Page 34 of The Baby Dragon Bakery (The Baby Dragon #2)

A fter work at the Rolling Pin Bakery, Theo went to the Baby Dragon Cafe.

It was an hour before the cafe closed, but it was moderately full.

There were a few people there alone with their baby dragons; one woman sat on a lounge chair with a cup of tea, her blue azula baby dragon sitting in her lap.

Then there was an old couple with a garneta baby dragon asleep in a little bed between their feet under the table.

The little draggo reminded him of Biter, and he smiled to himself thinking of the little angel.

Theo went up to the counter, ordering an iced oat chai and sitting down while he waited for Saphira.

He had texted her to let her know he had put in his two weeks’ notice at the bakery and to ask if she was still looking for a managerial assistant.

She had responded with a capitalized “YES” and three rows of exclamation points; she had then said to swing by the cafe when he was done at the bakery to discuss details.

“Theo, hey!” Saphira said, coming out from the kitchen. She twisted her hair back and out of her face, securing it with a clip. A few tendrils slipped out, framing her face, and she blew air up her face. “Sorry, was just going over something with one of the new hires. Let’s go sit outside!”

She came out from behind the counter, and Theo followed her to the door leading to the garden.

There were a few patrons at tables there and a bunch of baby dragons playing around the hedges or rolling in the grass.

Theo spotted Sparky, and once the dragon saw Saphira, his purple eyes lit up.

He bounced over, nuzzling his face against Saphira’s chest, and Saphira smiled, holding the baby dragon’s face.

“Hello my golu-molu,” she said. Theo petted Sparky’s black scales with his free hand, and Sparky closed his eyes, smiling in contentment.

They walked over to a free table, sitting down, and Sparky followed, sitting down next to Saphira. She absent-mindedly stroked his head. While the weather was chillier, it was sunny out, not yet too cold.

“I’m so glad you wanted to meet,” Saphira said. “How are you feeling about putting in your two weeks? I know that’s a big step!”

“It is,” Theo agreed, “but I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

“Wonderful! It’s something I am excited about, as it means I get you all to myself.

” Saphira clasped her hands together and, sensing his rider’s happiness, Sparky flapped his wings, bouncing in place.

Saphira calmed herself then. “At least, if you’d like to work with me.

I know I still need to tell you what such a role would entail and provide you with a formal offer. ”

“Yes, I’d love to work with you,” Theo affirmed.

“Perfect! It would be a full-time, hybrid position, and you can choose your hours with what’s convenient to you. Aidan is still finalizing the numbers, but I can give you a quick rundown on what I’m thinking,” Saphira said, delving into his starting salary, benefits, and other perks.

It was comparable to what he was making at the Rolling Pin, which was a relief. He had a minimum salary needed to cover his costs, and if Saphira’s offer was lower than that, he had considered having to pick up a second job—luckily, that wouldn’t be necessary.

“How does that sound?” she asked.

“That sounds great,” Theo replied, nodding.

“Perfect—now, for the work.” Saphira scooted her chair closer, lowering her voice. Sparky huddled in closer, too.

“This is top secret,” Saphira said, “but the main reason I need a managerial assistant is because I want to expand the cafe.”

“Oh! What are you thinking?” Theo asked. That would be a huge project; for a moment, he felt daunted. Would he be able to do such a thing? He tried not to think about it at the moment, and instead focused on what Saphira was saying.

“You know how I moved out from the apartment upstairs?” Saphira asked, stroking Sparky’s head.

He shifted until his head was resting on her lap.

“I was originally just going to put the apartment on rent, but then I thought, what if I expanded the cafe into the apartment upstairs to make it two stories? The cafe is so busy! I was also thinking of expanding the cafe’s hours, to seven to six instead of eight to five. ”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Theo said. The cafe was always busy; more space and longer hours would bring in more revenue.

“I would need you to come up with a proposal to see if those ideas are worth the investment,” she said. “And if so, how long it would take to receive a return on the investment. Plus, with the expanded hours, would we need more staff? Or how would the schedules work for my employees?”

