Page 33 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

But what about Suki? While he had originally hesitated about talking with Saphira because he was afraid she wouldn’t want him for the role, now he hesitated because he worried how Suki would react to the idea. Would she feel betrayed? Abandoned?

Consternation spiked through him, and he set down his bowl of dessert. He stood, pacing around his apartment.

He knew he needed to speak with her, but he didn’t know how to start that conversation, which was why he hadn’t done anything yet, despite wanting to quit. He was always so bad at this sort of stuff. He hated to hurt anyone.

“You’re okay,” he told himself, but the word didn’t do much to reassure him. He continued to pace, until sweat broke out on his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut.

You’re okay , a voice told him in his mind, and this time, it wasn’t his own, but Lavinia’s. Theo released a breath, slowing his steps. You’re okay . He heard her voice again, and it calmed him.

Theo rubbed his temples, trying not to think about Lavinia, which was virtually impossible, but he needed to get his shit together.

He needed a plan. He spent the rest of the evening considering how to broach the subject of quitting with Suki. He could ease her into the idea, gauging her reaction to the prospect of him leaving the Rolling Pin.

If she seemed amenable to the idea, he could slowly bring up that he was considering quitting and see what her opinion would be, and if she seemed agreeable to that, too, he could let her know that he wanted to leave. And if she reacted badly to the idea, he would just drop it.

Yes, that could work.

The next morning, when he arrived at work, all his plans fell away when Suki called him into her office. Heart beating fast, he followed her out of the kitchen toward the little office she kept for herself.

“Close the door behind you,” Suki said, taking off her sage-green apron and hanging it up. She sat down at the desk, which was neat with a computer and papers. Once the door was closed, the small space was incredibly quiet.

“Sit down,” Suki said, gesturing to the chair across from her at the desk. Anxiety pricked him, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, doing as she said. He didn’t know why he was so afraid; Suki’s eyes were warm as she regarded him, her expression one of tender concern.

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” she said, leaning forward on her desk. Her gaze went to the cut on his lip, and she frowned. “Are you feeling better?”

“Ye-Yes,” he stuttered. He tried to give her a smile. “Just a football scrape-up, nothing terrible.”

Suki still looked concerned. “You haven’t taken a sick day since you’ve worked for me,” she said.

“Surely, you’ve had worse scrape-ups and still come in, so I just .

. . well, I wanted to know if things are okay with you?

” She looked at him closely. “I’ve been noticing for some time that you seem .

. . unhappy. Is there something I should know about, or is there anything that I can do to help? ”

This was the perfect opportunity, and before he could second-guess it, he blurted: “Would you hate me if I said I wanted to quit?”

Suki’s eyes widened, and he froze, regret instantly washing over him. He felt awful.

“Theo, of course I wouldn’t hate you,” she said, genuinely confused. “Why would you think that?”

“You took a chance on me and mentored me, and now it’s the busy season, and I’m thinking of leaving you hanging,” he said, voice miserable.

“I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful or horrible, but you’re right, I haven’t been happy here lately and, no matter what I do, I can’t make myself be. I’m sorry.”

“Theo, take a breath,” Suki said.

He inhaled deeply, and she waited for him to exhale before continuing. Her face was kind.

“You aren’t being ungrateful or horrible!

” she told him. “And, yes, it would be a bit of a pinch with the busy season, but we’d survive.

If you want to quit, you should quit! I don’t want anyone at my bakery who feels forced to be here—that doesn’t foster the best environment nor, in my opinion, the best baking. ”

“Oh.” He hadn’t expected Suki to react so well, but he realized now that he hadn’t given her enough credit.

Suki smiled. “Have you been worried about bringing this up to me?”

“A little,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Well, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about,” she said. “You should only stay at the bakery if that is what you want. Is it?”

“No,” he replied.

“Okay.” She nodded. “So should I take that as your two-week notice?”

His heart pounded. “Yes,” he finally said.

“Alright, then,” she replied, and it was like a weight had lifted off his chest. He had put off talking to her about this, but it hadn’t been bad at all.

“I can stay longer if you don’t find someone to replace me,” Theo offered. “I really don’t mean to leave you hanging at such a busy time.”

Suki waved a hand. “Two weeks is enough time. Hopefully, I’ll find someone this week and you can train them a bit before heading out.

” Theo nodded. “Good. I want you to be happy, Theo, and I’m honored to have been a part of your culinary journey for as long as I have. It’s been a joy to see you create.”

“That’s so kind,” he replied, feeling emotional. A lump rose in his throat. “I don’t think I’ve ever expressed just how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, everything you’ve taught me. Thank you, Suki. Thank you for everything.”

“It’s been my pleasure.” Suki stood, holding out her hand, and Theo shook it. “Alright, now we’d best get back to work.”

He nodded, heading out of her office back to the kitchen. He released a long breath, feeling astounded.

Even if he couldn’t have Lavinia, it felt good to do something to make a change in his life. Something to make himself happy.