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“You’re doing great, kid,” Yan said as he walked by with a giant tray of bread loaves.
All of the compliments and guidance I received from Jasper’s coworkers were flyby like that.
Rita came over with bowls of candied pepitas and candied pecans to top the two sets of muffins I was currently in charge of. “All ready. Try not to sneak too many because I am not making you more.”
The candied nuts and seeds smelled like pure heaven, much like the rest of the bakery, and I appreciated the warning because it stopped me from scooping myself a tiny bowl to sample.
Now that my batter was made, I got to my favorite part. The scooping was easy, and meditative in a way. They had a cookie scoop specifically for the job to make sure every single muffin was the exact same size, so I didn’t worry about fucking it up. When that step was done, I topped them with Rita’s offering and transferred them to the oven, blessedly without knocking into anyone or spilling a single drop. I set the timer to the minimum range and set about my next task.
I stepped over to Jasper’s workstation and rolled out some pain au chocolat under his scrutinous eye. At least the rolling part was easy. I hadn’t made it up to the actual making of this particular dough. Laminated items came later in the program, but I still liked to watch the making of them in the bakery. Rita was prepping a batch for tomorrow since it had to sit overnight in the fridge. She folded in a huge slab of butter, ran through the machine, folded it over again, and repeated until it felt like there were a million tiny layers of butter and dough that were set to turn into the most mouthwatering croissants.
By the time Jasper had me sit down for our first break, I was ready for a nap. Between the brand-new overnight hours and the level of speed and concentration required, the bakery was kicking my ass.
“Still doing okay?” Jasper asked.
“I’ll adapt,” I promised.
“It takes time.”
That was an understatement, but hopefully since my starting the alpha synthetics coincided with starting the bakery, the transition would be easier. I certainly wasn’t full-time at the bakery yet, but I would have to keep up with managing a nocturnal lifestyle. I’d be able to cram in as much sleep as possible in the afternoons, but I was going to be in for a shitty few months, balancing everything.
Rita appeared with a plate for each of us, bearing some freshly baked banana chocolate chip bread. “Got to keep those energy levels up.”
I scarfed down my share with a fervor and Rita laughed, her red-painted lips stretching into a grin.
“God, it’s so good. I could eat a whole loaf,” I told her.
“There’s extras baked into every single recipe we make,” she said. “Help yourself to one of anything you’d like.”
“That’s honestly brilliant.”
“Work hard, snack hard,” Jasper said with a laugh. “Gotta have some perks to working in a bakery.”
He made a valid point. I had expected snacking, but didn’t want to presume.
“You can help me with the savory croissants next. We usually have those for our lunches, but of course you’re free to get something from elsewhere or bring your own food if you would rather.”
“You think I can turn down a fresh-baked croissant? Jasper, I don’t have that much willpower.”
That got him laughing. “I knew you’d fit in well.”
I felt like a fish trying to fit in with birds right now, but if Jasper saw the potential in me, who was I to say otherwise?
The rest of the shift passed in sweat-inducing hard labor and treats so delicious I could’ve cried. By the time I made it back to my bed—my last day at my parents’—I was barely conscious.
Afternoon came unfairly quickly. I felt like a zombie rising from his grave when my alarm went off. I had been transferring items for days over to Stella’s basement suite, leaving only the bare essentials. I peeled myself up, stripped all the bedding, and got it washing while I hopped in the shower.
We hadn’t bothered with a moving truck since Stella lived so close, but I was not excited to roll my mattress down the streets on a dolly to get it over there. Sidney and Allie would be over soon to help, and then I would officially be moved out. I had planned to take things over when Mom was out so she wouldn’t start crying when she saw me with a box in my arms.
I kept hoping she would do better with the concept as the days wore on, but it felt like every time she looked at me, she teared up. Guilt sat heavy and sticky in my gut to see her like that, but it wasn’t enough to keep me anchored in place anymore.
“Happy moving day!” Sidney yelled when I emerged from the bathroom, dry and dressed.
Dad had taken Mom out to dinner so she wasn’t around to watch, which was probably for the best, all things considered.
“Thanks.” I covered a yawn and wandered over to hug my brother and sister-in-law.
“I’m so excited for you to move out!” Allie squeaked. “We bought you the best housewarming present.”
