They owned CuriCraft, which was the local craft shop. No matter what happened, one or both of them would find a reason to visit today.
Liam had been bakingfor two hours and knew he looked a mess, but when he was in the zone, he was in it. Baking was like therapy, and never more so than it was now. He had never been in this kitchen alone, without his mum,but he could still feel her presence everywhere. This was her domain and always would be. Liam was more than happy to share it with her.
He picked up the tray of chocolate orange muffins and walked out to the shop, where he placed them in the glass-fronted counter alongside all the other baked goods. It was full now, so he was happy with what he’d been able to do in the time he had.
“Shall we open the doors?” asked Liam.
“There’s already a line,” Chloe replied.
Liam looked at the front door, and there was indeed a line of people waiting. And who was at the front? Giselle and Henrietta. He may as well get this over with.
“Why don’t you get the door, and I can serve,” said Chloe. “People are going to want to talk to you.”
“Fine, but don’t laugh if I need to hide in the kitchen for a bit.”
Chloe did laugh, causing Liam to glare at her. He took a deep breath and flicked the lights on. It was daylight now, so people had seen them anyway. Liam turned the lock and opened the door. Before he could speak, he was being ensconced in a hug by Giselle and Henrietta.
Giselle had an elegant look in terms of how she held herself. Her hair was a silver bob, and she always wore bright scarves. She had a bohemian chic vibe, and still bore the trace of a French accent. Her wife, Henrietta, was taller, almost statuesque, with natural tight grey curls. She wore more earthy tones accented with chunky jewellery. Between Giselle’s French heritage and Henrietta’s Jamaican roots, they could cook the most amazing food, so there was always a lingering aroma of spices whenever you were in their presence.
No words were spoken as they hugged Liam, and hecouldn’t help getting choked up. These women had been together for longer than Liam had been alive. Both were in their mid-sixties and still had heart eyes for each other. They were role models for him of what queer love could look like. It was something he wanted to have one day.
“Are you three going to block the door all day?” said Edith.
Liam pulled out of the hug and wiped his eyes, whilst the three elderly ladies glared at each other. Edith had another ten years on the couple and did like to put them in their place for gossiping. Not that she wasn’t even worse than they were. She wore tweed skirts, a brooch, and sensible shoes, with her silver hair pulled into a tight bun. The woman had sharp eyes and didn’t miss a thing.
“Where do you need me, dear?” Edith asked Liam.
“Thanks, can you help Chloe on the counter? I think it might be a while before I get behind there myself.”
He’d noticed a line of people waiting to speak to him.
“We’ll get out of your way, Liam,” said Giselle.
“I made chocolate orange muffins,” he said.
“Honey, get us two will you, and the usual.” She smiled at her wife before patting Liam’s arm and going to find a seat.
Liam then spent the next twenty minutes accepting well wishes from people who talked about how proud his mum was of him. They asked him to pass on their love to his dad. Nobody asked where he was. It was all very respectful, albeit overwhelming. The place was packed, with every table taken and a long line at the counter, so he joined the two women to help them serve.
“You might need to bake some more muffins,” said Chloe. “Especially the chocolate orange. You know they always go quickly.”
Liam smiled. It was his own recipe, which his mum had loved. He’d always made some when he visited each month. He’d offered to share the recipe with her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. They were marketed as Liam’s chocolate orange muffins and were an exclusive that was not on the menu all the time.
“Can you put one aside, please, in case Nathan comes in, and I’ll make some more.”
She nodded, and he watched her take one muffin and put it in a bag for the man his mother always doted on. Nathan Okoro was such a sweetheart, but he was cripplingly shy. The only thing Liam had ever seen him get animated about, besides superheroes, was his chocolate orange muffins. Nathan had become visibly distressed when he learned they would not be regularly on the menu. The man liked his routine, so whenever Liam was visiting, his mum would let Nathan know and make sure she had some muffins put aside for him. Liam wasn’t sure if he would turn up today, but if he did whilst Liam was still baking, he wouldn’t wait around. The noise of the bakery could overwhelm him, although he had worked in the corner sometimes with his noise-cancelling headphones on when he’d needed a break from his desk. Sylvie had kept him supplied with coffee and sweet treats while he worked away, happy for him to take as long as he needed.
It was almostone o’clock when Liam came out of the kitchen with his fourth and final batch of chocolate orange muffins. There was a cheer from a group of people who had been waiting, which made him laugh. The place had been manic all day, and he’d loved it. He knew many had come in to pay their respects, but they’d all bought something aswell. Some people had even been for breakfast then came back for lunch. Nobody seemed to care that there were no savoury options on offer today, but that would change from Monday. He was going to make this work until his dad was ready to come back. Liam wouldn’t let his mum’s legacy go down with her. His dad just needed time, and Liam could give him that.
“Can you serve for a bit while I just clear a few tables?” asked Chloe,
“Of course.”
Edith had left at noon. She couldn’t be on her feet for too long, but had been a big help with that initial rush first thing. At least Callum would be back on Monday, but he wasn’t a baker. Chloe was limited with what she could do, so he would probably need to hire someone, but that wasn’t something he could think about right now. Sharing his mum’s recipes with a stranger felt wrong somehow. Perhaps he could come into the bakery first thing and get all the baking done, and then work from home. If they needed extra baking throughout the day, Chloe could handle that. As long as he had all the bread done early, she’d be fine with the rest.
“Ahem.”
