Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 7

Rey was used to starting his days with some semblance of peace and quiet. His mother was rarely loud if she had to work, and Kyle and Thomas liked to work in steady silence. They really only got loud after the morning rush when Thomas wouldn't shut up.

But an agitated customer was not on his list of things to tolerate at six-thirty in the morning.

Lately, he had not been sleeping well. He hadn't slept at all the night before, but he'd agreed to help Katie with orders when Lily called him the night before. She was sick and was going to the doctor this morning. She didn't want to leave Katie alone during the morning.

Rey arrived that morning and did his usual job. He helped decorate the donuts, stuffed the eclairs, and glazed whatever needed it. He didn't say much, but neither did the other two. They had eight donut orders to go out followed by a birthday cake that night. The cake just needed to be frosted and decorated. That was on Thomas today.

As soon as the sun came up, people started arriving. Most just wanted coffee and a donut or a scone. Some wanted half a dozen or less. Things moved quickly, and people left happily.

Katie had almost everything under control. The only thing Rey really outright did was pull the donuts from the case and bag them. She made the coffee and took care of the till. She was almost a one man wrecking crew.

Rey was helping another customer when an older woman pushed her way to the register. He recognized her as Mrs. Ryan, the one person who could ruin his mood. He ignored her as he finished bagging the two orders before her. He knew she had an order of two dozen donuts.

He turned to go to the holding table. Another lady asked him a simple question to which he stopped and answered. He was heading to get her order when Mrs. Ryan slapped the counter. He turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you going to ignore me?" she demanded.

"Louisa, don't start this again," Dr. Jackson scolded. "You should know what's going to happen when you place a big order during busy times."

Rey looked at Mrs. Ryan. "If you'll give me a second, I'll grab it."

She scoffed at him. He turned back to her and waited for her to say something else. "All I'm saying is be more timely. Some of us have jobs."

"Everyone here has a job. You're not the only one in a rush."

Rey turned and went to collect her boxes. He took an extra second to collect himself before he went back. He would have plastered on a smile and let it go had she not been running her mouth.

"See? This is what happens when a woman raises a boy by herself. Mis is a saint. I wouldn't have been able to raise a boy. Where is his father? Hmm? How could a white man leave his child?" she said.

Silence descended on those gathered as her words drifted over them. Dr. Jackson opened his mouth to stop her, but Rey beat him to it. He dropped the boxes and glared at her. He felt his hands start to shake as his temper rose.

"You have no idea what my parents went through before their divorce. So if I were you I'd shut my mouth," he snapped. "Second, my dad would be here if I asked him to come, but he's busy. I understand that."

The whole lobby was eerily quiet, quieter than it had been seconds ago. Mrs. Ryan stared at him, and Rey stared right back. This was Arkansas. Sometimes race comes into play, especially in a small town. It wasn't a secret his parents were in the minority. His white father was on one end of the spectrum, and his African- American mother was on the other even though she was lighter. They'd all been surprised when Mia and Stewart showed up with a three month old Rey.

Mrs. Ryan laughed in his face. "Son, all of the town knows that man had an affair."

Rey leaned over the counter. "Listen here, you snobbish biddie, you..."

He was forcefully removed from the counter. He looked up at Kyle for a split second before he turned and went back into the kitchen. He ignored Thomas and went to the back door. Slamming the door open, he stalked to his car and got in. He locked the doors and screamed until his voice was raw.

No one had ever called his father a philanderer before. He knew they had divorced because his mother didn't want to move to Australia full-time. They couldn't agree and amicably decided to divorce. It was why they had a good relationship now. Rey wouldn't let anyone talk about them that way.

There was a knock on his window. He looked up and his temper worsened. He unlocked the door and got out. Kyle stood across from him, arms crossed over his chest.

"Next time, walk away," he said. Rey looked at the ground. "She will push your buttons to get a response. Just walk away."

"Alright," Rey muttered.

Kyle noticed Rey couldn't look him in the eye. His own eyes roved down his body. His hands shook as he held them by his side. Whatever had been said between Mrs. Ryan and Rey had worked him up, and he wasn't able to calm down.

"Take your time then come back in," he said. "We need to work on a cupcake order for Thursday."

"Can I just go home?" Rey asked.

Kyle turned back to look at him. His voice was dejected and his head hung lower than it had. The tremors now shook his entire body.

He remembered what he'd been told while they'd driven to Heber Springs. Rey struggled with mental illness, and that altercation had raised his anxiety and who knows what else. If he was shaking this badly now, Kyle couldn't risk putting him in the kitchen today. It wasn't because he continuously used sharp objects, but he could ruin a cake accidentally.

He didn't know enough about the side effects of bipolar disorder, but he had to trust Rey's intuition. If he was asking to go home, Kyle probably should let him. Rey knew what was best for him at the moment.

Sighing, he ruffled Rey's hair affectionately. "Go home. Get some rest. We'll do this again in the morning."

Rey was gone seconds later. He pulled out of the parking lot and took Belgrande to Main Street. Kyle watched him leave before he went back inside.

"Is he gone?" Thomas asked. He was leaning in the hallway door to the kitchen. Kyle nodded. "I hope he drives safely. He left all of his stuff."

Kyle realized his mistake. Rey didn't have his license or his phone with him. Hopefully he didn't get pulled over for reckless driving in his state.

"Is he okay?"

Thomas's eyes were drawn with worry as Kyle looked at him. "He's a little worked up. Louisa Ryan was talking about his family," he said.

Thomas scoffed. "She really has no room to talk since her husband ran off the preacher's wife from Mountain View."

Kyle couldn't help his smile. Leave it to Thomas to see the bright side of things. He never really had like Louisa Ryan and her rumor mill ways. "He called her a snobbish biddie."

The other man laughed. "Is that why everyone applauded?" The older man nodded. "I knew I liked that kid."

Thomas went back to his work as Kyle helped Katie. Things settled down and everything went back to semi-normal. Except they were now two people down.

At lunch, Kyle went to Rey's locker and grabbed his things. He took them to the office with him. He would take them to his house after work. Maybe Rey could tell him more about what happened in his head. He knew there was more to the story.

He couldn't worry about it right now. They needed to finish their orders. But in the back of his mind, Rey kept popping up. His face and those green eyes that desperately wanted to tell him something. Was that something about him or Thomas? Would he want to hear the answer?

Right now, he had to finish these orders. He would talk to Rey tonight. That is, if he wanted to see him.