A Path That's Right for Me

An Unforeseen Encounter

They both took the time to straighten out their clothes, as well as finger-combing their hair to make the styles seem less crazy. Extra food was given to Pumpkin, Mocha, and Cream Cheese to hold them over until Christopher and Iseul came to feed them again. Items of necessity were grouped into a small backpack. Once everything was in order, Roman and Jensen grabbed some light sweaters and left the house.

They caught sight of three people standing near the entrance leading to the bookstore section of The Book Nook. One person was a woman in a pretty strawberry-themed sundress and a matching bandana. The other two people — an older, gray-haired couple donning the signature uniform of gray and black flannel shirts with dark brown corduroy pants — were none other than Mr. and Mrs. Huang. 

Roman had seen the owners several times in the past when the library was getting ready to close. He rarely ever saw them during the day since they were so busy. He wondered what would prompt them to make an appearance when they normally didn't have time to.

"Be safe on your way there, okay? And have a wonderful honeymoon," they heard Mr. Huang say as they saw the woman off. The couple perked up when Jensen and Roman walked up the stone path towards the building. "Oh, hello, boys!"

"Afternoon," Jensen greeted with a wave. "Was that Angelina you guys were talking to?"

Mr. Huang nodded. "She was just stopping by to give her last goodbye. She's getting married in a few days and is relocating to a different country."

Mrs. Huang placed a steady hand on her husband's shoulder to comfort him. "She was really talented. It'll be tough to find someone as passionate as she was."

"What was her role?" Roman asked, intrigued.

Jensen bumped their shoulders together. "Lead pastry chef." 

"Yes, and now we're going to have to start the process of onboarding her replacement," Mr. Huang added, looking rather forlorn about the situation. "Would either of you happen to know someone who would be interested?"

Roman spoke up without even thinking. "I would."

"Really?" Mrs. Huang asked, hopeful. "Do you have experience with baking?"

He prepared to respond but stopped when a hand settled on the small of his back.

"You guys have seen all those cookery books and stuff on my account, right? Those have all been for Roman," Jensen explained. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few folders, stopping at a specific one. "He's in charge of dessert during our weekend dinners with our families. And he's made a lot of stuff for me, Christopher from morning shift, and our other friends. Here, take a look."

Jensen walked closer to make it easier to share his screen.

Roman was surprised to see pictures of different cake types, including Jensen's winter-themed birthday cake, along with muffins, breads, brownies, and cookies Roman had previously made. Each image exhibited his prowess when it came to layering, drizzling, shaping, and decorating.  Some of the them also included his savory dishes as well, showing his skill in that department too.

Jensen loved Roman's cooking.

Roman just never realized Jensen kept personal mementos to look back on those wonderful creations.

How sweet of him.

Mr. and Mrs. Huang traded a glance with each other, looking at Roman with clear optimism. "Do you guys have somewhere to be?"

"Not for another hour or so. We were actually coming to get food."

 "Perfect. We'll go about this a little differently then," Mr. Huang suggested. "Since we already know you, we'll skip the interview process. Instead, how about we get you into the kitchen to have you make a few of our recipes? And when you're done, you guys can take the snacks home."