“I’ll work all the hours you’ll give me. My husband is on the road, getting my kids from college, so I’m at home by myself.”
“Even after the holidays are done, how would you like to be the manager? It’ll be full-time with benefits and vacation time.”
“Yes! I’ll do it now.” She says, as she comes around the counter, hugging me. When I hired Alice, about three years ago, she wanted something to fill her days, because her kids were off to college. “I’ll even work evenings.” I smile at her.
“I’ll train you in the paperwork and computer stuff if you want. I know you hate the damn thing.” We laugh, as she tells me that she’ll leave that to me. “We’ll probably need to hire some Christmas help, too. I’m not sure when Liam will be back, or if he’ll even be back.”
“What do you mean?” She asks me.
“I’ll tell you later,” I say, as I see Renee, coming in through the door. I let out a breath, before greeting her. “Hey, Renee. Have you been up to see Liam?”
“Yes. I was there for the surgery with your parents.”
“That’s great, and Ty said he was doing well after it. What can I do for you?” I ask her, as I grab my piece of paper of things I need to make.
“Can we talk?” I nod, and then ask her to follow me. The swinging doors shut to the kitchen, and she’s right there on me. “Why did you tell Liam about our conversation?”
“I haven’t seen Liam, since last night, so I haven’t even had a chance to say anything to him,” I say, looking her right in the eyes.
“I told him.” Ty’s voice is right in my ear, as I see the large pizza box on the counter. I turn to face him, asking why. “You were upset last night, and he’s my best friend, so I thought he needed to know what the fuck is going on.”
“Well, now he is mad at me for bringing it up.” Renee snaps at Ty.
“Actually, you brought up a private conversation between you and Liam. I don’t know why you did it, but it was out of line for you to tell me.” I tell her. “Yes, Liam wants to leave the bakery, and I’ll talk to him about it, but it’s something that he should’ve told me, and not you. I’m sorry that he’s mad at you, but that’s not my fault.” My cell phone starts going off, as the timer on the oven beeps, and Ty takes the cookies out.
“You need to eat.” He points to the pizza, and I salute him, as I sit down and start eating. “Renee, I’m sorry that he’s mad at you. No, I shouldn’t have said anything, but Lucy was upset last night on top of being scared, so Liam needed to know. They are best friends and partners in business, so you need to tread lightly.” Ty almost sounds like he’s warning her, and Renee seems even more pissed off.
“Who said that I’m trying to get in-between them?” She asks.
“I never said that,” Ty remarks. “But don’t worry. I’ll fix things with Liam.”
“No, I’ll talk to my brother. I don’t need a mediator.” I say, stuffing a breadstick in my mouth, as I dial Liam. I put the phone on speaker, as he answers it with a yawn.
“What’s up, dipshit?” He says, as I laugh.
“Please don’t be mad at Renee for talking to me, and I’m glad that she told me. It needed to be said and come out in the open. We can talk about everything after the New Year. I just want you to know that I’m okay with you wanting to pursue your dream of owning a restaurant. I think you should do it, and don’t worry about the bakery. I think we’ll be good.” I smile at Renee. “Alice is going to be our new manager, and she’s excited about it. I’m busy enough to hire extra people, so take some time to really think about it, and no matter what, we’ll still be family.”
“Wow, sis. Aren't you acting very mature about all of this?” He laughs, and then groans. “That hurts. I’ll still help you with the Christmas baking.”
“Good, because if not, then I’ll never sleep or see my children. Now, you get some rest, and I’ll see you later. I love you.”
“I love you, too, dipshit.” He says, before hanging up.
“I can feel the love between you two.” Ty pretends to tear up, as I throw a piece of crust at him. He laughs, and Renee and I join him.
“Liam and I are very close, but we tend to not talk, when we need to, but it’s good to have someone to remind us that we need a swift kick in the ass sometimes.” We all laugh, as I get up and clean myself up, so I can get started on my to-do list of baking.
