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I shook my head. “Look, I have the skill needed to bake for the bakery, and honestly, you are going to need help here. You can’t walk at all, and you even said it yourself, your new employee, Cicil, can’t bake.”
Brooke looked at me as if I were crazy and shook her head. “Her name is Cici! And no, Tristan, I live in a one-bedroom house. There isn’t room.”
“It’s fine. I’ll sleep right here, on the couch. You won’t even know I’m here. I’ll be up early and be at the bakery,” I stated.
“You know nothing about what is needed at the bakery. You work for a magazine.”
“Melinda, can help me. Right?” I said, turning and looking in her direction.
She looked back at me. Even she looked shocked that I was offering this.
Brooke looked to Melinda and shook her head. Then she turned her attention back to her notebook and began writing some things down.
“Seriously, Brooke, I can do this.”
“I seriously doubt it,” she said through clenched teeth.
“I’m asking you to trust me on this.”
“Trust you. Ha, that is funny. Trust you, the man who ruined every single solitary recipe we had to make together in school, the man who chastised me for wanting to follow my dreams, and the man who tripped me, purposely or accidently, whichever it was, simply to ruin my chances of winning a contest. I’m supposed to trust you!” Brooke said, turning her head away from me.
“Brooke, don’t be so…”
“Don’t be so…what, Melinda? Remember, I know him!”
“Brooke, you said yourself, I can’t do this on my own. If he can bake, then perhaps he can be of some help. You never know.”
I could see the irritation growing on Brooke’s face. Finally, she threw her hands up in the air. “Fine, fine. Tristan, welcome to the couch.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve accepted that I’m right. Melinda, can you take me over to the inn to grab my things?”
Melinda nodded and was just about to put her coat on when Brooke chuckled.
“See, Melinda, that right there. I’m glad to see you’ve accepted that I’m right,” she mocked. “That is the exact reason why I don’t want his help.”
Melinda leaned down and whispered something into Brooke’s ear and then nodded to the doorway. “We’ll be right back.”
Within an hour, I’d checked out of the inn, and we’d returned to Brooke’s. The three of us now sat in Brooke’s living room as she went over all the orders that had come in. She seemed a little bit calmer than she was when I left, which was a good thing. I sipped on a cup of coffee while they began planning how to attack everything in the morning. As soon as they were finished, Melinda got up and put her coat on.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll be here around four,” she said, glancing to her watch.
“Five!” Brooke yelled.
“Five,” Melinda corrected.
I walked her to the door, locking it behind her, and turned back to see Brooke struggling to get up.
“Here, let me help you,” I said, rushing over to her side.
She shook her head and held out her hand, but I didn’t give up. Instead, I held out my hand and waited for her to take it. “Help me to the bedroom.”
I placed my arm securely around her waist and slowly we made our way into her bedroom. I pulled the blankets back for her and helped her to get seated on the bed.
“Need anything else?” I asked.
“I’ll get what I need from the dresser,” she grumbled.
I looked to the other side of the room where her dresser stood against the far wall. “What do you need?” I said again, this time my voice more demanding.
