Page 12 of Bread By the Grim
Since I started the job, I haven’t really been out of the bakery to get a look around town. Grim adds Doux’s food and litter to the grocery order he gets once a week, along with anything I need, and there’s always extra food at the end of the night to munchon, so there hasn’t been a real reason to leave until now.
Excited for my first trip out, I throw on a loose dress, tie up my hair, and make my way out to the kitchen as Doux ignores my pets in favor of fighting with his favorite stuffed mouse.
I’m probably a little too excited to get to the venue. I rush up the stairs to the kitchen and push through the door a little too fast, running full force into Grim’s chest. His arms wrap around me, steadying me as our eyes meet. I can’t help the sudden intake of breath as our bodies meet. His chest is hard against my breasts, and I can’t help the fleeting thought that passes through the back of my mind—what would it be like to lay on top of him? To be able to wake up next to him and lay in bed curled up in his arms?
His whole body seems to shiver, and then he steps back, his arms dropping to his sides. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—I-I didn’t want you to fall.”
I smile. “You’re always saving me.”
He runs a hand through his hair and meets my eyes. “You, uh, look nice.”
“Thanks! I know we’re just delivering a cake, but I figured I was representing the bakery. I wanted to make a good impression on our clients.”
He takes a few more steps back and looks away. The mood in the room shifts. “You’ve already made a good impression on the customers. They love you.”
“That’s sweet of you to say,” I say, suddenly feeling awkward as he puts more space between us.
“I’ve got everything loaded up already, if you’re ready to go,” he says, backing up to the door.
Guilt creeps into my belly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spent so much time getting ready. I won’t let that happen again.”
He just looks at me strangely and shakes his head. “Phil, this is important to you, so it’s important to me. Don’t apologize. You did all the work. The least I can do is load the cake into the truck.”
He motions for me to step through the back door first, and so I do. His truck—older than us both—is sitting outside. In the bed, he has set up a piece of plywood for the boxes to rest on. A wooden frame has been fitted into the bed on top of the plywood base. It surrounds the cake boxes, keeping them secured in the center of the bed.
“This is smart,” I say, touching the frame.
Grim just shrugs. “I don’t have a van to do a proper delivery, so I wanted to make sure the cakes arrived safe and sound. I just hammered together a couple pieces of plywood.”
I turn to him in disbelief. “You made this? Just so I can deliver cakes?”
He looks slightly embarrassed. “It’s nothing, really.”
I have to stop myself from hugging him. I’vealready made him feel weird once today. “Grim, I really appreciate the support.”
“It’s what friends do.” He comes around the passenger side of the truck and opens the door for me. “The door is old and weird. If you can’t get out, I’ll come around and open it for you, too. Sorry it’s so rough.”
I can’t help but laugh. “I’ve ridden in far worse. My mama had a car with rust holes in the floorboards. I think I can survive a weird door.”
We buckle up, and because we’re early, Grim drives me around the small square that comprises most of the old part of downtown so I can get the lay of the land. The shops on the main square are adorable. There’s even a cute little pet shop a block over called Ruff N’ Tumble that I can hit for Doux’s supplies. He’s been needing a new bed and some toys to ignore.
“There’s more to Ghostlight Falls, but this is the touristy part. We’ll be getting a lot more people in as it gets closer to summer because the Wonder Hole is so close.”
That stops me. “Did you say the Wonder Hole?”
A half smile crosses his face. “You don’t know about the Wonder Hole? You didn’t see all the signs coming in from the airport?”
“It was dark, and Doux was losing his mind.”
“Yeah, I can see how that would be distracting. The Wonder Hole is a giant hole in the ground thatpeople come to see. But mostly it’s a tourist trap—huge gift shop, restaurant, clean bathrooms—right off the highway.”
“A giant hole in the ground?” I can’t help smiling back. It’s the first time I’ve seen him look anything close to amused.
“Yeah, you walk around and around and around for like twenty minutes just to get to the bottom. If you make it all the way to the bottom and back, there’s a little stamp you can use to mark the back of your ticket. You take it to the gift shop, and they give you a little button you can wear that says, ‘I bottomed out at the Wonder Hole.’”
I huff a laugh. “You’re joking.”
“One hundred percent serious. I’ll take you sometime. We’ll get you a button.”
