Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 14

He heard the mixer before he got to the kitchen. Kyle saw the curly ponytail followed by the broad back of its owner.

Rey had been quiet for the last couple of days. Since they had come back to work after Founder's Day, he really hadn't said anything. Kyle thought he would be brimming with various questions. Instead, he did his work as he usually did.

Rey's silence bothered Kyle. The kid was usually quiet, but this was too quiet. Quiet to the point he was giving one word answers. At the very least he would say a full sentence before; now he didn't even bother.

Kyle wondered if it had anything to do with Hailie. Up until he'd met her formally, Rey had talked. Now after she'd asked for a cake for her wedding, he didn't say anything. Had he picked up on the awkwardness between the two? Was his silence because he had too many questions but didn't know how to ask? It was starting to drive Kyle nuts trying to get into his head.

He garnered enough courage to go into the kitchen. His own kitchen! And he was afraid of going in there for what reason? Rey turned to him when Kyle slammed into the table hip first, painfully at that. Cursing silently, he rubbed his throbbing extremity. Rey's mouth quirked up but he didn't say anything. He turned back to the mixer.

As he got closer, Kyle noticed the small notebook in his hand. On top was scrawled Swiss Buttercream. Kyle had forgotten about that order. It was due this weekend along with several pies. They'd been so busy with all of last week's orders Rey hadn't really worked on his recipe.

Peering over his shoulder, the older chef noticed the frosting was a little runny. He heard Rey muttering as he went back over the list of ingredients. He had them all, but something wasn't right. He could tell by the consistency.

Kyle turned off the mixer and grabbed a spoon. He tasted the mixture, smacking his lips a bit for effect. Rey frowned at him but waited patiently for his correction. He watched Kyle grab another bag of powdered sugar and dump it into the metal bowl. He covered the open parts with plastic and turned it on high.

"Let it run for a few minutes, then we'll check it," he said.

Rey nodded and turned back to the work table. Kyle noticed a mass of dough sitting in a big bowl. The younger man went about dividing it into eighteen pies. His long fingers pressed the dough delicately into the pie tins. He set a piece of parchment paper between them as he stacked them as neatly as possible. The pies didn't need to be made until two days before delivery. Since this was their only order for this week, it wouldn't be hard to make them and get everything done.

Kyle stopped Rey as he returned from the freezer. The young pastry chef looked at him, green eyes full of questions. They were questions Kyle more than likely had the answers for but didn't know how to answer them efficiently. He couldn't explain why he wanted Rey to know the answers, but it was a nagging feeling that constantly ate at him.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. He felt like a fifteen-year-old confessing to his dad he'd failed another test. It was the worst feeling. Except this time, he didn't know what the reaction would be. With his father, he could guess. With Rey, he had no idea.

Rey watched him. He was so nervous it made the room heavy. The kitchen was huge, but the sullen atmosphere almost made it hard to breathe. Whatever Kyle was feeling was enough that it brough his mood down.

He hadn't told anyone what he suspected except his aunt. His mother hadn't said anything so he knew she hadn't spoken to her. That was one good thing about Kay. if he wasn't dying, she let him make his own decisions.

"Are you going to do that cake?" he asked. Kyle looked up, eyes wide. "From what I heard, it's going to be a grand affair and pricey. You'll make a huge profit."