Page 10 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

T heo needed to not be weird, which was a decidedly difficult feat to accomplish when Lavinia looked like that . Fuck.

But it wasn’t for him; none of this energy or time or attention was for him—it was for Calahan. Theo was irritated, though he had no right to be.

It wasn’t that he was worried for Lavinia.

Calahan wasn’t a bad guy; he was pretty perfect, as far as guys went.

He was kind, clever, fun to hang around.

Not obnoxious or problematic at all. Theo had always gotten along with Calahan, but now there was something about him that Theo didn’t like much, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

It didn’t matter what he thought. Lavinia liked Calahan; she didn’t like Theo. He must have imagined that almost-kiss at Saphira’s engagement party.

He was so stupid.

Why would she like him ? He was twenty-four years old with a useless business degree, working at a job that had once been his passion but he wasn’t even sure he liked anymore.

Of course she didn’t like him—she liked Calahan , who was smart and accomplished and mature and well-adjusted and a real grown-up. He was going to be a professor!

Lavinia turned back to the full-length mirror, and the view of her in that skirt was even more torturous from the back. He had to look away.

“I think your usual is fine,” Theo said, clearing his throat. “Anyway, you don’t want to have to change yourself to attract someone’s attention.”

“Blah, blah, blah.” She made talking motions with her hands, ignoring him.

She turned back to her closet, and he lay down, turning his attention to his phone while he heard her change. His pulse quickened, and he closed his eyes as he heard the slow unzipping of her skirt. A moment later, she threw her skirt at him. The leather slapped his face.

“What was that for?” he cried, throwing it off.

“No reason,” she said sweetly. She continued trying on outfits while he stewed, his mood positively vile. Until she bounced over in an oversized hoodie and knit shorts. He sat up.

“I think this is the one,” he said. She looked adorable, but only her regular amount of adorable. “Yup, this is perfect.”

She gave him a funny look. “This is my look for dinner. As in, my mother just called us to come downstairs. Didn’t you hear her?”

Oh. No, he had not heard Beena calling them. He had been far too distracted with brooding.

“Come on,” Lavinia said.

They went down, heading to the kitchen, where it smelled divine.

Lavinia pulled out the mats to set the table, and Theo grabbed the plates from the cupboard.

Alfie was standing on a stool by the stove, stirring the pot, which was simmering on the lowest heat.

Beena was on the other side of the stove, cooking rotis on a flat, wide pan.

Biter was asleep in the bassinet once more, Garrett watching over her.

Theo went over to Alfie, peering over his head. “Wow, did you make dinner?” Theo asked, though he knew that obviously Alfie hadn’t.

“Yup,” Alfie said, playing along. The dish was murgh cholay: a spiced chicken and chickpea stew that could improve Theo’s horrid mood.

“Theo, top it off with some coriander and ginger, will you?” Beena asked, rolling out the aata into a perfect circle. “I’m just making the last roti.”

“Of course.” Theo got fresh coriander from the fridge, washing, then finely chopping it. After that was done, he took out a knob of ginger, peeling and slicing it into thin, inch-long strips.

Alfie hopped off his stool to go watch Biter with Garrett. Lavinia finished setting the table, while Theo garnished the murgh cholay.

“It’s ready!” Beena called. Theo brought the dish to the table while Beena brought the rotis.

They all sat together, digging in. The light and airy flatbread with the hearty curry was perfect, and both Theo’s stomach and heart were full as he sat around the dinner table with the Williamses, everyone talking and laughing.

“So good, Mama,” Lavinia said, licking her index finger.

“That’s because I made it,” Alfie interjected, fake-proud of himself. She kicked him under the table, and he laughed. Theo watched fondly.

He loved visiting the Williamses. He had been coming here since he was a kid, and it felt more like home than any other place in the world—not his parents’ place, where he grew up; or even the apartment he’d been in since he graduated university and moved back to Starshine Valley—but here .

Beena and Garrett truly loved each other—anyone could tell—and that love was reflected in their home, in their children. Theo always felt safe, at peace. There was never anything to worry about. Even if he made mistakes, he knew that everyone would have a good sense of humor about it.

