Page 44 of The Soulmate Bakery

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Urgent help needed at the Treasure Trove.

ORION-THORN-IN-MY-SIDE

SOS.

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Help now please

‘Oh wow, it must be serious,’ I said, looking back up at my duo of friends. ‘There’s no punctuation in his last text.’

Sofia nodded grimly. ‘We didn’t want to break up your little lover’s chat –’ I started to protest, but she didn’t wait for me. ‘But I think we’ve got to hurry it up.’

When I stepped into the Treasure Trove, with Raven and Sofia hot on my heels, I wasn’t prepared for the sight before me.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked, eyes wide as saucers.

‘Building a house,’ Orion said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. ‘What does it look like I’m doing?’

Standing before me on my station – not really my station because this wasn’t my bakery – was Orion. Covered in flour, sleeves rolled upwards, rolling dough out. And that image made my mind screech to a halt because Orion didn’t bake. Sure, he taste-tested, threw out ideas, watched me bake. I had a thousand memories of that summer: sitting in the Hawthorne’s kitchen, baking, while he washed up for me. I’d cajole him into joining, but he’d never been tempted.

But now, here he was, elbow-deep in flour. On the opposite counter was Melodie, who was frantically trying to place tart shells on to the wire rack to cool.

‘Ooh, testy,’ Raven sing-songed behind me. The glare Orion shot her was the kind of look only a sibling could give. Raven held up her hands and stepped backwards. ‘Fine, fine, we’ll leave you two to deal with the chaos.’

‘Actually,’ Melodie interrupted, breathlessly. ‘Do you think you could help at the front? I hired a new girl to handle the counter, but I think she’s drowning in orders.’

Raven and Sofia nodded and left me, Melodie and Orion alone in the kitchen.

‘What happened here?’ I asked, gaze ping-ponging between the two of them.

‘Everyone fell in love with your magical knots and the flaming fruit tarts, and just everything,’ Melodie explained, as she piped enchanted cream into the shells. Her technique had improved a lot, and I felt a glow of pride. ‘Word spread outside just the dragons. Next thing I know, I’ve got an endless line and an overwhelming number of customers.’

Shock flooded me, and I moved across the kitchen to peek out of the door. Melodie was right. The Treasure Trove was full of dragons, witches and faeries. More shocking than anything was the fact that regulars I saw in the Wishing Well were standing in line too. I felt this odd combination of thrill and horror at the clear appreciation of my bakes.

If Ivy ever found out it was me in this kitchen, she’d never trust me again. She’d never give me the apprenticeship, either. I stepped back from the door, heart thundering in my chest.

‘Melodie panicked, and called me this morning to help,’ Orion continued, and a frustrated edge entered his voice. It took me a second to realize he was trying to braid the dough he had floured, with little success.

While he was talking, I slipped an apron on and dumped my things in the corner. I moved around him, nudging him to the side so I could braid the dough. I expected him to take the chance to leave, but instead he watched me intently, like learning how to braid dough was a life skill he’d only just realized he needed.

‘I thought you didn’t bake?’ I asked, quietly.

‘I can change,’ Orion shot back, but there was a slight edge to his voice that made my breath hitch.

I scolded my traitorous heart, reminding it that I wasn’t the Maya of last summer, or even the Maya of last weekend. I was the new Maya, the one who was finally talking to her soulmate and was starting afresh. The one who wasn’t going to be tangled in the past.

‘Silas and I have another study session this week,’ I blurted, and Orion’s gaze snapped away from mine to the dough. ‘We also hung out pretty much all day today.’

‘That’s good,’ Orion said, his tone saying the opposite. ‘One study session and one day of hanging out. Shall we get the wedding chariot out now?’

I scowled, braiding the dough tighter. ‘It’s a start. A good start.’ Then, because only Orion could pull me into an argument like this, I added, ‘And the Treasure Trove is obviously thriving. I seem to be doing everything in this partnership, Hawthorne. Are you going to become a better teacher or not because I still need to cast the counterspell, and we don’t have much time left before the festival.’

His gaze narrowed, the slit of his eyes tightening. ‘After your shift,’ Orion said, his tone so controlled I could see the invisible fist around his composure. ‘You’ll master the spell. I promise.’

Orion hustled everyone out of the Treasure Trove when the last customer left.