“Well, I better head back to the hospital. Can I grab some goodies for Liam and myself?” Renee asks, as I nod. I walk out with her, after she gets her goodies, telling her bye. Once I get back to the kitchen, I see Ty, sitting there on the stool, while drinking coffee.
“Come here.” Ty opens his arms, so I can walk into them.
“You know I’m swamped.” I lean on his lap, as he kisses my neck. “That’s nice, but it’s very distracting.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. I can stop if you want.” Ty teases, as he nibbles my ear.
“As bad as I hate to say it, I do think you’re going to have to stop, because you have to go to work.” I state, as he swears under his breath.
“Why must you torture me this way? I’ll see you in the morning, if that’s okay. I packed a bag, so I can sleep upstairs, and then help you bake, when I can. This will also give me some time with Peter and Max.”
“I want you to know them, but you can’t come and go as you please. If you’re not here for the long haul, then back away now. So, why would you want to help me bake?” I ask him, as I put my arms around his neck, kissing him the same way he did mine.
“Well, GG taught me the recipes, too. So, why can’t I help you?” Ty seems upset.
“I didn’t say no. I’m just surprised.” I kiss him, as a thank you, and then make him leave for work. Once he’s gone, I start baking and dancing to Christmas music with a smile on my face.
******Thanksgiving night******
Dinner with the family turned out pretty good. I was so exhausted from working eighteen-hour days that I ended up falling asleep during dinner. When I got back from my parent’s house, I started unpacking the Christmas decorations. Peter and Max are so excited to decorate for Christmas, and we already did the apartment last night. I made sure to close early because I didn’t want to miss out on this experience with the boys.
I set one box out of five onto the floor. I really need to get this place festive quickly because I’m planning on opening the bakery up in about six hours. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day sometimes.
Ty and I have tried to see each other, but he’s been working the night shift, so he only comes by to say hi, and then he has to go. He hasn’t met the boys yet, because he wanted more time with the kids, than just a few minutes here and there. We’ve been texting a lot and reconnecting with each other after all these years. It’s been nice, but every time I see him, all I want him to do is rip my clothes off and fuck my brains out, until I can’t remember my name. I sigh happily, letting my mind wonder.
“I hope you’re thinking about me, when you sigh like that.” I look over my shoulder, and I see Ty standing there.
“How did you get in here?” I ask, avoiding the question.
“You gave me a set of keys to the apartment and to the back of the bakery, remember?” He says, grabbing the box from my arms. “Need me to grab any more boxes?”
“Could you? That’d be great. They’re all marked Christmas. I need to get this place done in an hour, so I can get some baking done.” I yawn.
“You need to get some sleep is what you need to do.” He tells me, after setting down the last box.
“When? Liam is now telling me that he needs another week off, since he and Renee are going out of town for a week.”
“What?!” Ty looks even more pissed off than I am, which I didn’t think was possible. “Well, I’m off all weekend, so put me to work.” I stand there in silence, watching his back going into the storage closet.
“All weekend, really? And where do you plan on staying?” I say, seeing
his duffle bag on a table. I place my hands on it, so he can see that I know what he’s planning.
“Upstairs.” He smiles.
“That’s where I’m staying,” I smirk, as he walks towards me.
“I know.” He whispers, kissing my nose. “We’re having a slumber party.” I wiggle my eyebrows, which gets a laugh out of him.
“No slumbering, until we get this work done.” I push him away. “Now, move boxes, so we can get this done.”
He laughs, shaking his head, as he heads outside to finish up. I walk over to the radio and put on some Christmas music to get us in the mood. The boys come down, and we dance, laugh, and have fun together. Clara is coming by soon to take them back upstairs for me, and my mom is going to watch them after a while, because Clara wants to go shopping. This year I’ve decided to do all of mine online, or I may get Clara to pick up a few things.
I’m actually a little nervous, now that Ty is here, because he’s going to meet his sons for the first time.
