Giving Blood at the Danton Bakery

3. Shortbread Cookies

When the oven's timer went off, Theo was covered in flour. He reached for the handle and opened it just as the bell over the door announced visitors.

The oven door opened and smoke clouded the room. The alarm sounded as the smoke reached the ceiling. Something had gone a tad bit wrong.

"Theo!" Mason coughed out. "What in the blazes is happening?"

Theo yanked the tray of blackened cookies from the oven and nearly threw them on the counter as he shut the door. He tossed aside his oven mitts and turned off the heat.

Meanwhile, Mason came behind the counters with an elderly lady in tow. She had a wrinkled mask of unamusement that looked permanent. Her short hair was kept curly, and she wore a set of blue scrubs.

Theo and Mason cleared the air, waving towels and trays to blow the smoke away. Yanking the alarm cover off, Theo removed the batteries and tossed them aside. Mason opened the back door and window while Edith took a seat and watched from the side of the room.

Once the air was cleared, Theo looked down to his ruined tray of cookies and then up to Mason.

"Not going so well, Theo?" Mason asked.

Theo shook his head.

Mason sighed and nodded.

"Well, Theo, this is my great niece, Edith. Edith, this is Theo Danton." Mason gestured to Theo in his soot-covered apron with his pitiful tray of black cookies. The perfect picture of a businessman.

Edith looked Theo up and down, then stuck out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Theo took the hand and shook it. "Er, likewise. Mason tells me you might be interested in a part time job drawing blood?"

"As long as I get paid by the hour and not on commission from your baked goods, we have a deal," Edith said. "Uncle Mason told me about the hours. That's fine. My husband is dead, and my kids don't live around here. I've got nothing better to do."

"Uh, right," Theo said. "You don't have any objections to the purpose of the blood?"

Edith shrugged. "Better than biting someone in an alley. All I ask is that if you have leftover we can give it to the children's hospital."

"Agreed," Theo said. "I just want enough to get by on. Let me show you the donation room, and you can make me a list of what equipment you'll need."

Edith nodded and stood up as they all walked out from the back area and into the front of the bakery. "You'll want to save me some room in that freezer too. Or better yet, get me one for the blood. I doubt the health department will allow you to store blood and food together."

"I can arrange that, and I'll put it right in the room if you want. And here it is," Theo said. He showed Mason and Edith the room he had decorated to be the space for taking blood. The walls were the same peach as the main bakery, and he put a few comfortable gray armchairs in it.

"Cozy," Edith said, "but useless. This isn't furniture for giving blood."

Theo blinked, then took in the room again. It had taken him two hours to settle on those armchairs.

"Alright," he sighed. "Make me a list of what you want and I'll buy it."

Edith nodded and pulled a small notepad from her pocket. She looked around the room, clicking her tongue in disagreement as she scribbled down her list.

Theo eyed her nervously. It would seem he wasn't as close to being finished as he had first thought.

"What do you think you'll do about a baker, then?" Mason asked, distracting him.

Theo turned to Mason and thought it over.

"Well, I still don't really want more people involved than necessary," he grumbled.

Mason sighed and took his friend by the shoulders, leading him from the room. Pointing to the tray of burnt cookies, he chuckled. "Theo, my friend. You don't have a choice. If you want to try this scheme, you're going to need pastries that people would be crazy enough to give blood for."

Theo frowned, crossing his arms. "I don't suppose you have another relative who can bake?"

"Afraid not," Mason said. "You're going to have to find someone else."

Theo's shoulders sank. He looked around at all his effort, worried that it would go to waste if he couldn't make this work.

"How do you do that anymore?" Theo asked. "Do you still put an ad in the paper?"

Mason shrugged, picking up an empty cardboard box behind the counter. "I think you just get the word out. You can put an ad out if you want, but I think this will do the trick just fine."

Mason took a marker and wrote, none too neatly, on one side of the cardboard box. When he was done, he tore that side off and walked over to the window.

"There," Mason said as he set it down for any passerby to see. "A 'Baker Wanted' sign."

Theo walked over to see for himself. He opened his front door and poked his head out to see the sign from the street. "Surely, that doesn't bring in the right kind of person."

"I got my first job from a 'Help Wanted' sign." Mason shrugged.

Theo eyed his friend, and decided not to comment.

"Mister Danton." Edith joined them in the main bakery from the side room, holding up her notebook. "My list is done, I can draw the blood for you with these supplies."

"Thank you, Edith." Theo took the list and glanced over it. New chairs, cleaning supplies, medical supplies, and a couple things he hadn't thought of were there. But nothing looked unreasonable, and Mason vouched for her. There was no reason not to give it a shot.

"Alright, Edith," Theo said, pocketing the list. "I'll have this place stocked within the week. Now we just need a baker. I'll handle the front counter myself."

"Are you sure about that?" Mason asked.

Theo frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well you don't exactly have a way with people." Mason cleared his throat. "You might want to think about a friendly face at the counter."

"It will be fine," Theo grumbled. "I'm not bringing more people into this. Especially since this baker will likely not know about my... situation. I want as few of those as possible."

Mason looked at his great niece, then at Theo. He shrugged. "Well, if you're sure."

"I am," Theo said. "It's a very simple matter. I just want a bakery so I can get sweet blood. All I need is a baker and a nurse."

"Alright then," Mason said. "We'll go for now. Call when you're ready to open and Edith can start work."

"I'll put an ad out and get a real baker," Theo said. "You just wait and see, I bet there are plenty of bakers out there who would love to work here."

"I'll see you when you're ready, Mister Danton," Edith said, and she and Mason left the store.

Theo hadn't lived to one hundred and ninety nine years old without knowing when people didn't believe him. But he'd show them, he was going to find a baker and open his bakery.

And with that, he dialed the papers. It was time to place an ad.