The Baker's Man (7 page)

A few minutes later, with the bedroom lights turned off, Anna listened to Eli pull a quilt from the linen closet, settle on the couch, and dial the radio to a local station turned down low. As tired as she was, she couldn’t fall asleep. Knowing he was in the other room kept her awake and listening.

Some time near midnight, Eli stood in her doorway and whispered, “You awake?”

She swallowed. “Yeah.”

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Want me to tell you a story until you fall asleep?”

Anna pushed herself up on her elbows, and her heart pounded. “Are you joking?”

Eli jumped onto the empty side of the bed and nearly bounced her straight off the side.

“I would never joke about bedtime stories,” he said. “What would you prefer? Suspense, horror, adventure, happily ever after?”

Anna knew she would never have a chance of falling asleep now that Eli was inches away from her, filling up her room with the smell of rosemary and pine. “Definitely not horror.”

Eli rolled onto his side. “Once upon a time—”

“Are you making this up, or is this a real story?”

“All stories are real if someone believes in them. Now, hush.”

Anna listened to Eli tell a story about a young boy who woke up in a strange land. She stayed awake long enough to learn he met a beautiful young girl, but Eli’s voice calmed her in a way she hadn’t expected. She drifted off to sleep just as the girl told the young boy she needed his help.

5
Chocolate Caramel Bombe

Anna dreamed of lying on the beach, the sun warming her skin, a breeze blowing in from the ocean. She could feel Baron beside her, so she moved closer to him and pressed against his side. She sighed in the perfect moment. In the distance, someone began singing “Working 9 to 5.”

Anna mumbled, “Keep it down.” But the music only grew louder and louder until she found it too irritating to ignore.

“Time to get up,” a male voice said.

Anna’s eyes opened. She found herself in her room, not on the beach with Baron. Dolly Parton sang from her alarm clock radio. Anna’s arm and leg were draped over the man in her bed, who was most definitely
not
Baron. Her whole body tensed.

“For the record, that was all you,” Eli said in a deep, sleepy voice. “My hands are under my head. You, on the other hand, are all over me and making it difficult for me to behave.”

Anna groaned and quickly rolled over, flopping out of the bed. She looked at Eli who was stretched out on top of the covers, his long body barely fitting in her bed, wearing only a pair of Baron’s boxers. Anna rubbed her hands down her face and dragged herself into the bathroom. She pressed her palms and forehead against the closed door. She felt as though someone had shoved her into a cotton candy machine.

The wood of the door warmed beneath her hands, and somehow she knew Eli stood on the other side.

“I’m not trying to make this worse for you,” he said, his voice muffled by the door.

She nodded and then realized he couldn’t see her. “I know, but I have a boyfriend.” “And he trusts me.”
And I don’t know what you are or why I can’t control what I feel about you
.

“Nothing happened.”

Anna groaned and flung the door open. “A man other than my boyfriend slept in my bed,” she argued. “That’s
something
. It makes me sick to think about him lying around with someone in his bed, which means I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Eli stood before her in a borrowed pair of boxers, and her concentration wobbled. She took a step back into the bathroom and rubbed her eyes with fisted hands.

“I’ll sleep on the couch. Pretend I’m your brother.”

Anna grimaced. “Eww, no way. I don’t have a brother, and if I did, I definitely wouldn’t feel—” She stopped herself from finishing the statement with ‘
this intense desire
.’

Eli smiled, slow and easy. He stepped into the bathroom. “Wouldn’t feel what? Like you wanted to plant a big fat one on me?”

“Ugh, I thought you weren’t trying to make this worse,” she said, shoving him out of the bathroom. “Now, stay out. I have to get ready. Then, I’ll figure out what to do with you.”

“I have a few ideas about what you can do with me,” he said and smirked.

Anna closed the door and exhaled loudly.

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said. “It’s cupcake day.”

“I know what day it is, Eli!” The whole apartment seemed to expand with the sound of his laughter.

˜˜˜˜

Anna tried to focus all of her thoughts onto making sure the bakery’s treats were prepared before the customers arrived at seven a.m. With Eli’s help, they finished baking, icing, cutting, and arranging with plenty of time left over to hang out, which Anna tried to avoid by cleaning the windows and organizing an already organized pantry.

