“Who’s that?” Cassie asked.
She looked over his shoulder, prompting Bailey to turn in the direction she was staring. His heart did a little jump when he saw Tom approaching. Dressed in jeans and a red long-sleeved T-shirt with a huge grin, he was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
“Hey you,” Tom said when he got close. His voice was low and husky, a mischievous gleam in his eye. Bailey knew he was blushing at the sudden thoughts of the night before.
“Hey there.”
“I thought the guys might like something to eat.” Tom held out the box of muffins.
“Wow. Thanks.”
Bailey automatically held out his hands to take it but Tom quickly pulled the box back.
“Just a word of warning,” Tom said, amusement in his voice. “There are double chocolate chip muffins in this box, and they’re for everyone.”
Cassie snickered, so Bailey shot her a look. She laughed even more.
“Thanks, Tom. They look great,” he said. And they did. Bailey’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the plump muffins resting under a layer of plastic wrap.
“Who do we have here, Bailey?” Cassie stepped forward, giving Tom a not-so-subtle once-over, her gazing sweeping from head to foot and spurring in Bailey an odd feeling of possessiveness. Tom was his.
Tom held out his hand. “I’m Tom. A friend of Bailey’s.”
Cassie grasped his hand and shook enthusiastically. “A special friend?”
“I… well… err….” Bailey’s heart was in his mouth as he waited for Tom to continue. Tom met his gaze. “Yeah. I’d like to think I’m a special friend.”
Bailey couldn’t suppress the grin no matter how hard he tried. Tom smiled back, eyes shining as he gave Bailey a wink.
“Aww… you two are adorable,” Cassie said before calling to the others. “Hey, guys! Come over here and meet Bailey’s special guy.”
Oh my God. I’m never going to live this down.
But somehow Bailey wasn’t that worried. He liked Tom being his special friend. Liked it very much.
Jude joined them, closely followed by Emma.
“Hi. I’m Tom. Nice to meet you all. I brought you some muffins if you’re hungry.”
“Hey, man. I’m Jude. They look great.” Jude lifted the plastic wrap with one hand and reached into the box with the other.
“Hold your horses, buddy,” Cassie said, halting his progress.
“Huh?”
“Tom said the chocolate chip ones were special for Bailey,” she said.
“I did not say—” Tom started.
“So that fact that Bailey has a weakness for chocolate never entered your mind?”
“Well….”
“Huh! I thought so.” Cassie laughed. “But seriously, thanks for bringing these out.” She leaned across and snagged a muffin from the box, closely followed by Jude, who had the muffin in his mouth before Bailey could so much as blink.
“You’re very welcome.”
Bailey gave Tom a wink. He then turned to Emma, who was keeping her distance, standing slightly behind Jude. “Emma, this is Tom. Tom, this is my friend Emma.”
Emma looked surprised, her mouth falling open at the introduction.
“Hi,” Emma mumbled.
“Hi Emma.” Tom held his hand out but lowered it when Emma only gave him a quick glance before looking at her feet. Tom just smiled and placed the box of muffins in Bailey’s hands. Bailey was glad Tom didn’t say anything about the snubbed handshake or push Emma. From experience Bailey knew she would open up over time, but pressing her wouldn’t help.
“Thanks for these. How come you’ve got so many leftover?”
“Oh… um… just leftovers I didn’t want to go to waste. Muffins are pretty much the extent of my baking ability so I make a lot. I was trying some new recipes and got carried away. And you know how it is. Hard to predict how many customers I’m going to get each day.”
Bailey sensed Tom was lying, or at least stretching the truth. There was no way he’d have this many leftover. There had to be over a dozen muffins in the box—or make that eight now that Cassie and Jude had gotten stuck in.
“You own the cafe?” Cassie asked, indicating the brick wall of the building with its sign announcing it was Take Two.
Tom’s smile was broad. “I do. I’ve had it for nearly a year now.”
“Awesome. I’ve only walked past the window but it looks cool inside. I love the homey vibe.”
“Thanks. It needs a lot of work but I’ve got good bones to work with.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” Cassie nodded enthusiastically. “Do you do music? It looks like the sort of place that would really draw a crowd.”
“You mean like live music?”
