Don't Tell My Brother

Chapter 2 - New Coworker

Weiss' Pieces was the best bakery in town. It was an undisputed fact that every one of their delicacies, from their buttery croissants to their flaky eclairs, was a gift from the gods. The shop was warm, with wide windows that filled the place with sunlight and displayed a gorgeous array of goods to curious passer-by. The interior design was haphazard, with tables and chairs and cushions and rugs thrown together in a cosy, cluttered mess. Lucas pushed open the door exactly ten minutes before noon, when his shift started, and was greeted by the familiar jingle of the bell and the smell of baked goods. The shop was, as always, full of people, and Lucas had to nudge and squeeze his way around tables and through groups of people get behind the counter. He walked right past the register, nodding to Casey, who was taking her turn on register, and pushed through the swinging doors to the back of the shop. Where the magic happened, as his boss liked to say.

His boss, Lisa Huang, was already hard at work. She looked up as Lucas entered and offered him a wide smile.

"Lucas! Grab an apron, and get to kneading. We need these rolls done before the afternoon rush."

She nodded to the bowl beside her, already kneading a large ball of dough on the floured counter. The movement was so smooth and practiced it seemed effortless. Pressing down, folding, pressing down, folding. Her skills had an almost hypnotic quality, and Lucas often thought that he could watch her whisk egg whites or pipe filling for hours and never get bored. He snagged an apron from the hook by the door, tying it securely around his waist, and scooped up the remaining dough from the bowl.

"So," Lisa began as Lucas joined her at the bench. "We've got a new employee today."

Lucas looked up, surprised. They hardly ever had new employees. It wasn't for lack of interest, students and adults alike would've loved to work at Weiss', but they never had spots available. Lucas had been lucky: he'd applied just as someone had moved out of state.

"He's my friend Maria's son. Good kid, but she's a little worried about his direction, you know. He gets into trouble now and then, so I think she's just looking for a way to keep him busy. She worries, with the way her business is at the moment, and raising a teen boy on top of that can't make it easier."

Lucas got the distinct impression that he wasn't meant to be hearing any of this. Conversations with Lisa often made him feel that way. She was lovely, everyone agreed, but tended to gossip. It meant that Lucas often knew a lot of what was going on in town, who was fighting with who and whose divorce was going badly and who was secretly in love with who. That sort of thing. Talking with her was never boring, even if Lucas couldn't look at certain people the same way again.

"He's your age, too! I think he might even go to your school, I can't quite remember which one Maria told me. I'm going to need you to show him the ropes. Cash register, basic kitchen duties, washing up, simple things. Maybe he can even move onto baking once he gets good enough. You be the judge. That alright?"

All the while, she kept kneading, her rhythm unfaltering as she spoke.

"Yeah, alright." Lucas nodded, having to keep more attention on his dough to match the smooth pace Lisa was setting.

It'd be easy enough, he thought. He'd never been the most social person and didn't go out of his way to make friends, but it couldn't be that hard to just explain to some guy how to wash dishes and work a register.

"Actually," Lisa frowned, checking her watch, "he should be here by now. His shift started a minute ago."

As if on cue, the doors swung open, bringing with them the sounds of the bustling coffee shop and Casey's giggling. Odd. In his two years working at Weiss', Lucas didn't think he'd ever heard Casey giggle.