Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 11

Kyle stared at the thousand-count cupcakes neatly lined on the table. They had to frost all of them before Saturday as well as keep up with the other orders.

Thomas laughed hysterically. "You're insane." He waved his hands across the room."We don't have the manpower for one thousand cupcakes and a five-tiered cake."

The bakery owner sighed heavily. City Hall had sent an official letter requesting sweets for Founder's Day. The order had been for one thousand cupcakes - five hundred chocolate and five hundred vanilla - as well as a five-tiered vanilla cake. The only request was the town's logo. Also it had to be ready by Saturday. It was Tuesday.

Rey kicked the door to the fridge close and walked to the mixer. Thomas and Kyle watched as he dumped butter into the metal bowl and turned it on. A forty ounce block of cream cheese followed. While it was creaming together, he turned around to look between the overwhelmed men.

"Focus on the cake," he said. "We'll layer it with cream cheese buttercream and wrap it with blue fondant. Thomas, it wouldn't hurt to make the town's seal. I'll frost the cupcakes, maybe make something fun."

Kyle didn't argue with him. He grabbed his counter top mixer and began making batter for the cakes. Thomas went to the storage cabinet in Kyle's office and returned with several bags of marshmallows. He started on the colored fondant to wrap the cakes and make the logos.

They worked in silence, each one on their own task. If they needed help, they'd ask someone who wasn't super busy. Once Kyle got the cakes in the oven, he was able to help Thomas with the fondant. Rey was in his own little world as he even made the frosting for the cupcakes.

The day passed quickly. Katie and Lily brought the deposit for the bank and left. Kyle and Thomas were working on an order that needed to go out before Saturday. Rey had already made the frosting for every order placed for this week.

Since the twenty-year-old had started working with the other two, he thought ahead. He read all of the requirements for the cakes and made what needed to be made ahead of time. He usually made everything late Monday night or early Tuesday morning. This week was a weird week with the massive order so he was a bit behind. He didn't like being behind, but at least they were able to get everything baked and in the fridge to make their work easier.

He had become integral at getting orders out. He didn't ask many questions. Mostly he told them what to do. Kyle wasn't certain why he listened to him when he was the boss and had several years more experience on him. His suggestions however made sense. Usually, he was right, and his efficiency worked.

Kyle sent Thomas home. He tried to do the same to Rey, but the younger man wasn't going to have it. He continued mixing frosting. It took a lot of butter and cream cheese, more than he'd originally thought. He mixed them all together then put them in airtight containers to be used later.

Rey was going to continue working, but Kyle managed to wrangle him upstairs. They ate, showered and changed for the night. Rey grabbed his notebook and began sketching the cupcake designs. It was simple, but it matched the cake idea.

He stayed with Kyle that night, sleeping on the sofa. Kyle made sure he was comfortable before he too went to sleep.

The next morning they started working as soon as they stepped in the kitchen. There was no gentle banter. All three men knew they had a lot to accomplish. So they worked diligently to get everything done.

"No!"

Rey and Thomas looked up from the cake that was going out that afternoon. Kyle stood by the oven staring at the pan he'd just pulled out. He turned towards them and dropped it to the counter. The top was burnt, almost black even.