The Baker's Assistant (closed)

Kayla let out a sigh as she looked down at the two of them, shaking her head slightly. She remembered what it was like to be their age, bored, and looking for some fun. Besides, they were adorable and she could never stay mad at any of her cousins for very long.

"Do you two want some hot cider? And maybe a cheese danish?" She asked as she unlocked the door to her cabin and stepped inside out of the wind. "I've got plenty of extra."

Suddenly excited, both hurried in after her. Timmal, with his black fur, was a dark streak past her to help set out plates, while Katya with her lovely white fur took it slower and carried Kayla's bag for her. They'd both spent plenty of time at her home and knew their way around. They found that Kayla, being among the younger of their cousins, was much more fun to be around than their parents or grandparents, though they could often be found out with their great-grandparents as Volgo and Dayja were still going strong and Kitty and Vincenzo always had time for all the children in the family.

Kayla laughed as her home was suddenly full of laughter and warmth. Her home was a place for all of her cousins to come when they wanted to escape. They knew that she always had goodies around and always had time to listen to their troubles.

"Timmal, can you get a fire going for me in the hearth? I have to put dinner on to cook before it gets too late." She murmured as she let Katya place a cheese danish on each plate before she helped her to pour the hot cider that had been boiling on the low embers.

"Are you both coming to the festival in the keep? Uncle Brogan has ordered all sorts of treats for the occasion." She mentioned, looking at the two young wolves as their ears perked up at the mention of sweet treats.

"Dad said we could if we help Papa gather firewood tomorrow morning," Timmal nodded. 'Papa' was what they called Kreston while they referred to Volgo as 'Grandpa.'

"Is the baker gonna be there?" Katya asked with a smile. The two had always been interested, but too shy to meet the man responsible for their favorite sweets and bread that Kayla always had.

"He promised me he would be." Kayla said with a smile as she got dinner on and finally sat down with a happy sigh. "And he's comin for dinner tonight. If you stick around, I'll introduce you both to him. His name is Aleister and he's a very nice man."

"Aw... We can't stay much longer," Timmal sighed. "Ma said we had to be home by..." He looked out the window and suddenly jumped up. "Dad's gonna kill us!" They both quickly scarfed down their sweets, washed their dishes, and took off like black and white streaks calling back, "Bye, Kayla!"

Aleister arrived just as she was pulling everything off the fire, bringing a bundle of baked goods with him as well as a bottle of cordial he'd picked up on his way. He knocked on the door and found he suddenly felt a little nervous. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was worry that someone might hear of their dinner and get the wrong idea. Especially Boar or Emma.

"Bye." She called after them, laughing as they fretted about getting home in time.

She would tell Ruben tomorrow where they had been and hoped that they wouldn't be in too much trouble for it. She cleaned off the table and set two new places at it, getting to work on the dinner that she promised Aleister. She was just pulling the meat off the fire when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" She called, grinning as he entered the door as she dusted her hands off on my apron. "Aleister. How do you think I'm ever going to eat all of that." She teased him, stepping from the kitchen to take the baked goods and cordial from him.

"You've got a big family. I'm sure y'can manage it," Aleister commented casually to hide his nerves. He came to her side to offer his help, but found she was basically done. "I'd kill t'be able t'cook. I can bake with th'best of 'em, but fer some reason I can't cook t'save my life," he commented. "Migh' have t'make a deal with you, tradin' fer a good dinner every so often."

"I could teach you!" Kayla said with a beaming smile on her features. "Or Chessie. Or even my Uncle Theo. He is an amazing cook."

As she turned with food in her hands, she caught sight of the tense look on Aleister's face. He looked slight uncomfortable, a little out of place.

"Is something the matter, Aleister?" She asked him softly as she started placing food on the table.

"Jus', uh... nah, I'm fine." Aleister knew he was terrible at hiding his nerves from her. She'd gotten fairly familiar with his discomfort with people, but this was the first time he'd ever shown any with her. "Uh... honestly, I really don' know what t'call it. Nerves, an' I don' know why." He offered her a smile. "Maybe y'spooked me with all tha' talk o' dancin'."

"Well, you only have to dance with one person and that's me." Kayla said with a smile in his direction as she shooed him towards his seat before she took her own. "Trust me, Aleister. Everything will be alright. I'll never leave your side and you'll have a fantastic time. I promise."

Aleister sat down with her with a half-nervous smile. "Not t'mention th'fact tha' I'm gonna get an earful from Bell if she finds out about this 'r finds out y'talked me into th'dance. An' knowin' her, she'll find out one way 'r another."

"Well, I certainly won't tell her until well after it's done." Kayla said with a smile as she served Aleister from the different dishes on the table. "And I know you won't tell her, so the secret is safe between the both of us."

"When she does 'ear, though, be prepared fer th'most embarrassin' questions ye've ever been asked," Aleister murmured with a slight smile as he recalled times when Bell had done the same to him. He gladly tucked into the meal Kayla had prepared, quietly offering his praise as he tried each dish she'd made. He was polite and reserved when he wasn't in his element, but he tried not to let his nerves get the best of him, partly because he didn't want to seem cowardly, and partly because he didn't want Kayla to mistake his nerves for lack of enjoyment.