Cassie nodded again. “Or poetry readings. Something arty. I reckon it’d really bring people in. Something to go along with the coffee and delicious muffins, of course.”
“Of course.” Tom chuckled. “It’s an interesting idea. I’ll give it some thought.”
“Awesome. Well, hate to eat and run, but Jude and I have places to go, people to see.”
“Thank again for the food, man,” Jude said.
Tom nodded.
“Emma? Are you coming with us?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll just grab my book and we’ll head off then.” Cassie and Jude returned to the van.
“Hang on. You haven’t had a muffin,” Tom said to Emma, taking the box from Bailey and offering it to her.
While Emma poked around the box, Bailey rummaged in his pocket for the latest list he’d made for her. The paper listed some free websites and apps with reading games. They were pretty basic—mainly word games aimed at sounding out words. Fun but with the purpose of letting her learn.
“Here, take this. It’s just some reading games. I think you’ll like them. They should be fun. Maybe we can talk again soon?”
“Thanks, Bailey.” Emma pocketed the list and joined her friends. The three of them waved as they headed off down the street.
“So that’s her then? Emma. The one that has trouble reading?” Tom asked.
“Yeah. Dyslexia.”
“She seems very shy.”
“Uh-huh. Unlike Cassie. Those two are polar opposites.”
“You can say that again.” Tom laughed. “A bit forward but I liked her. Very friendly.”
“And her idea was pretty good, wasn’t it?”
“About the music? Yeah. I haven’t really given entertainment and that sort of thing much thought. Plus it would mean extending the hours into the evening. I’m sure there are licensing requirements but it might be worth looking into. Anything to help capture and grow the clientele.”
“And when that happens, she’s your girl.”
“She’s one of the ones you were suggesting for a job?”
“Yep. Her and Jude. They’re both pretty outgoing, and friendly. I have a feeling they’d be good workers. Emma would probably be a good worker too, but I think dealing with customers would probably freak her out, at least until she grows in confidence, and she’d probably have to take it slow with anything involving reading. But I have no doubt she’ll get there one day. In the meantime, I do think Cass would be a great asset.”
Tom looked at the road where the three of them had disappeared into the darkness. “Definitely something to think about. Anyway, I’d better leave you to it, and I’d better rescue tomorrow’s quiche from the oven. Plus it’s goddamn freezing out here.”
Bailey finally noticed Tom’s thin clothing and the slight trembling of his hands.
“Well, if you dressed properly for the weather—”
“Yes, Mum.” Tom laughed. “But seriously, it is freezing. Are you nearly finished? I hate the thought of you out here in the cold.”
Bailey smiled. “Now who’s being the mum? I won’t be long. When I’m finished can I come inside so you can warm me up?”
“I’m counting on it.” Tom winked. He passed over the muffin box. “For the rest of your customers.”
Bailey watched him walk the few metres back to the side of the building before Tom turned around and gave Bailey another of those megawatt smiles.
Bailey was sure the warmth of that smile and the heat in his belly would keep him cosy until morning, but regardless, he looked at his watch and willed the next thirty minutes to be over.
* * *
Offering for Bailey to park the van outside the cafe had been the best idea Tom had had in a while, especially when he’d seen the state of Bailey’s beaten-up old Hyundai van. He bet it had a few hundred thousand kilometres on the clock. He’d wanted Bailey to be safe, but the new location had the most awesome perk—Bailey dropped in to see him on the evenings he was operating the library, and when he added those nights together with their “date nights,” it meant Tom got to see a hell of a lot of Bailey. And that made him very happy.
Maybe they were moving quickly, but damn it, he’d fallen hard and fast, and what did relationship rules mean anyway. Are they even a thing? He knew he’d cop flak from the boys, but it’d be friendly teasing and he was sure they’d be happy for him. More than happy, if their prompting for him to get out and have more fun was any indication. And boy was he having fun. The couple of months since he’d met Bailey had been the best he could remember in a very long time.
Tom smiled as he lay on his side, elbow propping his head as he looked down at Bailey’s sleeping form. For a moment he felt slightly stalkerish, but he brushed the thought aside. He wanted to admire Bailey, to trace his profile, to revel in the very idea that Bailey was in his bed.
