Bakers Touch

Incense & Fleeting

"As if you'd know where the broom is located, let alone how to use it." She smirked. "And Your chef walked because he didn't have a place to work. Chefs need kitchens, and since yours was empty for the better part of a year, he left." She proceeded to observe as Nikolai lackadaisically swept his mess and assisted with the dustpan.

"His name was Joshua, by the way," she added while looking annoyed. She was trying to be kinder to him, but it didn't seem to come out that way, still, she proceeded.

Embarrassed at his efforts, Nikolai looks at Laura and she does not look pleased. Without saying a word, he surrenders the broom. Laura, seeing that he's struggling, gives him a moment to stand up and erase the humiliation from his face and back to give her space. She didn't want to rub it in that he didn't know what he was doing, well, at least not to his face.

"I wasn't aware my decision impeded his work. That's a shame, his muffins were far better than mine." He walked over to the sink and washed his hands thoroughly. He didn't want to dirty his suit jacket.

"I may have gone a little out there with the renovations but, so what? I didn't like the way it looked, it reminded me of a hospital cafeteria, and I hate hospitals." he shuddered slightly. The white, gray, and stainless steel made him feel like he was in a sterilized operating room.

"If I'm going to own a home, I want it to be a home I can look at and enjoy living in, but it feels so empty, thus the decision to make renovations."

The home was modified for ease of access and the color palette was simplified for his sister's sake. Though she didn't do away with any of the historical details, like the crown moldings and columns, she wanted an environment that wouldn't be easily sullied and would also be open enough to invite guests and be simple for clients who rented the space for events. She rented it out for everything from baby showers to funeral repasses, and graduation parties. She even threw Laura's surprise engagement party in the backyard garden.

"How is Gregory?" Nikolai asks as Laura avoids looking at him. He couldn't tell if she was upset at his pathetic attempt to clean his mess, or at the statement about the kitchen itself.

"He's well," Laura answered in her focused tone. "He still does carpentry, but now he works in his shop, making and designing kitchens for other swanky clients."

Nikolai smiled just slightly and nodded. "That's good. I'm happy he was able to achieve his dream." he leaned against the counter and crossed his feet while he peeled a hard-boiled egg.

Laura was about to inquire about his demeanor, but she changed her mind and relented to her typical response. She's gotten to a point where giving words of encouragement to someone like Nikolai is a lost cause. She wants to offer them, but she takes stock of past attempts and decides it's not worth the time.

"Yes, well, from one homeowner to another, you really should be more frugal and definitive when it comes to wasting your funds on aesthetics." She grabs her designated clipboard, adjusts her white lace cuffs, and stands off to his side by the oven. She continues.

"I'm sure if you give it a chance, live in it for a while and fill all the empty spaces, you'll love it even more. Besides, it wouldn't be so empty if there were more staff around."

Laura was included in Nikolais estate agreement after he inherited the property from his sister. The estate initially came fully staffed, but after just two years of ownership, most of the staff either left to find other work or were dismissed. Laura was the only one of three staff members along with Joshua, and a security guard, that stayed.

"A house this small shouldn't have so much stuff anyway," Nikolai stated. "It's not a manor."

Laura rolled her eyes. "It's an Estate. And a home It's what you make of it. That's what your sister believed." Laura responded rather poignantly, drawing a chuckle from Nikolai. "I see you have added the guest room back to my chart... anything in particular that you were looking for me to do?"

Nikolai swallows his food and adjusts his tie before hastily grabbing his coat from the counter.

"Do whatever you want with it." He states quickly and coldly.

"Very well. Drive safe." Laura heads off to complete her tasks as her shoes clack gently across the light wood floors.

Nikolai finishes his coffee, and the two go their separate ways. He heads for the mudroom retrieving his keys from the space opposite to the coat rack, and leaves for the day. As he heads down the drive, he greets his security at the gate and makes his way to campus.

Delicate and painstakingly hand-selected, the foliage surrounding his home hadn't always been there. His sister helped to plant the trees while doing community service. When the house sold, the owners hired her to maintain the landscaping. She loved taking such good care, it contributed to her being promoted several times over the years. Her commitment to the previous owners, and their home care, allowed her the opportunity to make her way to Estate Historian and Manager.

As time passed, the original owners of the estate grew old and decided to move back home to Italy. They then sold the estate to Paige, who held possession for only five years before passing away from an illness she had been fighting in secret. However, she managed to live long enough to make sure that Nikolai would not have to worry about anything upon his return.

To his surprise, she left him everything, even though he hadn't seen her since she left home at the age of 18. He was only 9 years old at the time. However, those trees still stand tall, serving as a memory of her, and they provide him with peace of mind.

The ride into the city is particularly quiet and smooth, one of the good things about living on this side of the city is the private roads giving him access to faster routes to work, one of the only reasons why he moved into the estate. He was supposed to be out on grievance leave but canceled it and decided to go back to work. Nikolai disliked idleness and contemplating death for too long. It gave him time to be alone with himself, which he found unbearable and uninteresting.

He lightly tapped his finger on the steering wheel to the music playing over the radio as he successfully escaped the stress in his mind from his sister's passing, at least for the time being. He knows that he can't keep running from his sadness but he doesn't have time to grieve.

How sad that life has gotten so unmanageable and unrecognizable that even grief has to take a number and wait to be seen. Inconveniences are the great waiting rooms of life, he thought. Nikolai understands that his place, here in the estate, in his current life, and his current line of work is only temporary. It would be a waste of time to weep over anything temporary, even pain is temporary, he thought, but then again the same could be said for happiness.

Nikolai still had his grandfather to look after, though that too was weighing heavy on him mentally. It's like he never really experienced Paige's passing. Though he does play a rather emotional tune on his wooden flute from time to time. The old man has a pretty good sense of humor for his age and is still just as quick as they come too. He feared the window would soon close to seek any closure, but he could only anticipate so much unknown.