Page 20 of Moonlight Hearts

“I baked.You wanted bread, and I was bored, so I baked.”

My eyes widened when he carried my jacket into the near-empty walk-in closet and put it on a hanger there before stripping out of his own coat.

“You did?Oh, I have to see that.”

I toed off my shoes and headed toward the kitchen.I wasn’t sure why I was so surprised.He’d told me he could bake, but knowing something and seeing it were really different.

The sight that greeted me was both stunning and wonderful.Soyer had turned our kitchen into a small bakery, the fruits of his labor spread out on the island in a mouthwatering display.

There were buns and a shiny golden loaf with a braided crust.The buns had little five-pointed star marks in their centers, and their crust shimmered just as prettily as the bread’s did.Everything also smelled divine, like cinnamon and other spices, the aroma of the cooling morsels making my mouth water.

“Try one of the buns,” Soyer said from right behind me.“They’re filled.”

I pointed.“Is that challah?Did you make challah?”

“Not quite.”Soyer walked around me to his knife block.“It’s called a Hefezopf.Similar, but sweeter, richer.”He pulled out a serrated knife.“I might’ve messed it up.It’s probably better if you try it now.”He frowned when I was staring at the baked wares as if this were Christmas morning.“What?”

I giggled.“Have you been waiting to feed me this all day?You’re trying to keep your cool, but I can tell.You want me to eat your bread.”

Soyer’s favorite hobby, as far as I could tell, was cooking, and it seemed to be particularly joyful for him when he could feed me whatever he’d made in order to get my honest opinion.He’d made multiple batches of baba ghanoush on more than one occasion, claiming the perfect recipe was elusive, and he needed my help to find it.He seemed to have approached the breadmaking in the same way.

Shrugging, he got a cutting board from a drawer.“I promised to bake for you months ago, that’s all.”

I moved closer to the kitchen island.“So much happened.I didn’t think you’d bake a sweet bread.”

He moved it from the cooling rack to the cutting board and sliced into it, the shiny crust parting in a neat line.“I realized I needed a levain, and I didn’t want to make one.I ordered some, but the delivery isn’t here yet.That’s why you have to eat sweetmeats instead.”

He held out a slice of the bread to me.Not even the end piece, but a nice, even middle slice.It looked pretty; soft and creamy white on the inside, like something you’d buy from a store.

Soyer was watching me.I was very used to that, but he normally just did it when I was working.That meant this was important to him, which meant it mattered to me.

I bit into the bread.It was delicious.Rich, yet not overly so, and only slightly sweet.It didn’t taste like anything from a store at all.It had more substance to it, and it was flavorful without being overpowering.

“This is really good,” I told him, covering my mouth while still chewing in between my words.

A small smile slipped past Soyer’s often guarded expression.“Good.I might add raisins to the next one.”

I pointed while taking a second bite.“What’re these filled with?”

He took one of the buns and sliced it open on his board so I could see.“Raisins, nuts, figs.Spices, of course.”

He handed me half the bun and took the other himself.That meant I was eating his sweet bread and the bun at the same time, which was him putting me on the spot.

The buns, as it turned out, weren’t better than the bread, but different.Of course they were excellent.The richness of them was layered with the flavors of the dried fruit and nuts.I was pretty sure there was cardamom in there too, and while the whole thing looked deceptively simple, it was a flavor explosion.

“Oh.Are we going to sell these at the Moonlight?”

Soyer looked up from eyeing the bun critically, chewing his own bite.

“You want to put me to work because I’m forcing you to take your vacation time?Amory, I’m not sure that’s fair.”

I shrugged, stuffing the rest of the sweet bread into my mouth.“It might be.”

Soyer pushed off the kitchen island, stalking toward me like a hungry wolf.I stepped back, laughter already bubbling up from within me, and that was as far as I got.

He hooked his arm around my waist, spinning me, guiding me, and before long, he plopped me onto the couch, then followed.

“Are you happy, Amory?”He propped his elbow on the back of the couch so he had an easier time looking at me as I ate another piece of the bread roll.