The older Theo got, the more he realized that a lot of adults simply didn’t have a sense of humor about anything. They were so bogged down by life’s problems and anxieties, and the stress and unhappiness just exuded from them.

It wasn’t like that with Beena and Garrett; no matter how tiring or tragic their day at work, no matter what was going on, they were always finding a way to turn even upsetting things into funny stories, cracking jokes and laughing.

Theo had always admired that quality about their marriage.

Since he was a kid, he imagined that whoever he eventually ended up marrying would be someone he could laugh with.

It would be the very opposite of how he grew up, where he was afraid to breathe in the wrong way in case it set his parents off.

“How are things at the Rolling Pin?” Beena asked, pouring herself a glass of water.

“Good,” Theo replied automatically, but then he paused, thinking about it further. “Actually, a bit monotonous, if I’m being honest. It doesn’t feel like it used to. It’s kind of boring?”

With a sigh, he wondered if adult life was just like that. He had been there since he graduated university, first as a lowly assistant and delivery boy, now as a junior baker. He had been working hard for that promotion for months, and he’d assumed that once he was promoted, things would be better.

But they weren’t. Working at the Rolling Pin was becoming tedious, which was a frightening thought. Baking was supposed to be his passion. If he didn’t love it anymore, what would he do? Who would he be?

“There’s nothing wrong with having a good routine,” Garrett said.

“Love a good routine,” Lavinia agreed, munching on a cucumber.

“Nothing wrong with being settled, either,” Garrett continued, pushing back his glasses. “But it shouldn’t feel like a chore. Remember, in life, if you’re largely discontented, it’s usually time for something to change.”

Theo made a thoughtful noise in response.

Garrett was a prenatal genetic counselor.

He ran genetic tests for couples who were trying to conceive, or had already conceived, to spot any risks the mother or baby might face.

Beena was a nurse, and they both worked at the same hospital. It was where they had met.

Which was another instance of fate intervening, Lavinia would tell him, and Theo would counter that Beena and Garrett were both from Starshine Valley, and there weren’t many hospitals here (two to be precise) so, statistically, it wasn’t so momentous that they ended up working at the same hospital.

“But the fact that they had shifts at the same time and were on the same floor and had the same lunch room—it was fate!”

It was impossible to argue with her, and often, they agreed to disagree. In a way, he admired how hopeful she was, the positive outlook she had. It was a beautiful way to look at the world. He could be too pessimistic; he sometimes wished he had more wonder.

Perhaps he was simply being pessimistic about the Rolling Pin, now.

Suki was the best boss anyone could ask for, and while he had gotten his undergraduate degree in business, baking was the only work he had ever been passionate about.

He didn’t need a change. He just needed to get out of whatever funk he was in.

After dinner, Theo went out back to play football with Alfie. There was a slight breeze, and he listened to the sound of the leaves rustling on the branches. Inhaling the crisp air, he kicked the ball around with Alfie, teaching him some tricks with his footwork. Theo had been playing since school.

Even now, he played with a bunch of other guys twice a week, and they had games with other teams. It wasn’t anything intense, just for fun.

When he was younger, football was always a way to get rid of restless energy, and he still enjoyed it.

He played with Alfie for some time while Lavinia went up to her room to prepare her notes for her internship tomorrow and to get a head start on some of her assignments for the week.

Theo was fine; he was used to hanging out with her family members even when she wasn’t there. Even though he wasn’t related to them, he still felt like they were his own.

Alfie and Theo stayed outside until it got dark, then came in. The house was comfortably toasty. Theo rubbed his hands together to warm them. He hadn’t realized how cold the evening had gotten.

“Alfie, wash up and go do your homework,” Beena said from the living room, where Biter was cuddling in her lap, little face on Beena’s forearm.

Alfie pouted, but after a stern glance from his mother, he acquiesced and went.

Theo joined Beena in the living room, and she gave him a smile, eyes glinting.

“Should we make something?” she asked.

He grinned. “Yes, please.”

Pretty much everything he knew, he’d learned from her.

And not just in regards to baking, either.

She stood and set Biter in the bassinet with some chew toys.

Theo helped her pull the bassinet toward the edge of the kitchen, where they could keep an eye on the baby dragon.

Not that the little draggo would cause trouble; she seemed perfectly content with her toys.