“Peter and Max, come here a second, please.” They run over to me, climbing up onto some chairs. “Your daddy is here, and he’s going to help us decorate.” They both look at me with big eyes. “Want to meet him?” I smile, as they both nod their heads yes. “Okay, stay here.”
I walk back to the storage closet, “Ty?”
“Yeah?” He says, looking up at me.
“Your children want to meet you. They’re out there now, and they know you’re here.” Ty lets out a breath, as he looks down at his clothes and nods. “They won’t bite.” I smile, as he smiles back at me.
“Peter, Max,” I say their names, and they peak around the counter. “I’d like you to meet Tyler. He’s your dad.” The boys come running towards me, and then stand behind me, clutching my legs.
“Hi,” Ty says, acting very timid. I don’t ever remember him being like this with other kids. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“I’m Max,” Max says, holding out his little hand to shake Ty’s hand, as Peter is still hiding behind me. Max has always been more outgoing than Peter.
“Nice to meet you, Max.” Ty’s face lights up, and I can see the love shining brightly already. We all stand for a bit just starring, as no one really knows what to say, so I decide to break the tension that’s starting to build.
“Alright, you two. Daddy needs to finish bringing Mommy the boxes, so we can decorate. Are you ready to help me wash the windows?” Both of them cheer, as they run to the main dining area, and I look directly at Ty. “Don’t stress too hard about things right now. It’ll just take some time for them to come around. With you helping tonight, and them being here, it will be good. They get to spend time with you, while you guys get to know each other. They know of you, but now that you’re here on a more permanent basis, they’ll love you.”
“And what about you? Are you going to love me again?”
“Ty, is this more about an obligation to be a family, or do you really want to try with me?”
“I want it all, but you are calling all the shots, and I take the cue from you.” I smile, as I lean in to kiss him.
“I needed to hear that from you.” I turn and walk back into the bakery dining area.
The coffee is brewing to keep us going, and I also have Thanksgiving Day dinner leftovers on the counter to snack on. I open the lids to all of the totes, seeing where everything is, once Ty is done bringing all of the boxes, and then I pull up all of the blinds, so I can start adding the lights.
“I really should have lights up all year round. Then, I can just change the colors for different holidays.” I mutter to myself.
“I think that’d be a good idea,” Ty tells me. “What do you need me to do?”
“Can you start sorting out the lights, while we wash the windows and get these hooks up and ready for them?” I ask, pointing to the tote with lights marked on it.
“You tangled them up, didn’t you?” I laugh, and he groans, as he picks up a big ball of lights. “This is ridiculous. When we take this down, I’m putting them up the right way.” No, you have your fur babies, so I will stay here.
“What right way?” I can’t help but laugh because he’s swearing every two minutes. I have four windows and a door to clean, so by the time I’m done with all of that, Ty should be done with the lights.
I hum the Christmas songs as they play. After a bit, I notice that it’s quiet without the swearing, so I turn to see Ty, staring at me. “What?”
“You’re so beautiful.” He says, as I step down off the ladder, and go and sit on his lap. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him. “This isn’t getting any work done.”
“I know. Are you done with those lights?” I begin to laugh, as he tickles me. “Okay, stop.” I get off his lap, and then head back to finish the last window and door, before Ty is done. When I’m finally done, I start working on the tinsel around the counter. I take a break, as I look through the boxes for the Christmas cups that I put the sugar, Splenda, and stuff in, plus the stirrers.
“Luce, this is ridiculous. I can’t believe you put them into a ball like this.” He holds up half a ball.
“I didn’t do that, and you can thank my brother.” I bring a cup of coffee to Ty, as I sit down to look through the boxes. I feel like I’m still missing some of my decorations. “Liam had to take down the decorations because I was sick with the flu.”
“You work too much. Please tell me that you have extra lights. These are not working.”
“Are you serious? I bought them last year.” I look in one of the boxes that I hadn't opened yet. “Here,” I say, handing him box after box, which equals about twenty. “I always buy extra, especially after Christmas sales.”