When the first customers arrived, Eli was right by Anna’s side, and she couldn’t help but notice what a great team they made. Before long, she was smiling and laughing with him and the customers. During a mid-morning lull, Eli sat down with Mr. Silverstein, who always ordered six different cupcakes on cupcake day and ate each one in turn, relishing them like guilty pleasures. He swore they kept him curious and happy for an entire day. While Mr. Silverstein worked on the key lime cupcake with lime cream cheese filling, he and Eli discussed the town’s upcoming Fall Festival that would occur a week from Saturday. Anna saw this as an opportunity to slip into the backroom unnoticed. She grabbed her cell phone and crept into the large freezer. She wedged the door open with a wooden spoon.

Anna quickly dialed Lily’s number. Her best friend answered on the fourth ring. “Hey,” Anna whispered, “do you have a minute? Okay, good. Let me preface this entire conversation with the fact that I know this is going to sound insane, but I haven’t lost my marbles. Something happened the other night after you left—yes, the rum night. Yes, I had a hangover. No, I haven’t heard from Baron today. Yes, I have a new worker in here, and he’s…yes, he’s gorgeous. I didn’t tell Tessa first. She came into the bakery yesterday, and it was a madhouse so I didn’t have a chance to call either of you—Lily, will you let me
tell
you?” Anna sighed in exasperation. “The new worker is Elijah, the man I made with the magic sand in Grandma Bea’s box.”

Anna held the phone away from her ear because Lily’s laughter was piercing. When she finally stopped laughing, Anna said, “I’m serious. Why would I lie about that? Lily, just get yourself over here, okay? I need you. Well, I don’t care. Make Amanda work the register. I
need
you—”

“What are you doing in here?” Eli asked.

Anna released a strangled yell and bungled the phone so badly it looked like she might be trying to teach herself how to juggle. It bounced out of her hand and off blocks of frozen butter before ricocheting into her forehead. She leaned down, retrieved the phone, and hung up on Lily.

“Taking inventory,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

“Is that code for ‘taking a super secret phone call’?” he asked with a smile.

He reached out and smoothed her long hair with his hand, pressing strands of cold hairs against her neck. Anna tingled. Eli looped his fingers around hers, and she didn’t immediately pull away. He was right-out-of-the-oven warm against her cold skin.

“If you stay in here much longer, you’re going to be a Popsicle.”

Anna exhaled and hurried past him, shoving her cell phone into her back pocket. The front door opened, and October breathed into the shop, sending in the smell of pumpkin pie and apple cider. Eli went to help the customer, and she was grateful for the moment alone.

The bell jingled again, and Anna felt a jolt of energy. She rubbed her temples and walked through the archway. Lily burst into the shop and stopped halfway across the room. Her eyes locked on Eli, and he smiled at Lily.

“Wow,” Lily said.

Anna could tell from the way Lily tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder and the way her face had gone all soft and dewy that she was under Eli’s spell. Anna marched over to Lily and grabbed her arm.

“Lily, this is Eli. Eli, this is Lily,” Anna said, and then she dragged Lily to the backroom.

“Gorgeous is not an adequate word for that hunk of manliness out there,” Lily said. “He’s a sex god. Honestly, I know you have a boyfriend and all—and—well, I do too—but maybe they’d understand—”

“Keep your voice down,” Anna scolded. “Lily, focus. On
me
.”

“Okay, okay. If this was an excuse to have me check out the new help, then thank you. Now, can I take him out to lunch?”

“Lily!”

“You’re in a foul mood today.”

“Listen to me,” Anna hissed through clenched teeth. “That man out there is the product of our night of rum. Remember we came downstairs, and while you drunk yourself into oblivion, I created a recipe. I added the sparkly stuff we found in the box, and when I got up the next morning, Eli was here in the bakery.”

Lily frowned and twisted a blonde curl around her finger. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Anna whispered even though she could hear Eli talking to someone in the front of the shop. “That guy out there came out of one of these ovens. I
made
him.”

“Are you on drugs?” Lily asked.

Anna clenched her teeth together so tightly a vein bulged in her forehead. “Listen to me. I don’t think he has any memories of his own. But how could he? It’s like he sprung out of nowhere. You don’t believe me? Go out there and ask him where he went to high school. Ask him where he went to college. Maybe ask him what his last name is, and then come back here and tell me.”