"Slow down, Aleister. I promise you can take the leftovers home with you." She teased him, grinning easily as he looked up at her with her comment. "Do me a favor. Take a deep breath and relax. It's just you and me and we're two friends sharing a good meal."

She considered Aleister to be one of her closest friends. He was genuinely happy for her to have her baby. He took care of her by giving her extra wages and left over bread to eat. She could talk to him about nearly anything and he would listen without question.

Aleister chuckled quietly at her words, fairly inclined to believe it was that simple. So, he did relax and eventually they got to talking about this and that. It was midnight before Aleister realized they'd talked for absolutely hours. "Damn, feels like it's only been an hour... I oughta let ya get t'sleep," he told her after peering out the window to realize the moon was high in the middle of the sky after the clouds had cleared around sunset. "Thank ya, lass... been a long time since I had a proper dinner with good company."

"Well, you know you can come by any time for a good meal and good company." Kayla said with a smile as she moved to quickly pack up some left overs for him to take home with him. "It gets kind of lonely living here by myself. I'm so use to a house with my brothers and my parents. Well, I guess it won't be so lonely after a while. When this little one gets here, this house will be more than I can handle."

"I'll be sure to come then too, make sure y'don't get overwhelmed," Aleister smiled. "Y'know I was serious when I said y'can bring yer little one t'the bakery with ya, I'll 'ave a crib set up in th'back out o' the way so it's no' loud, but so y'can still be there rather'n havin' t'work with other people's schedules an' whatnot."

"You know you don't have to do that, Aleister. It's very kind of you though." Kayla said as she placed the left overs into his hand and escorted him to the front door. "And thank you for being my friend. I don't know what I would have done with you here for me."

"I'll see ya tomorrow, then," Aleister nodded to her as he stepped out into the clear, cold night. "G'night, Kayla." He gave her one last smile before he headed on his way down the snow-covered street.

The next few days were almost a blur for the bakery. They were getting prepared for the holiday event at the keep and Chessie had ordered honey cakes by the dozen and scones as well as some of Aleister's most recent creations. Kayla was struggling to help him keep up, but some days, she would have to sit in her wooden chair by the ovens, her back aching as she waited for everything to bake. He never said a word. He never would, she knew.

"These are almost done." She called to the front before Aleister walked into the bake house. "And would you mind if I went home early today? I'd like to at least look pretty for the party tonight."

"I'm plannin' on closin' a little early today," Aleister assured her. "Gotta 'ave time t'deliver th'last o' the cook's order an' get ready. Y'can head out as early as y'like. After these're done bakin', I've jus' got bread an' packin' up the order t'do, maybe a little cleanup." He stepped over to the counter where the bread dough had been rising while everything else baked. Thanks to the constant heat in the bakehouse, he didn't have to arrange for any special rising cabinet. Setting the racks of dough at the end of the counter by the ovens, he leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. He was worn out, that much was clear. He'd figured that having Kayla would make the holiday season a little easier, but it seemed that demand had increased so much thanks to her talking about his skill around town that it was actually more difficult than before, especially when Kayla just couldn't keep up as she'd begun to slow down. He'd set her more tasks that didn't require lifting or too much running around, often encouraging her to take as many breaks as she needed. She was probably the best thing that had ever happened to his business and his social life, and he knew it well.

"So I was lookin' into this year's earnings..." He began, unable to help the smile on his face. "Apparently I make more money in a month with you than I used t'make in six alone. Th'whole time ye've been here, I made what used t'be two years' worth o' profit. I finally 'ave enough t'be able t'expand th'bakehouse an' build a couple more ovens. If things keep up th'way they are... I'll need 'em. Might even be able t'afford t'hire a second helper, have 'em run a stall in the market square. But other'n all that... ye've helped me an' my business out more'n anyone ever has... so I'm gonna give ya a pay raise."

Kayla was happy to hear that she could go home early. In truth, she wanted a long nap before she dressed for the party. The baby had been kicking her ribs, keeping her up at night, and her poor legs were swollen from so much activity. Still, she refused to let Aleister down in any way and reported dutifully for work each and every day.

She listened as he talked about how business had picked up. He was talking about hiring more help, putting a stall in the market and expanding the bake house. It would be a good thing, she thought after the week that they had worked through together. An extra set of hands was a good idea.

She nearly fell out of her chair when he told her that he was giving her a pay raise. Her blue eyes were wide, looking at him with an almost startled expression.

"Aleister, you don't have to do that. I'm happy with what I'm making right now." She said softly, touched that he was looking out for her like that.

"I figured ye'd say tha'," Aleister nodded. "But ye've more'n earned it. An' the reason I want t'give it t'you more'n anything is because I'd like ya t'become my business partner. You 'ave strengths tha' I don't, an' I have some you don't. I think if we went at this 'ole management thing t'gether, I'd do even better. Y'see... it's sort of a dream of mine t'one day be able t'add onto this place... make a bit of a restaurant out of it, one tha' folks can afford. It was my family's dream fer this place, an' I'd love t'see it happen. I'd like it even more if you'd be there t'expand an' run it with me. After all, who's gonna be the level-headed one when things get crazy, aye?"

"Well, I'm certainly far from being level headed." Kayla said with a soft smile on her lips as he spelled out his desire for the future. "I don't know anything about running a restaurant, but I would love to help you expand this place. You're a good person, Aleister, and you deserve all of the good things that come your way."