Alfie carefully placed the baking tins in the oven. ‘We wait until they are baked, then we wait until they cool, and then we can frost them.
‘Meanwhile?’ asked Will.
‘I draw a dragon,’ said Alfie, washing his hands and hanging up his apron on a hook by the door. ‘By the time I’ve finished the tail, the cakes will be ready.’ And with that, he left.
Will looked at Debra. ‘He’s very precise.’
‘Yes, it helps keep him calm.’ She climbed off her chair. ‘Right, mister, let’s go draw a dragon.’
‘That I might be able to do without help.’
Debra’s eyes widened. ‘You can draw?’
‘Doodle pretty well. Does that count?’
She laughed, then gestured at Alfie, who had already sat at the smallest table in the art room and lined up his pencils. ‘Just don’t touch his stuff.’
‘Got it.’ Will sat at the table next to the lad’s and received an approving nod for his wise choice. He picked a sheet of plain paper from the pile in the middle, then set about sketching a friendly dragon.
He was really getting into his drawing groove when Alfie knocked on his table. Will glanced down at the knuckles still resting there. ‘Am I done?’
‘The cakes are. We must take them out of the oven to cool. Please stand.’
Will did as he was told and headed for the kitchen. ‘Mmm, smells like heaven.’
‘It smells like chocolate cake,’ said Alfie, as though educating his new friend.
Will helped place the hot tins on a metal cooling rack. ‘Should we remove these?’
‘No. The cake layers are very soft. They cool in the tin.’ Alfie took a step back, assessing where Will had placed one of the tins.
‘I can move it if it’s wrong,’ said Will.
‘It’s where it should be.’ Alfie glanced up at him. ‘We can colour in our dragons now.’
Will was looking forward to the frosting part, hoping to lick the spoon once finished. He went back to the art room to finish his drawing, which he decided wasn’t as bad as he first thought.
Debra joined his side, offering a hot mug of coffee. ‘Here. Well deserved. You should come to the centre more often.’
‘All I did was follow orders. Life’s always simpler when someone else tells you what to do.’
‘Is that your way of saying you miss the navy?’
Will tipped his head from side to side. ‘Hmm, yes and no.’
‘Well, feel free to come here whenever.’
‘I told you, I’ll help out in the summer months.’
Debra nudged his elbow. ‘I meant as a member.’ She smiled softly. ‘Honestly, Will, I think this place is what you need right now.’ She tapped her chest. ‘Trust me, I know these things.’
He had to admit, ever since he walked through the door the weight dropped off his shoulders, and making a cake with Alfie had wiped his mind from all his problems. It was nice having somewhere to go where he could simply breathe and forget about the world for a while. He felt that at the hotel with Ginny. If only every day was as relaxing.
‘Sure, I’ll sign up.’ He smiled at Debra. ‘But does that mean I won’t be able to become a helper?’
She shook her head. ‘No. You can be both. We have lots of members here who help. Take Alfie, for example. He taught you how to bake a cake, didn’t he?’
‘I might offer him a job at the tearoom once it’s open.’