Lily looked doubtful, but she left Anna standing in the backroom, where Anna proceeded to bang her head gently against the island. She could hear Lily talking to Eli, and she heard them laughing. But when Lily returned to the backroom, she wasn’t smiling. The room smelled like day-old coffee.

“Well, he definitely went to college with you in New York, which I find disturbing that you never mentioned him before now. How did you not date him when you were there? He clearly thinks you’re the cat’s pajamas. But he wasn’t as quick to tell me where he went to high school. When he came up with a name it was our high school, and he’s our age, which means he would have been in our class. Obviously he’s lying—”

“He’s not lying,” Anna said. “Those are my memories. Eli thinks he went to college with me because
I
went there. I created him, Lily. He has no memories of his own. Of course he would say he went to our high school—
my
high school.”

Lily chewed her bottom lip. “Did you name him Elijah Long?”

Anna shook her head. “Just Elijah.”

“Then I guess he’s chosen a last name for himself.” Lily laughed. “Anna, what kind of game are you playing? This is crazy. You know that, right? Okay, game over. Tell me what’s really going on.”

Anna reached out and grabbed Lily’s hands. “When have I ever lied to you? I swear I’m telling you the truth.” Anna felt Lily’s hands tremble in her own.

“But that’s impossible,” Lily whispered.

“Somehow the impossible became possible.”

“You can’t go around creating people!” Lily said. “Was your grandma magic? Are
you
magic?”

Anna wrung her hands together. “I have no idea what this means. And I’m scared out of my mind until he walks into the room, and then I can’t think of
anything
.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has some kind of voodoo mumbo jumbo magic spell over me. My mind feels empty but full of him. Full of
us
,” Anna babbled.

“You think he’s evil?” Lily squeaked. “Like dark magic or something? You think he’s from the devil?”

Anna shook her head. “No. She sagged against the island. “It’s not like that. He doesn’t feel evil at all. He seems good and kind and wholesome. I think if anyone is bad, it’s me. This is serious, Lily. Remember what happened to Victor Frankenstein? He lost his freaking mind.”

Lily pressed both her palms against the island. “I need a minute.” She pulled in a few deep breaths. Then she paced the backroom while she rambled. “First of all, Victor Frankenstein made a man out of used body parts—gross. That would make anyone go insane to be followed around by a gigantic, stitched-together man. I get tired of Jakob sometimes when he won’t give me space. But as far as I can tell, Eli is all one piece. Second, Eli isn’t exactly a monster that’s causing people to try and torch your bakery. What are you going to do? How did this happen? I feel like I’ve eaten bad Chinese food. Have you told Baron? Have you told anyone else? Not that they’d believe you. Where is Eli living?”

“He’s staying with me.”

“Are you bonkers? You’re letting that donut man live with you?”

The temperature in the room rose, and Anna breathed in the smell of melting sugar.

“Please tell me that I’m Donut Man,” Eli said and grinned.

Lily squeaked and stood behind Anna as if she thought Eli was dangerous.

“We’re out of double dark chocolate chip cookies. Mrs. Rogers just took the last dozen. Want me to get started on a new batch?” he asked.

Anna grabbed Lily’s arm and tugged her forward. “Actually, Lily is going to take you to buy some clothes. I’ll make the cookies. I know you didn’t bring much on your trip here, and she has the afternoon off. She volunteered to help out. Didn’t you?”

The bell on the front door jingled again, and Eli left them alone in the kitchen to assist the customer. Lily’s eyes widened.

“I can’t leave Amanda at the shop all afternoon,” she said, stepping in front of Anna and facing her. She mouthed, “You can’t possibly leave me alone with this freak show.”

Anna frowned. “I told you the rum was a bad idea,” she mouthed. “You owe me.”

Lily dragged one finger horizontally across her neck.

Anna shook her head. “The worst he’ll do is charm the pants off you, but don’t even entertain that thought.” Then she added, “
Please
.”

Lily huffed. Eli returned and leaned against the archway, smiling at them. Anna felt Lily relax beside her. Eli’s smile could stop wars. Anna walked past him and opened the register. She counted out a handful of cash.