Page 48 of Bake You Mine (Port Fortune #1)
thirty-six
“Okay, you’re taking the retiring hot chef thing seriously with that hair.”
Liam turned to find Damon standing in front of Lameka’s minivan. It wasn’t a surprise to see her double-parked on the street, the van’s back door open, while Damon chatted to her and the kids before the dinner shift.
Liam had been in a mood after he’d left the cemetery. He was either going to get into trouble or make a change. Since he’d taken the night off and had time to kill until he met Jason, he’d gone to his usual barber and had him buzz his head down to his bare scalp.
His first post after retiring as hot chef was a mirror selfie. No caption, no dumb hashtag.
It was probably going to piss off Jason, but if he dropped Liam over that stupid hot chef BS, then they just weren’t meant to be business partners.
“Hey, what are you doing here anyway? I thought I gave you the night off,” Damon said.
“You don’t read your texts, do you? I told you Jason is coming by.” Liam walked to the van .
The kids were screaming Liam’s name, so he had to repeat himself.
Lameka told the kids to hush up. Then she caught sight of Liam. “Dear Lord, what did you do to all that beautiful hair?”
He laughed. If you wanted an honest opinion, you could always count on Lameka to give it. “I needed a change.”
“A change doesn’t mean going bald-headed. Especially with winter coming.” She shook her head. “I’ll knit you some hats.”
The kids hadn’t stopped the caterwauling for his attention, so he reached in to hug Damon Jr. and Jalissa.
“We’ve gotta go, ya little minions. Be good for your mama,” Damon said.
They both groaned but didn’t protest further. They waved as Lameka drove away.
“Your kids are pretty great, Damon.”
He snorted. “Of course, they are. They’re also a hell of a lot of work, and I think we’re nuts for having another one.”
Damon pulled open the front door, and they stepped inside.
Elevation buzzed, readying for the dinner service.
Liam puffed up with pride, knowing no matter what happened with Jason, changes were on the horizon.
However, a tiny part of him was sad at the thought of saying goodbye to the place where his dream started.
Maybe happiness was where you found it, after all.
“Are you recovering well after the mental breakdown that made you do that to your hair?”
Liam rolled his eyes. “I wanted a change. And yeah, I’m a little relieved hot chef is done, and I don’t need to worry that changing my appearance will hurt my engagement numbers.
If Jason is turning up here to ditch me for these superficial reasons, we probably wouldn’t have made it to opening in DC, anyway. ”
“Good attitude. Speak of the devil, there’s Jason now.” Damon pointed out the window to where Jason was stepping out of his Porsche. A flashy car like that stood out in Port Fortune.
Liam wasn’t in the mood for reflection. He felt no fear. He was ready for the next step, knowing that, ultimately, his fate belonged to no one but him.
Aubrey regarded her farmer’s market stall. Construction had officially begun at Petit Chou. She’d pulled the old gingham backdrop and the original Petit Chou sign, which she had made on her father’s scroll saw five years ago, out of storage.
On the back was a chalkboard with the day’s specials, a handful compared to her usual wares.
Instead of cappuccinos or lattes, they had carafes full of their unique blend.
Scones were piled under glass cloches, and cookies and cupcakes were individually boxed up.
She’d also made a handful of patisserie items; Leroy had made miche and a few baguettes.
To anyone else, the stall was appealing.
Not to her, and she began moving things around as the Thursday morning crowds began. She missed Petit Chou and her crew. They were all on paid vacation for the next few weeks.
“If you move that cloche one more time, I’m going to wallop you,” Tom said.
She set the cloche down and walked behind the table. “Sorry. I’m antsy.”
“Heaven knows why. Construction is off to a banner start this morning, and you have a lighter workload for once. You should enjoy it. ”
She returned the cloche to its original place. “I’m working on it, okay?”
Before he could respond, the first customers of the morning approached.
They were halfway through a busy morning at the market when Daphne and Chris showed up. It was a teacher workday, so Daphne had wanted to spend the night at her dad’s house since she didn’t have school.
“Why hello there, Daphne,” Tom said, leaning over the table. “How are you doing this morning?”
When she merely shrugged, Aubrey looked to Chris.
“She’s in a mood. She got a B on her algebra test,” he whispered. “And there’s some eighth-grade drama?—”
“ She can hear, you know.” Daphne whipped around. “I see my friend over there.”
Without waiting for either parent’s permission, she entered the crowd.
“I think sometimes we forget she is still a kid.” Chris pulled out his wallet. “She should cheer up after a scone and a hot cocoa.”
She waved his money away. “I hope so. A B isn’t so bad.”
Aubrey passed over the scone and cup to Chris and scanned the crowd for their daughter. She found her in an embrace with a man Aubrey couldn’t place. “Who the hell is our kid with?”
Chris took a few steps forward. “Oh. That’s Liam. He cut his hair.”
She squinted. Where there were once dark waves, now, the barest hint of dark hair hugged Liam’s scalp. Still the prettiest bastard in Port Fortune, though.
She exhaled a shaky breath. She shouldn’t be missing him this much. She also hadn’t told Daphne about what was happening with Liam. Especially as the longer they were apart, the more she was sure she needed to be by his side.
If he’d have her.
Her therapist had squeezed her in for an emergency appointment. She’d seen her doctor, who’d written her a new prescription for a second anxiety medication to supplement her original medicine, as well.
She could see now that this situation was challenging, but she loved Liam. They could make it work together. Of course, she was still terrified. But she didn’t have to figure things out alone.
“You want me to get her?” Chris asked.
“They’re fine.” Aubrey’s heart swelled at the sight of the two of them. She’d had enough time—no matter what it took, Liam was her person.
Customers approached the booth, and Aubrey found herself grateful for the distraction. She couldn’t just march over there and word vomit all over Liam. She needed time to come up with the right words to say. To show her support, no matter the choice he made.
Seeing Liam was an inevitability. Daphne returned to the booth alone. Chris handed over her scone and hot cocoa. She came behind the booth and hugged Aubrey before leaving, and Chris chased after her.
“Make good choices!” Aubrey shouted. “I love you.”
Daphne gave a thumbs-up as she vanished into the crowd.