Page 40 of Emerald Moon
For someone who regularly made perfection for the bakery, Jo took this as high praise.“Thank you,” they said after a beat.
Billie took a bite and added, “They taste good, too.What does Emmaline say about getting these out front?Or Alpha Parisa?”
“I think they’re okay with it, but way in the future.These aren’t up to par with what you and Emmaline bake.”
“They’re closer than you think.You’re on your way.”
Jo thanked her again and, sensing that the conversation was done, headed out the back door.They stopped to look for Dolly out of habit before remembering she was at home now.This afternoon before work at the bakery, Jo had let her out of her room to explore.They walked with her as she sniffed around the upstairs before carefully descending the stairs and poking around the rest of the house.Jo thought the liveliness of downstairs might frighten her, but instead the cat seemed thrilled to have more people to rub her head against and get pats from.
Jo picked up their pace but was careful not to jostle the macarons.When they got back to the pack house, they set down the macarons in the dining room and shook a container of Dolly’s treats.The cat came running to the front of the house, winding between Jo’s legs when she got to them.Jo doted on the cat and gave her plenty of pats before continuing on their mission to fill the still-empty tart crust for Cass.
They went to the refrigerator and got out the bacon Cass had brought and some of the good cheese — not the stuff from the store, but the good stuff from the farmer’s market.It was meant for cooking pack meals, but Jo reasoned it’d be alright for them to take enough for one little savory tartlet.The last ingredient was a shallot, which Jo thought would be less intense than a yellow onion, the only other choice in the kitchen.
Jo’s cooking skills weren’t as good as their baking skills, but in the end, right before the dinner crew had to take over the kitchen, Jo had filled the small tart crust with the cheese and bacon mixture.Jo wasn’t sure if it looked good, but it definitely looked rich.Hopefully Cass would like it.
Jo made it all of a few hours before they decided they couldn’t wait until the full moon feast at the Crooked Creek Pack house to give the savory tart to Cass.With the tart wrapped in some paper towels, they snuck through the back door of the bakery and took one of the bakery’s nice violet-colored boxes and a white ribbon.
Out on the sidewalk out front of Violet Moon, Jo realized they weren’t sure where Cass was working today.They sent a quick text to ask and started wandering in the general direction of the butcher shop just in case that’s where she was.It’d been a while since they just let themselves meander downtown without a dire need for something like supplies for the bakery or chocolate for their brain.Sometimes it was easy to forget what a beautiful place Hickorywood was.It was a far cry from the big city where Jo had grown up.While Hickorywood had grown in popularity over the last decade, it still kept a small town feel, even if it was often filled with tourists drawn to the region for the sights, the breweries, the arts, and all the food they could eat, bakeries included.
The sidewalk beneath their feet was well-worn stone.When Jo was in a hurry, the uneven pavement annoyed them whenever they stumbled, but that day it felt charming again.Just like the lush forests that surrounded the small city, the sidewalks on the less busy side-streets were part of what made this place feel like home.
Their phone buzzed in their pocket and Jo carefully held the box in one hand to check it.
I’m just about to leave the butcher shop and go to the florist.
I’m working at both today.
Without a break?!
The break is the walk between the two spots.
Well, I have something that will make the walk
a little more of a break, hopefully.
Don’t walk too fast!I’m almost to where you are!
Taking bigger steps than what their legs usually allowed, Jo quickened their pace towards the butcher shop.They’d never been inside, but they’d passed it often enough to remember where it was.The stone sidewalk gave way to more typical concrete as they neared the busier roads.
They turned a corner and saw Cass standing in front of the shop with her hands in her pockets.Even at a distance, Jo could see the curve of her lips tilt upwards.
“Here!”Jo held out the box for Cass to take as soon as they were close enough to her.“Thanks for waiting for me.I hope it will be worth it.”
“What is it?”
“Open the box and see!”
Jo gave her approximately half a second to open the box before explaining, “It’s a tartlet!A savory one.Remember that bacon you gave me?I used some of it in this.The rest I ate for breakfast over the past few days, and I didn’t share with anyone, but I’m happy to share some with you since you gave it to me.It’s got bacon, cheese, and onions – well, shallots, but they’re sort of an onion.You don’t have to eat it now.”
Without a word, Cass lifted the tart from the box and took a huge bite — nearly half the tart in one go.
Jo couldn’t stifle their laughter.“Of course if you want to eat it now, that’s fine by me.”They tried not to watch her chew, but they wanted to search her face for reactions, signs of whether it was delicious or not.
Cass swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.“Delicious.And perfect.I was hungry and hadn’t brought anything to eat in between shifts.I was going to get a bagel sandwich at that deli on the way, but this is much better.”
Jo beamed, but still deflected, “You should still stop in and get something more substantial.There’s no way this will hold you over.The full moon is soon.We’re all hungry twenty-four hours a day.”
“It will be more than enough.”Cass took a second, smaller bite, followed by a third and a fourth until it was gone and she was giving Jo two thumbs up.