Tyler Smith
“You drive me crazy. You had those all along and made me deal with this mess?” I say, laughing at this crazy woman. I drink my coffee, as Lucy starts checking the lights to make sure they’re working. “How are you doing with Liam and Renee?” She shrugs.
“I mean, I’m pissed off that he’s leaving me right before Black Friday. We may be a small town, but there are lots of people that come in to see this town, because of the name. I’m going to be so busy, plus I have three new people starting today and tomorrow. I have to train them and do all these orders.”
I hate seeing her so stressed out. I’m really hoping that this weekend I can show her how all in I am with her. It sucked that the week leading up to Thanksgiving, we were two ships, passing in the night. I slept while she worked, and she slept while I worked. We’ve barely talked, except for a text here and there. The only time was when I got off work and sat in the bakery kitchen, speaking for a little bit.
Max comes up, standing right in front of me. “Hey, buddy.”
“Are you moving in with us?” Lucy starts choking on her coffee.
“Not right now. I need to get to know you better. Plus, I have my place at Uncle Andrew’s house.”
“He’s having a baby. We’re going to be cousins.” Peter says, as he throws away a napkin.
“It’s exciting. I love babies,” Max smiles.
“Me, too,” I tell them. “So, what are you boys into?” I ask, and then spend the next hour, talking to them about PAW Patrol, Trolls, Batman, and cowboys.
“I hope that me being here will help some,” I tell Lucy, as I stand next to her, refilling my coffee cup.
“I’m sure it will, especially if you can help me with the day-to-day baking this weekend. I’m hoping that we’re going to be busy. This is new to me. If I can make this work, then I can buy out Liam.” She walks towards the windows, as she starts stringing the lights up. Clara came to pick up the boys earlier, since they were starting to get sleepy. Lucy made a joke about how they took a nap with her at her parent’s house, so she knew they’d be up later.
“Do you want me to help?” I ask her.
“If you can help hand me the lights, and then plug them in as I go.” She tells me.
We get the lights done, and then we walk t
owards the road in the snow to look at them. “The place looks good so far. I need to add the window clings, and then put the tree up. I have the local elementary school making the ornaments, so I’ll get them on Tuesday. When they have their Christmas party, I provide their cookies free of charge. It’s a fun way for the parents to see their work, too. I also get Valentine’s cards from them for decorating all over the walls. I love being able to show off their work. I still have all of the work from those I’ve used in the past.”
“You save everything,” I state, as the snow starts falling harder. I grab her face, so she knows what I’m about to do, as I lean down to kiss her. She gets up on her tiptoes, so we meet together. She pulls herself into me, as she opens her mouth, and I slide my tongue in. This feels so good. After a bit, Lucy shivers, as I break apart from her.
“Let’s go inside.” She whispers, as she grabs my hand, and we walk back into the bakery. I grab her coat from her, and then head to make a fresh pot of coffee.
“Oh, my God. Is that the time? I need to get baking!”
“What else needs to go up beside the window clings and the tree?” I ask her.
“The different Christmas vases for the flowers on the table, and the figurines for around the areas, but I’m not sure where they are. I don’t know if they’re in the apartment or not.” She mumbles the rest of the way into the kitchen. I can’t help but laugh, as I look in the storage for the Christmas tree box. When I find finally it, I start putting it together. My mind starts to wonder about the fact that I hate how I left things back in Boston, and for years, I let it fester. I couldn’t be with anyone because Lucy was always on my mind.
When I’m done, I put the tree in the corner by the counter, because the area doesn’t look too crowded. I start putting the lights on it, and the ornaments will come later. I remove all of the vases that are currently on the tables, and then put the Christmas themed ones out. They’re all characters from popular movies and television shows. It’s quite festive in here. I hear pans hitting the counter, as I wipe down the coffee area, and then start to clean it up for her. When I’m done, I walk into the kitchen to see her dancing, as she rolls out the dough. I know she’s going to jump, so I try to step into her line of sight, so I don’t scare her. Lucy looks up and smiles.
Kneading Love Page 4