Chapter 4
The entire rest of the weekend Abdul had to stop himself from telling Nora he wanted to go back to the bakery. It wasn’t to see Emily, although that would have been a very great plus, but it was actually to taste some more of her delicious baking. He couldn’t get the memory of her cakes out of his mind. They were all moist, light, flavorful, and creamy. The frostings were a perfect richness that swirled around his tongue live velvet. He hadn’t been able to decide exactly which was his favorite, so he’d let Nora pick the flavor. Not as if there had even been a choice in that, but he did enjoy that the cake even seemed to put her in a better mood.
But truthfully, when eating food like that, how could anyone stay in a sour mood? Even if she had just lost a very big deal with a great amount of money, Emily’s cakes had a power over them to make anyone feel good inside. By the time the weekend was over and Nora was back on a plane, Abdul knew exactly where he was going when he went on lunch.
The little bell chimed when he walked in and he realized he was starting to get used to that sound. It was charming with its little music. From the kitchen he heard Emily’s voice as she called out to her customer. “Welcome! I will be out in just a second!”
Her voice was bright and cheerful for a Monday afternoon and he smiled just hearing it. She stepped out from the kitchen and was still tying on her apron.
“Oh! Hi!” she greeted him. It was obvious that she was surprised to see him again. Her face immediately dropped to concern when she asked him if there was a problem with the wedding cake plans.
“No not at all,” he answered her smoothly. “I have been craving some more of your delicious baking and since you’re only open in the afternoons and evenings I decided to stop by on my lunch break.”
Emily looked around her bakery and I noticed at the same time that she did that her dessert case was fairly bare.
“Sorry, we had a rush last night and my assistant didn’t get a chance to get much baked. I was actually just about to start whipping some stuff up if you’d like to come back later I can have whatever it is you want packaged up and ready to go.”
Abdul looked around the bakery, he had to admit that he was disappointed to be leaving so soon, but he didn’t want to make her feel badly at all so he agreed to come back after he got out of work. She smiled at him as he placed his order and told him it would be ready when he got there. She looked different than she had the other day. There was no flour in her hair and she looked fresh and excited, the face of a person who can’t wait to start her day. He liked the way her cheeks were bright and rosy and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She was a very beautiful girl, but he had to admit that he did enjoy her when she had frosting and flour all over her as well. He figured she could probably be beautiful no matter what she did.
It was interesting to him that he seemed to have more of a bounce in his step leaving the bakery than when he entered and he could only attribute it to the fact that he knew he was going to get to see Emily again that day.
Even work seemed better once he got back from his lunch hour. Abdul really didn’t need the work, and his parents didn’t understand why exactly he chose to do so in a job that they didn’t consider even close to glamorous enough for a sheikh. It was true that he did have a master’s degree in business, at the insistence of his father, so he probably could have found something his parents considered more suitable. But Abdul was lucky to land the job he did, the restaurant paid him well and he had a fantastic schedule. He enjoyed being around people and needing to solve problems quickly for customers. And he really loved working with food, especially food that was the quality of food that his restaurant served.
Maybe that was part of his attraction to Emily, he thought. The fact that they had their careers in common with a passion for working with food to make people happy. While he didn’t actually make the food like she did, he did understand having that passion for food; that need to be around delicious food. It was an interesting theory, especially since Nora didn’t understand his job any more than his parents did. She complained quite often that he should be attempting to do more, to take a position of power somewhere and really make a name for himself.
It wasn’t as if he needed the money, and she was well aware of that. It also wasn’t as if I needed any higher status than what I already had back in his country, another point she was well aware of. But she never seemed to be satisfied with his life, like it wouldn’t be enough for her. That always frustrated him about her, that she seemed to belittle him and what he loved doing. But Emily had the same feelings that he did, that it was most important in life to do what you love instead of what makes you look good.
No matter what he thought of throughout the rest of the day, his mind kept wandering back to Emily. He was wondering how his lemon scone and chocolate croissant were going to taste and he wondered how her business was doing. He also had to wonder why she owned one small shop when she clearly had the talent to do more. It was probably a rude topic to bring up considering he was a virtual stranger, but still he wondered about it.
He watched the clock that day, the seconds of that last hour of his shift ticking far too slowly for his liking. He couldn’t wait to get out of there and taste what she had made up for him. The drive to her bakery wasn’t far from his restaurant and he wondered why he’d never checked it out before. Walking through her front door again, he saw another girl behind the counter. He figured it had to be her assistant and he introduced himself to her explaining that he had an order that should be ready for him. For a moment he worried that Emily had already gone for the day and disappointment sunk into him.
Abdul didn’t know if she had heard his voice or if it was just perfect timing but out she stepped from her kitchen again, this time with only a few smudges of her baking left on her clothes. Her hair was swept up into a pony tail and it swung as she walked. He had to notice that it was flourless and he wondered, fleetingly, if she had checked it before she had come out. He was probably just being hopeful, that she might care about seeing him the way he had been excited to see her.
“Hi again,” she said to him. “I have your food all packaged up for you.”
Abdul stepped up to the counter and pulled out his wallet.
“It’s on the house today.” She smiled at him and he nearly lost all words.
“No…no I can’t possibly do that. You’ve been gracious enough to me as it is.”
“And you’re already paying quite a bit of money to this little bakery. Please, it’s the least I can do.”
He wasn’t used to anyone turning down his money. Most everyone in his life knew he had plenty of it so he ended up paying for anything and everything when he was out. It was an odd, unsettling feeling that she was turning down his money. But in a way, he kind of liked it.
“Well, that is very kind of you. Thank you. Do you have a minute to sit down with me?” he asked her. He knew it was a risk, she probably had more important things to be doing, but he didn’t want to part with her just yet.
He watched as Emily exchanged a glance with Kara and then she unhooked her apron. “I was actually just about to leave for the night,” she answered him. He couldn’t help that he felt disappointed. “But, I’d love to sit and talk for a few minutes.”
After grabbing herself a cupcake, she made her way around the counter and led them to a table on the far side of her tiny bakery. He watched as the other girl slipped to the back in the kitchen and then they were alone again, just like the other day.
“You’re food is so fantastic,” he said to her, taking bites of his scone. “But why don’t you open in the morning like many bakeries? I’d love to be having some of your food for breakfast.” He didn’t mean to be so blunt and he worried that she might take offense. But she smiled instead and licked her fingers of the chocolate frosting that was on them.
“I have to work in the morning at an office. Early afternoon is the earliest I can get here,” she explained.
“What about your assistant? Couldn’t she open for you?” Abdul took another bite of his scone. The hard cookie had such a burst of citrus with the perfect crunchy texture on the outside but was warm and inviting inside.
Emily was finishing chewing her bite of cupcake, and he loved watching her eat. He could see how much pleasure she took from every bite that she ate and it was nice to see someone else feel the way he did about divine food.
“My assistant is still in college. She’s sort of training under me to open her own business so she is only here when her schedule allows which is mostly at night and on the weekends. I’d love to hire someone to open, it’s just not in the budget for me.”
“Is that why you have to work another job?” He could kick himself for how rude he felt he was being. This girl didn’t even know him and he was asking all sorts of questions that were inappropriate. Most people start off with normal questions, where they are from, and what they like to do. He was basically asking why her business wasn’t doing better.
“Yea, basically.” She took another bite of cupcake and chewed it thoughtfully. “One day thought, one day I think that I can really make this what I want it to be.” She looked around her little bakery with wishes in her eyes and he could practically see her dreams.