Page 92 of Grounding the Baker
The realisation was clear on Martin’s face. “Fuck!”
Austin said nothing, just let the man process. His head was in his hands again. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable as Austin sipped his tea. The man made an excellent brew. Eventually, he looked up at Austin.
“Thank you,” said Martin.
“For what?”
“For looking out for my son. For loving him.”
Austin smiled. “I can’t take away his pain. I wish I could, and I know neither of you would want to hurt the other. Sometimes you just need another person to point out the obvious.”
“What do you suggest I do?” asked Martin. “I think you know my son better than I do now.”
“Not better. Just different. I know him as the man he is now. For you, he’ll always be the boy in those pictures. I’m sure I’ll be the same when Maisie grows up.”
“I think that young lady will keep you both on your toes.”
Austin chuckled. He wasn’t wrong. He smiled as well, thinking about the drama Maisie would likely bring when she was a teenager, and how he wouldn’t have to deal with all that alone. Austin would have Liam by his side.
It had been a busy week,and Austin was in the Stag and Lantern with Michael and Nathan. Gerard was flitting around the place, and Tony was in London. Liam was joining them soon, but had wanted to speak to his dad after work. He had stayed with Austin every night since he’d turned up in the early hours, and Austin was grateful to Chloe for managing the bakery on Monday. He’d also kept Maisie off school after she’d stayed up comforting Liam. Austin had asked his crew to manage without him on the job, and they’d just had time as a family. Nothing major, just TV and comfort food, once they’d all caught up on sleep.
“Is Liam feeling better?” asked Nathan.
Austin gave him a puzzled look. How did he know? Austin was sure the town gossips didn’t know what had happened on Sunday night.
“Chloe said he was sick on Monday. There were no chocolate orange muffins.”
Austin chuckled. Nathan was a caring guy, but he also didn’t like disruptions to his routine. Ever since Liam had been back and his chocolate orange muffins were a regular on the menu, Nathan had one on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as a treat with his afternoon cup of tea when he was working. He picked it up in the morning withhis coffee.
“He’s okay. Just missing Sylvie.”
Nathan nodded, understanding what Austin meant. “That’s good. I didn’t want to upset him with the news.”
“What news?”
“Mr Thorpe is retiring.”
Austin looked at his friend, who was speaking matter-of-factly, but he could see this had upset him. Mr Thorpe had been running the geek shop since they were kids. The guy had to be well into his seventies, so Austin wasn’t surprised he was putting his feet up.
“You should buy it, Nathan.”
His friend shook his head. “No. Too many people.”
Austin couldn’t help but chuckle, but Nathan was smiling, so it was all good.
“He already sold it. Said that the man had promised to keep it the same, but people lie to get what they want.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think Mr Thorpe would let just anyone take over his baby. He’s had that place for over thirty years.”
“Forty-five years.”
Jesus. The guy must be even older than Austin thought, unless he’d opened it when he was really young, which was impressive given that it would have been the eighties. Were geek shops even a thing back then?
“When does the new owner take over?”
“Soon. Apparently he’s taking Mr Thorpe’s stall at the Festival of Pride. I can meet him then and ask what his intentions are with the shop.”
Austin had to suppress a smile. He could only imagine how that conversation would go. He almost felt sorry for a guy he didn’t know yet. Hopefully, his answers would be acceptable to Nathan.
