Winning the Baker's Heart

Chapter 21

"Mia's going to kill me," Thomas muttered.

Rey knew what he meant. Looking back at the mirror, he knew his mother would resort to Kay-type of violence if she saw his back. She barely believed that his wreck had nothing to do with Kyle. He had no explanation for this.

The right side of his body had taken a beating over the last few days. He'd broken his arm so he couldn't write or sketch. Now there was a cut on his elbow and a nasty bruise forming on his back between his ribs. All of those did not compare to the impact of this latest incident.

His ego was bruised far worse than his body. Kyle had stood by and let her do whatever she wanted. He had watched as she pulled on the sugar until the pre-portioned bag ripped. Falling into the mixer had only been a part of it.

"I can't say I'm happy you told her to fuck off," Thomas said. It drew Rey's attention back to him. He wrapped some tape around the dry gauze. "But she had no business doing that. She has no business being in the kitchen if she doesn't work here."

"Ultimately, it's up to Kyle," Rey said.

Thomas looked up. "Are you okay?"

"If I say yes, it would be a lie."

"I wouldn't believe you anyway." The older man tossed the wrappers in the garbage and leaned back in his chair. He watched Rey put his shirt back on. "How are you getting home?"

"My mom has to work late tonight. She said she'd get me when she could. My dad is going to cover half the down payment for a new car.insurance has totaled it out but barely gave me anything for it. I'll have a new car by next week sometime."

"Rey," Thomas leaned forward and took his left hand, "you don't have to work here. If you're uncomfortable, you have no obligation to me or Kyle to stay. Even if Kyle gives you the freedom to do what you want, it's not worth your happiness."

The young man stared at the warm, comforting hand holding his. "Why couldn't it have been you?"

He hadn't realized he'd said it out loud until Thomas chuckled. Looking up, Rey realized he wasn't annoyed or grossed out. He looked flattered. There was warmth and fondness in his eyes.

"That's really flattering," he confirmed, "but you're not my type." Rey smiled and pulled his hand away. "Take what I said seriously. Two months versus two years are not the same. You have no deep roots here."

But it wasn't that easy. At least not as easy as Thomas made it out to be. It was hard to separate work emotions and regular emotions. His normal emotions were so tied down to work he couldn't differentiate between them.his feelings for work and Kyle were intertwined. They shouldn't be, but they were.

Watching him do nothing merely minutes ago had hurt worse than it should have. Kyle had made it clear how he felt about Rey, so why did it feel like a betrayal when he did nothing?

Rey knew the answer. His crush had developed into something so much more than what he'd intended. As he thought about the several kisses, the nights he'd spent here and in Kyle's apartment, and all the little moments, Rey knew he couldn't just walk away. He had to know how Kyle felt before he could deal with his own feelings.

Assuring Thomas he was fine, he went back to the kitchen. The spot by the mixer was clean. The sugar had been swept up and mopped away. Even the bowl and paddle had been washed. The kitchen was empty save the five boxes of donuts on the packing table.

Thomas frowned at him, but Rey shrugged. They had only been gone a few minutes. No one had passed by them as Thomas had cleaned him up. Kyle must have asked Hailie to leave through the front. He must not have wanted another incident between Rey and Hailie.