Page 15 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

A few days later, Theo was at the Rolling Pin, aggressively kneading cookie dough. His thoughts returned to the memory of fixing Lavinia’s lipstick, how heat had swept over him at the contact of her skin against his.

He’d had to leave immediately before he did something stupid, but that didn’t stop him from pressing the lipstick stain on his finger against his mouth, as if he could transfer the feel of her lips to his own.

Desire beat through him at the thought, as it had every time he had recollected the moment over the past few days.

He had no business thinking these things.

Not when Lavinia had had such a successful date with Calahan.

He’d felt nauseous hearing her talk about it, which meant he truly was an awful friend.

He should have been happy for her, overjoyed at how jubilant she sounded.

Instead, he’d had to hang up, unable to bear it.

Since then, he had changed the topic every time Lavinia had brought Calahan up, and she seemed to get the sense he didn’t want to talk about Calahan because she stopped bringing him up.

Not that it changed anything. Not that it helped. Theo kept imagining the two of them together, the romantic scene of them sharing a blanket. Him, kissing her—

“Theo.” He felt a hand on his arm, and he jolted. He turned to peer into Suki’s concerned dark eyes. “Let’s not overwork the batter,” she said, looking at the mess he’d made of the cookie dough.

He winced. “Sorry.” Embarrassment flushed through him. He felt like a student getting a low score on an exam in his favorite class.

Instead of being disappointed, Suki only looked concerned. “It’s okay. Why don’t you take a coffee break?” she suggested.

He nodded, throat thick. Sometimes people’s kindness made him want to cry. Suki gave him a smile, and he took off his apron, going to wash his hands. When he was done, he headed out, going in the direction of the Baby Dragon.

Wind cut through the air, and he rolled down the sleeves of his flannel shirt, his hands shaking. Leaves skittered across the ground, crunching beneath his boots as he made his way over to the cafe.

He entered, immediately inhaling the scent of coffee. A pang beat through him; Lavinia always smelled like coffee. He shook his head, walking to the counter, and his mood brightened when he saw who was there.

“Theo, hi!” Saphira said, giving him a big smile. She was at the counter, and when he came over, she went on her tiptoes and leaned across to kiss his cheek. Her presence dulled some of the ache in his chest.

“Hey, Saph,” he said. “I’m happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you, too!” she replied, then she pouted. “It’s been too long.”

“I know.”

“I miss the good old days,” she said. Now that he had been promoted, he didn’t do deliveries anymore. Even his fusion recipes were sent with the other deliveries.

“How were the seviyan cream puffs?” he asked. He had tested out the recipe, then perfected it before making them as part of this week’s order for the Baby Dragon Bakery, as Beena liked to call it. He did only one fusion recipe each week—sometimes new, sometimes tried and true.

“Super yummy!” Saphira replied, dark eyes warm. “I had to sneak some away just for myself before they finished.” He smiled. “You’re so creative with these recipes,” she continued, voice amazed. “I would have never thought of that!”

Hearing her say that almost made him feel proud of himself. Almost.

“Anyway. What can I get you?” Saphira asked. “Are you on a coffee break or did you only work half the day today?”

“Coffee break,” he replied with a sigh. “Can I get a butter pecan latte, please?”

“Of course!” After he paid, she set about making that. He sat on one of the barstools, waiting.

“How have you been doing?” he asked, while she pulled the espresso shot.

“Good! Busy. I’m usually not even here, but I missed working the counter, so I popped in today.

Otherwise, I mostly do managerial stuff now, and it’s a lot.

The business is doing really well, which is wonderful, but it feels like there are always a million little things that could be optimized or done better.

It’s busier than ever, so there’s more to think about. ”

“It’s great the cafe’s doing so well,” Theo said. “But, yes, managing a business can’t be easy.” He knew how complicated it could be from the classes he took for his undergraduate degree.

“Aiden helps out a lot with the math, since you know I’m hopeless at that stuff,” she said, pouring steamed milk into his to-go cup.

She finished the latte off, powdering cinnamon over a heart stencil, then handed it to him.

“But he has his own business to run!” Aiden had a gardening company called The Bloomsmiths.

“So I don’t want to put more work on his plate.

He says he doesn’t mind, but still. He suggested that I could hire a business managerial assistant to help out, but there’s no one I trust, and no one has been here since the beginning, except for Lavinia, but you know how busy she is with school, obviously. ”

Theo listened, making a thoughtful sound.

“I could help out, if you wanted?” he said, taking a sip of his latte.

The words were out before he had a chance to second-guess them, and he realized the prospect of assisting the management of the cafe interested him.

“I do have a business degree,” he continued.

“My knowledge might be a bit rusty, but if you wanted . . .”

“Aw, that’s so sweet! Thank you.” She squeezed his forearm. “But I know you’re really busy, too, with the Rolling Pin, and I don’t want Suki to think I’m exhausting her best baker.”

Saphira’s words made him immediately sober. Suki . How could he have forgotten? Guilt pricked at him.

“Yeah. Right.” He cleared his throat. “Speaking of, I should head back,” he said, standing with his drink. She slid him a lid, and he stuck it on. “Thanks for the latte.”

“One more thing before you go!” Saphira said. “I need help. I’ve been trying to come up with a puppuccino equivalent for the baby dragons, but they don’t really like whipped cream or sweet milk like that. Any suggestions?”

“Um,” Theo tried to think, but he could hardly come up with any coherent thoughts. He had been scatterbrained since Saturday—that moment with Lavinia, then the news about her date.

He must have looked as lost as he felt because a moment later, Saphira waved a hand, her massive engagement ring sparkling in the light. “Never mind.” She looked at him closely, voice turning gentle. “Are you okay?”

