Page 43 of Baking With A Ghost

"Yup."

"Someday you can explain it to me then, but not today. You have bread to make."

I'mcleaningthefrontof the bakery when Mary arrives with a knock to the closed door. We knew she'd be here late, as her bed and breakfast was full and keeping her busy. For an older woman she sure keeps active and she loves every bit of it.

Flipping the lock I let her in and take her cloth shopping bag from her, before bending down for a hug.

"My goodness John, every time I come here I feel like you've grown, but I know it's because I'm shrinking."

Mary walks over to the one small table I added just for her visits. It was Simon's idea and who was I to say no? He said she reminded him of his grandmother and she would always insist on sitting to talk if she was staying longer than five minutes. Wouldn't you know it, Mary agreed with that sentiment and they became fast friends.

He tried his hand at a sugar pie today. She had mentioned in passing how it had been ages since she'd had a good one, and he's been practicing the recipe ever since. I pour her a coffee and set it in front of her before sitting with my own.

She blows across the liquid in the cup, twinkling eyes on me.

"I had an odd call the other day. Thought I'd tell you about it."

Leaning back I raise an eyebrow. "Oh? What about?"

"Seems a man named Carl wanted a room quite badly and insisted I should remember him and find him a space."

I shake my head. "He's really having a hard time letting go. Gotta say, I'm rather shocked by it. After being with him for so many years, he never once made me feel special when I had moved in with him and was under his influence. Now he drove hours out of his way, several times, to, what? Check on me? Try to win me back?"

Simon exits the kitchen with pie, interrupting my musings about Carl with a scowl.

"He has no chance to win you back and I wish he'd just fuck off."

He sets the pie on the table before first leaning down to embrace Mary and then kissing me. "Sorry for swearing, I just don't like the guy."

"Well that's understandable, he's been here twice to see you and hasn't taken the hint." Mary peers at the pie. "Besides, even if John did change his mind, I'm not letting him go either. Both of you keep me supplied with the best baking around. How would I survive?"

"He won't change his mind. Fact. Don't worry about the baking."

Simon's possessive gaze sends the message loud and clear. He may not be able to drop the branch on a car like before, but he sure as hell isn't afraid to flex his attitude or strength the times Carl had the gall to arrive here at the bakery. I never pegged Simon for one to be so protective, but it's understandable. I first thought it was jealousy, but that wasn't it. He was pleased that Carl was learning he screwed up, but he made no mistake sending Carl the message I was with him now and it wasn't going to change. Carl would not be getting me back as long as Simon was around. I was his.

I kind of liked it.

"It's a sugar pie, as requested and I know this one will be the best. I tasted the filling before baking, it's the bomb as the young kids say."

Simon slices the pie and serves it to us before sitting down. He wraps his ankle around mine under the table, something he does when we're out, to stay close, and I press my knee to his in answer. He doesn't pick up his fork though, instead he waits for Mary's reaction first.

"Ohmygod… Simon, this is amazing! You've nailed it. It's exactly like my grandmother used to make."

Only after Mary gushes over it, does Simon eat his own piece.

"Thank you, I hoped you'd say that. I just had to tweak the amount of brown sugar a little and I changed brands. This one has that deeper almost maple to it, really sets it off."

"First, the bread, then the pie. John, you sure did find a good one, didn't you?"

"Well, to be fair he found me first." I smile at Simon and he grins back, chewing his pie. "But I sure did get lucky, didn't I?"

I had been struggling for months trying to get the ingredients right on what I call my Nostalgia bread. Simon, while he was still a ghost, was trying to help and he had, but it wasn't until he was here and could taste it that we really started experimenting with flavours. Many of the seasonings and flavours I had, he wasn't familiar with. It wasn't common to have so many kinds of spices in his time. So he had to first try them all and when he thought it could work, we added to the recipe.

After a few weeks, we discovered the missing ingredient was fennel, not anise. It was like a road trip back in time once I tasted it and I could see the woman at the table making the dough and telling me how I could do it if I practiced enough. With more fiddling we adjusted the amount of orange zest to create the sweet and savoury together I was going for.

Since we perfected it, it's one of my most popular breads and we now have it in the line up on a weekly basis. Mary provides it to her Bed and Breakfast guests and we make special batches just for her some weeks when she's busy.

"So what's next for you two to conquer? Trying anything new in the kitchen?"

---