The Spice of Life

Have Your Cake, Eat It Too

Have Your Cake, Eat It Too

“Put a little more strength into it.” Grace instructed.

Brynn and Grace were elbow deep in flour. Well, Brynn was elbow deep. Perfect Grace didn't have flour past her pretty wrists. That alone was enough to irritate Brynn. Added to it that she just couldn't knead the dough enough for Grace and she was getting more and more irritated as the seconds were ticking on.

It wasn't even interesting, special bread. It was plain old, garden variety bread. All Brynn had to do was knead the stuff. She hadn't even had to make the dough, Grace had done that on her own. So why was it that she couldn't even do that?

“If I put any more into it, the counter is going to break.” Brynn blew a stray strand of hair from her eye and cursed the dough, the sweat on her brow that was making her itch, and her damn hair that was getting way too long for her comfort and was constantly in her face!

She had spent too much time in the middle of nowhere and her hair was marking the passage of time annoyingly. In New York, she could just go down the street to get it cut. Here, the only person with any hair cutting experience was an old man who seemed to prefer styles from the fifties. She was just going to have to cut it herself, the skewed results be damned.

“The counter is tough, it can take it.” Grace promised as she kneaded her own dough like it was the easiest thing in the world. She wasn't sweating like Brynn was either; Brynn wasn't even certain Perfect Grace was capable of something as banal as sweating.

The Spice of Life had been closed for the day. This kneading exercise was being conducted in Grace's own house. The results would be baked while Brynn was out with Leo and Lance later and was to be enjoyed by all upon their return.

At least, Grace's loaf would be enjoyed by all. At the rate this was going, Brynn's was going to find its way into the trash like almost everything else she tried to bake.

“How much longer do I have to do this?” Brynn asked as she slapped the dough around rather violently. At least she could take out her frustrations on the unfeeling stuff.

“Until it's nice and elastic.” Grace looked over and frowned. “Don't hit it, Brynn. Kne-e-ead it. Sl-o-o-owly. Lo-o-ovingly. Like thi-i-is.”

“I'm go-o-oing to lo-o-ose my mi-i-ind.” Brynn mocked unapologetically as she mimicked Grace's movements over exaggeratedly.

“I'm starting to think you don't have any baker in your soul.” Grace sighed as she flipped her dough easily. She just didn't understand how Brynn couldn't even grasp the simplest of baking techniques.

“You just noticed?” Brynn grumbled, picking up the dough and slapping it back down. “I can't wait to get out of here and go shopping with the boys.”

“I don't think shopping is the correct term.” Grace laughed.

Brynn shrugged. “We're shopping in a manner of speaking. Shopping for building space.”

On their date on Saturday, Leo had announced that he was going to try to start his own restaurant. He had told her with a big smile over homemade linguine and Brynn had been excited ever since. She had already looked up available real estate and had appointments to go over the spaces she had approved of today.

Leo and Lance had gone to the bank to apply for a loan because Brynn's idea of loaning from Grace had, apparently, been just too much. The response from them was due in today. If they were denied, Brynn was going to Grace no matter what either of them said.

Leo was already starting to create his menu. At Brynn's suggestion, they would only be starting with a few items. They would expand once profit started coming in and ordering food wouldn't be such a hit on their expenses. She didn't know exactly what type of restaurant he wanted, he would tell her today, but she was confident it would be perfect.