“Yes,” I replied, loving the look of happiness that my baked goods brought to his face.
“I love those, and they smell just like the ones my grandmother made for Christmas,” he said, giving me yet another compliment.
“I’ll leave you two alone to talk about whatever you want,” Luna chimed in all chipper-like. “Just let me know when you’re done, and I’ll walk over to the bank with you.”
“I’m sorry. I should have texted to see if this was a good time,” Axel apologized. “If you need to go to the bank, I can wait or come back another time.”
“No, it’s okay,” I told him. “I haven’t filled out the deposit slip or summary yet, so I can go anytime. I just prefer to go when we aren’t too busy so Luna can go with me.”
“I can go with you,” Axel offered.
“Ooooh, that’s a great idea!” Luna added cheerfully. “He’s scarier than me anyway, so no one will rob you if he goes. But you should probably stick close…maybe have him hold on to you—you know, just in case.”
I tried my best not to laugh at her blatant setup, but the minute I looked over at Axel to see him trying to not laugh too, I couldn’t hold back and let my laugh out.
“I’m just trying to help,” Luna scoffed before heading back through the door to the front room.
“I’m sorry about her,” I told Axel, shaking my head.
“I like her. She’s what we would callfräckorbusig,” he said, causing me to lift my eyebrow in confusion. “The closest English words I can think of would be cheeky and mischievous.”
I laughed at his accurate analysis of Luna, despite not knowing her all that well.
“You are spot on with her,” I said, putting the oven mitts down and grabbing my display case trays so I could transfer these out to the front room once they cooled.
“So, did you need to talk to me about something, or did you just stop by to get some more treats?” I asked while delicately sliding the cardamom buns so I didn’t puncture the soft, flaky crust while they were still hot.
“Why don’t you finish doing that first,” he said, pointing to my tray.
I appreciated that, because this really was something I needed to focus on. I moved swiftly but carefully, glancing up a few times to see him watching me attentively.
Less than five minutes later, I was done. I put my utensils in the sink and turned back to Axel. “All done. Thank you.”
“I really enjoy watching you in the kitchen,” he said admirably. “You move with such precision and beauty.”
This man was great for my ego.
“Thanks,” I told him as I walked closer to him. “Okay, what did you want to talk about?”
“How about you get what you need for the bank, and we can discuss it while I walk over there with you?” he offered.
“Okay, let me grab the paperwork and stuff from my office real quick,” I told him, walking to my tiny office on the other side of the refrigerators.
I grabbed the forms, quickly filled them out, and grabbed the secure cash bag. He was still in the same spot I had left him in a few minutes ago, almost as though he was afraid he would knock something over or break something if he moved.
“I’m ready.” Bag in hand, I walked over in front of him, and he held his arm out in a gesture for me to walk ahead.
I smiled back as we walked out into the bakery counter space where Luna was standing.
“We’re running across the street,” I said to her as we walked by the register. “We’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. Enjoy the sunny day. We’re good here.” She winked back at me and gave a little finger wave.
I rolled my eyes as we walked out the front door and into the parking lot.
“It’s the blue building down there.” I pointed to the bank at the end of the block.
He nodded and walked very close beside me. I assumed that was because he knew we were transporting the money, but I wanted to believe it was also just for fun. “Are you feeling okay about everything now that Vince and I met with Doucet?”