Was he okay? Not really. He wanted to be supportive, to be a good friend to Lavinia and help her in her love life because that was what she always did for him, but he was unhappy with the entire situation.

He was begrudgingly grappling with the fact that perhaps the reason he was in a bad mood every time Calahan was mentioned was because he was jealous.

And if he was grappling with that fact, he had to additionally grapple with the fact that he was jealous because he wanted Lavinia to feel that way about him.

Because he felt that way about her.

Theo was realizing that he’d had feelings for Lavinia all along, that moment at the engagement party had just brought it to the surface. And now it was too late because she was finding happiness with someone else, and all he wanted, truly, was for her to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him.

That didn’t stop it from hurting.

Why, oh why , hadn’t he realized sooner?

How could he have missed something so obvious?

He wished he was more confident, but he wasn’t like Lavinia.

He wasn’t raised in a loving household among people who always encouraged him.

He knew if he fell, there would be no one there to catch him, so he was always twice as careful.

What if—in being so careful—he had missed his chance?

Another voice flickered to life, reminding him that he probably had never had a chance to begin with. Compared to Calahan, Theo was hardly a contender. Lavinia deserved a swoon-worthy romance, and Calahan was perfect.

“Theo?” Saphira asked again, brown eyes worried.

“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. He sighed, unsure about how to talk about what he was feeling. It felt wrong to discuss anything with anybody when he hadn’t discussed that thing with Lavinia. “I’m just tired, I think.”

“Sit for a second,” Saphira said. “Suki won’t kill you if your coffee break lasts a little longer.”

Theo was too tired to protest. He sat down, releasing a long breath. “I don’t really feel much like going back, to be honest,” Theo said, taking a sip of his latte.

“What do you mean?”

“It used to be exciting, working there, but now, there’s no spark.” He rubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t really know why he was working there anymore.

“Maybe you’re just in a funk,” Saphira said. “You love baking, and you’re so good at it!”

“Maybe. Besides, if I’m not baking, I don’t know what else I would do. I don’t know who I am if I’m not baking.” He fiddled with the lid on his to-go mug.

“It doesn’t have to be your entire identity,” Saphira told him. “You can explore other things.”

But that would feel too much like failure. He wasn’t allowed to fail. He wasn’t allowed to make mistakes.

Saphira thought for a moment, then asked, “Have you decided what you’re going to bake next for the cafe?”

“I’m thinking of trying something new,” he replied, because this was something he’d planned out. He didn’t want to disappoint Saphira. “I was thinking of gulab jamun cheesecake cups.”

Her face lit up. “Ooh! What would that be like?”

“A classical cheesecake with gulab jamun inside, but about the size of muffins, so they’re easily sold individually. I love cold gulab jamun, and I think with the cold cheesecake it would pair really well. The textures, too: the silky cheesecake with the moist and melt-in-your-mouth gulab jamun.”

Saphira smiled. “You sounded excited just then,” she told him. “You lit up!”

“That was different,” he replied. “I love experimenting and sourcing stuff for your cafe.” He smiled a little. “You know Lavinia’s mom, Beena? She calls the desserts I make for the cafe the Baby Dragon Bakery.”

“Aw, I love that!” Saphira said, holding a hand to her heart.

“I should make a little sign over the display cases that says, ‘The Baby Dragon Bakery,’ that would be adorable!” She pulled out her phone.

“I’m making a note to myself right now.” She paused, looking up at him.

“As long as you don’t mind me stealing the idea? ”

“No, not at all,” Theo said. “I would be proud.”

“You should be! You’re incredible. I love the stuff you make for us here.”

He smiled, touched by her words. He stood up again, gaze straying to the clock. “I should really get back now.”

“See you soon?” Saphira asked. Nodding, he went on his way. Outside, cold wind blew against him, but the sun was warm, and he felt a little better, having talked with Saphira.

Until he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out; his mother, Amaya, was calling. He had never called her back the other night. He should pick up now and get it over with. He watched his phone ring, bracing himself. Finally, he picked up.

“Hey, Mom,” he said.

“Theo, hello,” Amaya said. “You never called me back.”

“Sorry, been really busy,” he said. He got to the Rolling Pin but walked straight past it; he would talk to his mother for a few minutes while pacing up and down Main Street, then head back in.

“What are you busy with?” Amaya asked, sounding confused.

“Just work,” he replied.

“And how is work?”

“Fine.”

“You’re still at the bakery?” she asked.

“Yup.”

She made a thoughtful noise. He bristled, his pace quickening.

“Your father says hello,” she said.

“Tell him I said hi back,” Theo replied.

“Come visit soon,” Amaya asked. “Surely work at a bakery can’t be so busy that you can’t even visit your family.”

He wondered if she said that out of formality or if his parents really wanted to see him. He always hoped for the latter, but realistically, it was probably the former.

“Sure. I’ll try and visit this weekend.”

“Good.”

“I have to get back to work now, Mom,” he said.

“Okay. Goodbye.”

He hung up, then did another lap around Main Street, just to calm his nerves a little.

He was always so full of energy, and as a kid, it made him hyperactive.

His parents were calm, and that was what they had wanted from their only child, as well, but he couldn’t be still or quiet.

All those years had dulled some of his radiance, to be sure, but it was never enough.

He rubbed a hand over his face, then went back into the Rolling Pin, getting back to work. It was a good thing he had football with the guys later that evening. The sport helped a bit with his restless energy.

Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he couldn’t clear his head entirely. He kept thinking of Lavinia, her going out with Calahan. He couldn’t get the image of Lavinia and Calahan kissing out of his head.

Even though it was driving him crazy to think about it, his thoughts returned again and again to the two of them together. It was like picking at a scab, and he couldn’t stop, no matter how much it hurt.