Page 23 of Beauty and the Baker
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. Something. Anything. Yell. Scream. Tell us what you’ve been through.”
Charlie shook his head. “I’m not prepared to talk about it right now.”
“You are going to have to discuss it sometime.”
“I think we’ve had this conversation before.
“You can’t stay here forever.”
Those words caught Charlie’s attention. “I know. It is rather inconvenient having your brother living with you.”
“It isn’t that at all. It is just we are going to have a baby in the spring, and we need all the room we can get.”
“A baby?” Charlie looked at her. Cassie nodded. A feeling welled up from deep inside him, reminding him that he would never be a father. You had to have a wife for that, and he knew that wasn’t going to happen for him.
He looked at Cassie. She was still his sister, but she wasn’t the same woman that left New York. There was definitely something different about her. Softer. Stronger.
Perhaps that is what love can do to a person. Or perhaps it was that she didn’t need to worry about the stress from the factory anymore.
He could either continue to wallow in what-ifs, or he could be happy for his sister. Cassie came around the table and gave Charlie a side-hug. He stood enveloping Cassie in his arms.
“I am going to be an uncle.” He said the words again, “I’m going to be an uncle!” Then he gave a shout of joy. “I’m going to be the best uncle ever.” As Cassie laughed, tears started rolling down her face. Charlie kissed her hair. “I am so happy for you and Max.”
“You can stay as long as you need to. I don’t want you rushing out just because I told you.”
Charlie shook his head. “I won’t. Maybe I’ll take a look around and see what this town has to offer.”
“That would probably do you good.” Charlie drained his coffee and stood to leave. “Oh, we are having company for supper tonight.”
“Do you want me to disappear for a while?” Charlie offered.
“Oh no,” Cassandra said. She looked upset that Charlie would even suggest such a thing. “I just wanted to let you know. We’ll be eating around seven. So, if you can make sure to be back by that time.”
Charlie nodded. He grabbed his jacket from the peg by the front door and headed out to explore his new home.
It was a beautiful autumn day. Charlie could see the mountains in the distance, the tops already covered with a light dusting of snow. He knew where Max’s haberdashery was located, and that seemed to be in an area that had quite a bit of activity.
He left the alleyway behind the house and headed towards the shopping district.He walked up W 10 1/2 Street to S Main where he needed to decide which direction to go.
He could either turn right and head down towards the train station and the shops therein, or he could go left and head towards the restaurants, saloons and the mine.
He looked right again and a shop with large lettering in the window called to him.A bakery.
He used to love pressing his nose against the bakery windows in New York. There was never enough money to be able to afford any of the cakes or pies that were on display.
That made his decision much easier.
He would go that way and pick up something for dessert. Cassie mentioned something about pastries. Normally she had them with tea in the morning, but Charlie noticed she was eating toast the past few days. Maybe the baby was giving her an upset stomach.
When he came up to the window, he noticed the letters painted on the glass.Maybelle’s Bakery. Finest cakes around.
It sounded good to him.
He went to try the door, but it was locked. He looked around to see if he was before or after hours, but according to the hours on the door, the bakery should have been open.
Pressing his nose against the glass as he did when he was younger, he cupped his hands around his eyes to give him a peek inside the shop. It was dark.