He reached out and touched the pad of his finger to Bailey’s cheek, the skin warm under his touch. Bailey’s eyelids fluttered and his lips parted slightly, a small sigh escaping. Tom tensed but Bailey didn’t wake. Regardless, Tom withdrew his hand—he didn’t want to wake Bailey, not after the week he’d had. Bailey was one of the most hardworking and dedicated guys Tom knew, devoting hours and hours of his own time, time most people would spend socialising or relaxing, to the mobile library and those kids. As much as he’d like to lean down and kiss Bailey awake, Bailey needed his sleep.
Reluctantly Tom made a move to start his day.
It was Sunday, and he wished he could luxuriate in bed longer, but he had to maximise the day the cafe was closed to get some things done that he couldn’t do when there were customers on the premises. He slid from the bed slowly, making sure not to disturb Bailey. After smoothing back the doona and making sure Bailey was covered against the chill of the morning, he picked up his discarded trackies, worn T-shirt, and a hoodie from the floor where he’d tossed them the previous night. He grabbed clean underwear and a pair of sneakers and tiptoed from the room, hitting the switch for the heating on his way past.
The bathroom was freezing, even colder than the bedroom, as he hurriedly drew the clothing over his goosebump-covered body and shoved the shoes on his feet. He stopped to take a leak, slap on some deodorant, and brush his teeth, running a quick hand through his hair before heading downstairs.
The cafe was icy so he moved briskly, flipping on the lights, the heating, and the coffee machine. The essentials covered, he went to the back room and gathered his supplies. Today’s task consisted of continuing to remove the plaster from one of the walls. A large portion was already exposed brick, that area of the wall having a rustic, warm texture, but he still had a way to go. Tom paused for coffee, switched on some music, keeping it low, and got to work. It didn’t take long to get lost in the rhythm of tapping the hammer on the end of the chisel to chip away at the plaster. The work was actually therapeutic in its repetitive nature. Tap, tap, clunk. Tap, tap, clunk.
Tom had no idea how much time had passed before he heard Bailey call from the doorway. He straightened, wincing at the twinge in his back, realising he must have been at it for a couple of hours, and turned to smile at Bailey.
“Hey.”
“Hey, there.” Bailey crossed the floor and handed him a bottle of water. “I thought you could do with something to drink. You’ve been up for a while, obviously,” Bailey said, glancing at the wall.
Tom took a large swig from the bottle and nodded. “I find it hard to sleep in. I’m so used to getting up at sparrow’s fart, plus I wanted to get as much of this done today as possible. I have to complete what I can then clean up before opening tomorrow. It gets super dusty. If I’m lucky I’ll get this wall finished.”
They both looked at the large pile of plaster remnants on the floor.
“You’re making good progress.”
“Yep,” Tom acknowledged as he contemplated how much he’d managed to achieve.
“We can get the rest of this knocked over in no time. Where do you keep the tools?”
“You don’t need to help. You should be enjoying your day off, not chipping away down here.”
“I don’t mind. Honestly. Between the two of us we’ll get it finished in a few hours if not sooner. Maybe even early enough to venture out, or watch a movie.”
God, that sounds so appealing. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded.” Bailey smiled. “Plus, since I’m being such a good guy, that means I can choose what we do after.”
Tom laughed. “So you’re not really doing this out of the goodness of your heart, it’s all about getting your own way.”
“Absolutely. I can negotiate with the best of them.”
“I have no doubt.” The smile didn’t leave Tom’s voice. He indicated the tool box farther down the wall. “There should be spare chisel and hammer in there. But how about a coffee first? Did you grab something to eat upstairs? Help yourself to some cookies from the jars on the counter.”
After coffee and macadamia white choc chip cookies, they settled into a comfortable couple of hours of working side by side. As the morning turned into afternoon, Tom’s happiness grew. Sunshine streamed in the front windows, tracing a path along the floorboards, the low sounds of music filled the air, and Bailey hummed softly along, looking across and smiling at Tom every so often. A strange fluttery sensation filled Tom’s chest every time their eyes met.
Having Bailey working next to him felt natural. There wasn’t even a niggle of unease at accepting Bailey’s help; instead, what was usually a time-consuming, back-breaking task was almost fun. In fact, he was finding most things done with Bailey at his side, no matter how mundane, put a smile on his face.