Page 10 of Help Wanted: Wife

All he had to do was follow through on the plan and marry her.

And restock. After a record day, the booth was low on goods.

Once she drifted off, he’d get up and start baking. An upside of his insomnia had been he’d been able to mix and freeze many batches of dough and batter for future use. All he had to do was thaw and bake. Maybe he’d whip up a batch of something…citrusy.

He cocked an ear. Her breathing seemed to have slowed. She hadn’t moved in a while.

“Are you asleep?” he whispered.

She sighed quietly. “No. My brain won’t shut off.”

“I know how that goes.”

“Are we doing the right thing?” she asked.

She has doubts, too?

Of course she did. Who wouldn’t? At the start of this venture, he’d worried about the lack of benefits he had to offer, but, when Pru arrived, he’d been so wrapped up in his own woes, he’d selfishly forgotten about her. Their arrangement was probably no easier on her. She’d been rejected by her fiancé on their wedding day. What kind of man did that? No man of any honor. While love and a long-term relationship were out of the question, he could offer her honesty and friendship and a distraction from her troubles. The bakery would keep her busy. She wouldn’t have time to ruminate. It had helped him. Sort of.

“I cannot speak for you, but I believe it will benefit us both,” he reassured her. If some energy or consciousness survived death, Sala would see into his heart and understand.

“Then it is right for me,” she said.

“And so, we are doing the right thing,” he pronounced.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” she said quietly. Within moments, he could tell she’d fallen asleep.

Inhaling her scent, listening to her restful breathing, his body relaxed, and his turmoil quieted. He felt reluctant to move.I’ll get up in a minute.

But his eyelids grew heavy, and he found himself fighting off sleep.I need to get baking.I’ll get up in one minute.

* * * *

Larth awakened to grayish sunlight, an empty bed, and the aroma of baking bread. He bolted upright.The baking!The booth needed to be restocked. He flung back the covers and followed his nose to the kitchen where he found Prudence sliding a loaf of bread onto a cooling rack. He blinked.

“Good morning! I figured we needed to restock. I woke up early—you were sound asleep, and I hated to wake you—so I came here to check things out. I noticed there were batters and doughs already prepared, so I took the liberty of baking some for the shop. I hope you don’t mind…”

“No, no. I’m grateful you did.” He raked a hand through his hair. He couldn’t believe he’d slept at all,let alone all through the night. “You figured out the appliances, then.”

She wrinkled her cute nose. “After a few mishaps. It took a while to figure out the defroster, and I burned a couple loaves of bread before I got the oven temperature right.” She hunched her shoulders. “I wasn’t sure exactly what you needed, but I tried to replenish what I remembered being low.”

He surveyed the dozen loaves of bread, multiple dozens of muffins, and several pans of sweet rolls. “You got a lot accomplished. People might have come to an empty booth if you hadn’t done this. I intended to get up and bake, but I fell asleep.”She did all this.A funny feeling twisted in his gut.

“I would have awakened you, but after hearing about your insomnia, I figured you needed the sleep, and I was eager to try out the appliances.”

“Uh, thank you.”

“Would you like a sweet roll and somecoffee?” She held up a tray of frosted buns.

“Uh…yeah. What’s coffee?” He’d never heard of it.

“It’s the elixir of life.”

He blinked.

“It’s a roasted bean ground and brewed into a hot beverage. I brought some with me.” She patted a seatby the counter where he’d taken to eating his meals. “Have a seat.”

The easy way she assumed command of the kitchen and tended to him felt oddly comfortable. He didn’t know what to say or think about that, so he slid into the chair. She plated a sweet roll and then poured an aromatic steaming beverage into a cup and set it in front of him.

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