Page 20 of Cupcake
“That was a rhetorical question.” I spun around and pulled the cupcakes out of the oven. I decided to pop them into the cooler at the last second, enjoying the sound of the slight sizzle when I set them down on the rack.
“I didn’t think you were supposed to put hot cupcakes in the cooler like that.” Amber pointed at the door with a drunken finger.
“Normally, I wouldn’t, but these aren’t normal times. I need them to cool so I can frost them and put them in my belly.”
Amber’s laughter filled the bakery, and I took another bite of the bread. “Well, at least you’re excited about eating them. Usually, you eat a cupcake like it’s a death sentence.”
“Only to my hips, apparently,” I answered. “At least according to Maxwell.” Before she could say anything, I decided to go for gold. “I was thinking about something and wondering what you’d say about it.”
“If it’s about sleeping with Brady, then my answer is yes,” she said, leaning on the table and finishing her bread.
I shoved her playfully in the shoulder. “It’s not about sleeping with Brady!” I said with laughter in my voice. “It is about him, though.”
“Damn. Here I thought all the booze helped you see how perfect he is for you.”
“First of all, Brady Pearson is not perfect for me. He’s the exact opposite of me.”
Amber’s finger trailed through the flour on the bench for a few seconds before she spoke. “That’s not true, but you’re the only one who doesn’t see it. You and Brady aren’t that different. You just don’t want to admit it. You don’t like change, even when you say you want things to change.”
“I do not!” I exclaimed angrily, my foot stomping on the bakery floor. “Wait. I do too!” I said, tipping my head to the side. “What was the question again? Oh! I do like change. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, but never mind now.”
I turned my back to her and finished the bread, then checked the cooler to see if the cupcakes were ready for icing. They weren’t. Dammit. Patience, Haylee. You are usually more patient than you have been over the last six months. What is wrong with you? It probably had something to do with the fact that I was tired, sex-starved, and unhappy in my personal life, or rather my lack thereof.
“I’m sorry, Hay-Hay,” Amber said, coming over and putting her arms around my shoulders. “Sometimes, I don’t think before I speak.”
I sighed and shook my head slightly. “We both know I don’t like change, and we both know why.”
“I do, and I shouldn’t have said that. What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Just bakery stuff,” I said on a shrug. “I was thinking I screwed up with Brady offering him the inventory position instead of the full-time baker.”
“He didn’t seem upset to me when I talked to him. He was excited that you were putting more trust in him with the business.”
“It was the wrong kind of trust, though. I realize that now. Brady’s so good at what he does, and I could really benefit from him being at the bench with me full-time.”
“You don’t have to ask me about the back of the house hiring, Hay-Hay. We agreed that we hire for our own ends without requiring approval from the other person.”
“We did, but this would require me hiring a new kitchen manager, at least part-time. I know Taylor is looking for more hours, but I can’t offer the position to her without you okaying it.”
“If that’s what you want to do, then I say go for it. Taylor would be great at it. Increasing her hours also means she’ll stick around, so that makes it a win-win-win.”
“No, that makes it a win-win,” I said, counting on my fingers in case I was too drunk to remember how many wins there were.
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “A win for Brady, a win for Taylor, and a win for you for getting to work with Brady full-time. Win-win-win,” she said, threw me a wink, and clapped giddily like she just solved world hunger.