“That’s . . . a lot,” Theo admitted. He’d surely have his work cut out for him, but the ideas were intriguing, and he didn’t find himself dreading the prospect.

Saphira let out a long breath, looking down at Sparky’s face in her lap.

The baby dragon looked up at her with his big eyes.

“I’ve been considering it for some time, but I’m a bit hopeless with planning that type of stuff.

Aiden said he’d help me out when he got the chance, but you know he’s busy with his own gardening business, and now we’ve been wedding planning on top of that.

” She bit her bottom lip. “So what do you think? Too much?”

“No! I could definitely do that,” he said, taking a sip of his iced oat chai. “You know I love the cafe, and coming up with proposals and projections was what I did a lot of in school.”

“Perfect!” Saphira let out a breath, relieved.

Sparky nuzzled against her stomach, then trotted off to play in the garden with the other baby dragons.

She watched them, smiling. “I used to love spending long hours at the cafe, but I’ve been pulling back more.

I can’t fathom figuring out this expansion project on my own.

” She covered her face with her hands. “Don’t think that I’m abandoning my career now that I’m engaged! ”

“Hey, you’re totally fine,” Theo said. “You can shift gears. There’s nothing wrong with focusing on different things in different phases of your life.” As he said the words, he thought of Lavinia saying the exact same thing to him. His chest ached.

Saphira nodded. “No, you’re right. I was just feeling kind of guilty since the cafe used to be my baby, but now I have Sparky. And I want to have human babies soon, too.” They both laughed.

“I’m happy for you,” he said, and he meant it. “But . . . wow.”

“No, I know,” she said, widening her brown eyes. “It’s scary!”

“Very.”

“But exciting, too.”

He was trying to see that more.

“Anyway,” Saphira said. “I’ll finalize the numbers and come up with a proper offer, and you can see if it works for you.” He nodded, finishing off his iced chai. “Also! I do still want you to make your fusion desserts, if you think you can? Keep the Baby Dragon Bakery alive?”

“Yes, I’d love to,” he said.

“Perfect! Because I cannot lose your baking!” She hummed to herself, trying to see if there was anything she was forgetting. “Oh, and the expansion is secret for now, but you can talk about it with Lavinia. I know you guys tell each other everything,” she said with a laugh.

His heart sank. Not everything.

“This all sounds great,” Theo said, focusing. “And if you want, you can send over your business documents before my two weeks are up at the bakery, so I can get a head start on familiarizing myself with the necessary material.”

“Okie!” Saphira nodded. “I’ll talk it over with Aiden, and he can get all that to you. He has this whole organizational system that I don’t want to mess with.”

Theo smiled. “You guys are such good partners,” he said. “A good couple and good friends.”

Saphira gave him a knowing look. “You can have it all, you know,” she said. “Friendship and love, in the same person.”

Now why would she say that to him?

Theo wanted that. He wanted it badly, but he wasn’t sure the world wanted to give it to him. He hadn’t done anything to deserve it.

With no response, Theo just smiled, and Saphira didn’t say anything else. They chatted for a little bit until Saphira had to go back to check in on the cafe, and Theo headed home.

He entered his quiet apartment, sighing. He thought of Lavinia again, and he got her scrunchie from his bedside table, putting it on his wrist. Sitting down on his couch, he played with the scrunchie, watching it stretch and withdraw, but it wasn’t enough.

He had wanted to call her all day, ever since the meeting with Suki, but he’d been holding back, unsure of how to proceed, afraid of what he might say.

Defeated, Theo pulled out his phone. Lavinia had texted him earlier to ask how he was doing, but he hadn’t replied with many details.

Now, he directly called her. He was selfish; he couldn’t last without talking to her.

“Hey,” she said, picking up after a few rings. The sound of her voice was an instant relief. He closed his eyes, letting out a breath.

“Hey,” he replied. “Sorry I’ve been so out of it.”

“It’s okay,” she said. Her voice was small.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“It was good,” she replied, and as she spoke, her voice seemed to warm.

“Thank god it’s Friday, so I’m done with classes and internships for the week.

