Page 10
Again, my nose twitches with amazing smells. Every time I walk in here, I feel a bit nostalgic. Our mother ran a bakery just like this one when we were kids. It surprised me when my brother came home from war and told me he was going to open one, but I’m constantly amazed at how he’s made it work.
I follow the sound of his bounding feet up to the second floor where he and Evey live. It’s just big enough for the two of them, along with little Zachary, but I can already tell that their once private getaway for two has become a little cramped.
Vincent stands over a table in the corner with papers stacked along every edge, looking not-unlike our children’s table downstairs, but the content of these is clearly not as fun as a superhero coloring book.
I tilt my head to read a document labeled Utility Agreement. “How’s Muffin Top Two coming along?” I ask him.
He groans. “The hunt for a manager continues.”
“Have you asked Monica? She’s worked here forever.”
“She has, and I have,” he answers, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “But she turned it down. Says she likes it here and running the second location is, as she puts it, like, totally not her thing, man.”
I chuckle. “Well, you’ll find somebody. This place has a nice reputation. There are probably hundreds of bakers out there looking for a gig like this.”
“Hundreds with experience owning and operating a successful business, can follow all of my recipes, and keep to my schedule?”
“Well, maybe not at first, but that’s what training is for, little brother.”
He exhales. “I don’t have time to train somebody. I don’t...” He stops, cutting off his quick tongue.
I pause. “Vin, what’s up?”
He raps his knuckles twice on the table. “Evey’s pregnant again.”
I gasp. “She is?!”
“Yeah.”
“That’s great!”
He stares straight ahead. “... Yeah.”
My smile fades into a grimace. “That’s not great?”
“No, it’s great,” he says. “It’s just... interesting timing.”
I pout one side of my lip. “Not planned, huh?”
“Not quite, no.” He sighs. “I mean, yeah. We planned on having more kids, but I wanted to wait and see how this second location worked out first before trying.”
“Well, saddle up, Daddy,” I joke. “Number two’s a-coming. How far along is she?”
“Sixteen weeks.”
“Sixteen?! And she didn’t know until now?”
“Nope.”
“What about the morning sickness?”
“She didn’t get it this time!”
“Wow...” I flash back to all the horrible days I spent attached to a toilet during my pregnancy. “What a bitch.”
He laughs. “Anyway, that’s where the scope came from. We took Zach with us to the appointment yesterday and he walked out with that thing. He’s already bored with it, so if Charlotte wants it...”
I nod. “Should keep her entertained for a few days.” His eyes flash with excited fear and I smile. “Congrats, little brother.”
