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I was about to say that I’d visit, but would that be true?The last time I’d come to see Jess was almost four years ago.
I settled for squeezing her hand instead, and then remembered an important part of last night.“Are you going to tell me about the guy who works at the garage?”
“Garage?Oh….” Her entire face went rosy red.
“Yes.”I gestured to her blush.“That guy.What’s his name?”
“Levi.But we’re not going there.”
“It certainly seemed like youwantedto go there.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but Toby chose that moment to lunge off his mother’s lap, and she moved at lightning speed to catch him.He started crying, and the moment was lost.
I left the bakery at two, when a college student arrived to take over.I had plans to make some of my favourite cookies, simple vegan shortbread-type biscuits layered with sweet red fondant to look likeang paogiven out in Chinese communities on special occasions.They were typically filled with cash.
When I got home, cheese-scented and with aching arms from lifting baking sheets heavy with cakes, scones, and biscuits, the first thing I did was snag Seb’s letter from the counter.I’d been thinking about it all day.Might as well get it over with.
I slid my finger under the seal of the envelope flap as my phone started to vibrate in my back pocket.I tugged it out to see my parents requesting to video call.I went into the living room where the light was better.It was late there, but we talked for over an hour about their trip away, Jenny, how Aunt Laurie was doing, and everything else under the sun.By the time the call had ended, I’d forgotten about the letter from Seb completely, and I moved on to making the cookies.
ChapterTen
Mindful of pulling my weight with my aunt, I woke up at five o’clock the next day and used the last of my baking supplies to bake a batch of taro blondies, using taro powder I’d brought here with me.The smell of white chocolate filled the house, and I texted Jess a picture of me in front of the oven, with the caption:wish I could send a smell!I snapped some extra pictures for my online feed.
Theang paocookie post already had over 17,000 shares.
The number didn’t give me the most boost it normally did.
I think I’d been really set on having a space to display my bakes and sell them.The loss of that chance, for now anyway, coupled with Seb’s awful behaviour, was depressing.
I was at the bakery by seven in the morning, arriving just as Aunt Laurie did.
She smirked.“Set your alarm for today, did you?”
“Yeah, yeah.”But I was smiling.
I set down the stacked boxes and shook the feeling back into my fingers.Why did cake weigh so much?“I made taro blondies.These are one of my most viewed recipes on my blog.At one point, I did three wedding orders for them back to back.”
“Awesome.”She leaned a little closer and inhaled.“Well, I feel like I’ve put on three pounds just by smellin’ ‘em.”
“That’s how you know they’re good.I also made these cookies.Look!”
She looked.“I love those!They’reang pao,aren’t they?Your dad always used to send them to Jess and Greg.”
I shrugged off my jacket and bag.“Aunt Laurie, I meant to tell you.I got a letter from Seb.”
She stopped with a tray in her hand.“And what did he have to say for himself?Or did you file it in the trash immediately?”
“I haven’t decided what to do with it.”I rattled around in one of the huge cupboards and found a pretty cake stand for the blondies, placing them in a pretty pattern to give my hands something to do.“I haven’t read it yet.I’m torn between curiosity and just wanting to set it on fire.”
Aunt Laurie started arranging perfectly round sugar cookies on to a clean square of slate.“You want me to read it for you and give you the summary, just say the word.”
“Thank you.”I fiddled needlessly with the presentation of the blondies.“I keep thinking, do I owe it to myself to at least find out what he wants?Or will I regret opening it and giving him even more headspace?Ugh.I don’t know what to do.”
“It’ll keep another day.”
“You’re right.It will, it will keep.”
I set the last blondie on the stack and carted them into the shop, laying them in the window next to the fat, flaky almond croissants.The combined scents of sugar, butter and taro wafted up into the air, filling me with happiness.
