Mrs. Knox tried (unsuccessfully) to hide her delight. “Oh! Well, if you could. I’m sure it couldn’t hurt. You two were as thick as thieves from what I remember.”
Charlotte nodded slowly, dazed.
Mrs. Knox grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be alright, girl. He’ll be glad to see you. Don’t worry.”
Charlotte shot Mrs. Knox a grateful look. Then she pulled herself up and pushed herself out of the bakery before she could change her mind
The line had gone by the time she made it to the cheese shop. She stood at the door, her hand on its brass handle, and looked through the glass.
Julian leaned against the wall behind the counter. He look tired but satisfied, a small smile on his lips, his eyes gently closing.
They snapped open at the sight of Charlotte.
Julian stood up straight, brushing his hands on his apron, and he gestured at Charlotte to come in.
Charlotte felt her pulse pound in her throat. Did he recognize her?
She willed her hand to turn the knob.For Mrs. Knox,she thought.For the bakery. For my job.
“Hello, Miss,” said Julian. His voice was warm and rich and deep, far deeper than Charlotte had been expecting. “I’m almost out of the croissants, but I’ve saved one here just for you.”
He winked one of his big brown eyes. It wrinkled the skin at its corner pleasantly.Just for you, he’d said.
He must have remembered her.
Charlotte’s legs felt as though they were made of lead as she dragged them to the counter. She became suddenly aware of herself—the flour on her apron, the silver hair coming loose from its bun, her hands rough from kneading dough and frequent washing. She should have gone home and straightened up before coming here. This isn’t how she wanted him to see her for the first time. For the first time since…
“I promise I don’t bite,” said Julian with a chuckle. “Try the croissant. Go on.”
Julian reached beneath the counter and pulled out a gorgeous croissant in a piece of brown paper. The pastry was a lovely golden color, flaky and perfectly rolled. Charlotte knew the workthat went into laminating the dough, knew the trick of keeping the butter cold to stop the layers from going flat. She’d made croissants at least four times a week since she’d started at Mrs. Knox’s three months earlier, but she had never made a croissant that looked this good, not even on her best day.
“It’s not poison,” said Julian as Charlotte hesitated. “I made it fresh this morning. There’s a Gallic cheese inside. It’s quite strong, a little gamey, but it goes nicely with the butteriness of the pastry. You aren’t allergic, are you?”
“No, I…” said Charlotte, then she took a bite when she could think of nothing else to say.
Oh, dear. It wasn’t just good. It washeaven.
Charlotte watched the smile spread across Julian’s lips as he watched her eat. “Not bad, is it?”
Not bad?“It’s insane. The salt, the butter—is that a bit of pepper in there too?”
“Just a pinch. They were meant to have ham, but my delivery has been delayed. I thought they need something to give that savory bite.”
“It really works,” said Charlotte with her mouth full.
Julian laughed. “I can see that.”
Charlotte was already eating the last bite. She didn’t mean to eat it so quickly, but it was just too damn good to stop. She looked back at him, embarrassed.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he said. “You know, I thought I knew just about every pretty young lady in town. Are you new around here?”
Charlotte froze.
He didn’t recognize her then. And did he saypretty?
“I’m guessing you’re a baker as well. Mrs. Knox’s daughter? Or niece, perhaps? The silver hair is unusual. Fairy ancestry?”
Charlotte swallowed the last of the croissant. She needed to say something. But what? She scrambled for a lie. Maybe she’dgo with what he’d said: a niece of Mrs. Knox. The fairy ancestry wasn’t too far from the truth; the korrigans and the fairies were closely related.