I’m taking time off from the cafe tomorrow, too, since I have a big midterm on Monday and I need to spend all weekend studying or I am going to fail miserably. ”

She sounded anxious.

“Hey, breathe,” he said. “Let’s take a deep breath.”

They breathed together, and she let out a long exhale. “Ugh, you’re right. Anyway. How are you doing? Does your face still hurt?”

“Nah, it’s okay, now,” he said. “I think I was being a big baby about it, anyway.” He was a little sheepish to think back on it now.

“Yes, you were being a big baby,” she teased. “You’re always a big baby.”

He snorted. “Right. This from the girl who has shed literal tears over a paper cut.”

“Hey! Paper cuts hurt, okay? They go deep .”

They both laughed, and he settled into the couch, feeling relaxed. Talking with her made his whole life reset, everything falling back into place exactly the way it was meant to.

“I made fried kulfi falooda yesterday,” he told her. “It was so good.”

“Oh my god, wait, that is genius,” she said, gasping. “How do you come up with this stuff? I want some!”

He smiled to himself. “I’ll drop some off tomorrow, if you want.”

“Yes please!”

“But you have to share.”

“No! I’m going to hide it away or Alfie’ll eat it all.”

He put the phone on speaker and went to the kitchen to make dinner, and he heard her folding laundry in the background.

“I kind of did something today,” he said.

“What?” she asked.

As he washed the chicken meat, he gave the play-by-play from his morning meeting with Suki, how stressed he had been, and how, after a slight push from Suki, he had confessed to being unhappy. He explained how Suki had handled the news incredibly well and supported him in handing in his notice.

“See, I knew Suki would be fine!” Lavinia said, and he heard the smile in her voice. “This is huge, and I’m so glad you took this step. I only want you to be happy, too, and I hope this helps!”

“I hope so, too,” he said, pulling out a pan. He sauteed onions and garlic, telling Lavinia about his meeting with Saphira, and Saphira’s plans for the cafe’s expansion.

He felt daunted again as he recounted the details.

As he added chopped tomatoes to the pan, he chewed on his lower lip.

“I’ve never worked a business job before,” he said, moving the tomatoes around.

“And it’s been some time since I’ve been out of school.

What if I don’t remember how to do anything? ”

“Oh, hush!” she said. “You’ll figure it out. You’re smart.”

“Hmm.” He added the chicken to the pan, listening as it sizzled.

“You are!” she repeated, as if she could force him to believe it. “What are you making, by the way?”

“Karahi chicken,” he replied, and they continued talking as he finished cooking. When the curry was done, he warmed up some naan, then sat down to eat, keeping the phone on as Lavinia stressed about her anatomy midterm coming up.

“It’s my hardest class,” she said. “There’s just too much to memorize!”

They stayed on the phone a little longer, until Lavinia went down to dinner with her family. He brought his plate over to the sink, washing the dirty dishes from dinner, and as he lathered his plate with soapy water, the events of the day truly sank in.

It felt real now, talking it through with Lavinia, and he felt jittery. This was a big step and, while he was excited, he was nervous, too.

It was scary thinking about the future, getting old, and he didn’t know what was going to happen or what was best. The only thing he knew for sure, truthfully, was that his future would include Lavinia. It had to.

He couldn’t live without her, which meant that he needed to stop all of this yearning. It was making him miserable, and it was affecting his relationship with Lavinia, he knew it was. And that was something he could not allow.

Later at night, while he tried to fall asleep, he tossed and turned in bed. He thought of the kiss he had shared with Lavinia, all of these other moments between them, and it was maddening.

He loved her. He loved her so much that it physically hurt. There was no denying it or running from it.

She was all he thought about, every moment of every day. He wanted to be around her constantly, and it was obvious, so glaringly obvious that he was in love with her. He knew that these feelings had been deep inside him for a long time, taking root and growing, and now he was overcome by them.

And she was with someone else.

He couldn’t believe his own stupidity or blindness, how he had never seen the shape of his own feelings, had never seen the depth or strength of them.

Maybe he really didn’t deserve her because he couldn’t see that the best thing had been right in front of him this whole time.

And now it was too late.