The Baker's Man by Jennifer Moorman Read Free Book Online

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    “Anna, what the hell is going on? I’ve never even heard of this guy, yet he’s staying with you? You live in a one-bedroom apartment—”
    “It’s a good size bedroom. Plenty of room,” Eli said.
    Eli nudged Anna with his elbow as though they were sharing an inside joke. She gawked at him. Baron squared his shoulders, and the air in the room sizzled like an electrical storm full of heat lightning and silence.
    The bell jingled again. Tessa Andrews stepped into the bakery with one hand clamped onto her drab green purse straps and one hand lifted into a low wave.
    “Good morning,” she said and smiled. Her short, light brown hair was tucked behind her ears, curling around her lobes. Her brown peacoat was buttoned all the way to the top, and she’d wrapped a beige scarf around her neck and shoved it down between the lapels of her jacket.
    “Welcome to the circus,” Anna whispered.
    “Hey, Baron, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. My mom ran into your mom at the hospital, and she said you were leaving for California,” Tessa said with a sweet smile. She touched Baron’s arm, and only then did he turn and look at her. “Congratulations on your new job. You must be so excited. And you, too, Anna,” she said, looking at her friend.
    “Thanks, Tessa,” Baron mumbled.
    Then, her eyes slid to Eli. Her brow furrowed, and she lowered her hand from Baron’s arm. “I didn’t know you were hiring a new employee,” she said to Anna. “Hi, I’m Tessa.”
    “Eli. Nice to meet you, Tessa,” he said.
    “Oh, he just blew in from out of town last night to Anna’s place,” Baron said. “Is that why you left early?”
    Anna’s mouth fell open in indignation. “You know why I left early.”
    Tessa adjusted her purse straps and looked at Anna. “I thought you didn’t feel like doing anything last night. You didn’t say you had out-of-town company.” Tessa’s mouth turned into a disappointed frown.
    Anna shook her head. “Eli wasn’t here last night,” she said to Baron. “Lily was at my house. You can ask her.”
    “He said he’s crashing at your place. I assumed the slumber party had already started,” Baron sniped.
    “Slumber party,” Eli said with a wide grin. “I like the image that conjures.”
    Baron’s jaw clenched.
    “You and Lily hung out last night?” Tessa asked. “Why didn’t you call me? You know I wanted to do something.”
    Anna’s head throbbed. “I didn’t feel well.”
    “But Lily was there,” Tessa said.
    “Listen, Tessa, it was a bad night,” Anna snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you later today, okay?”
    Tessa looked at Eli and Baron one last time, and then she skittered out of the door, letting in a smoky wind on her way out.
    “Don’t you have a plane to catch?” Eli asked, pushing away from the display case and stepping so close to Anna their arms touched.
    Baron snapped his arm out across the counter toward Eli so quickly that Anna gasped, but she managed to shove him away with one hand. “Baron, no!” She slapped her other hand to Eli’s chest and shouted, “Get in the back now!” When he didn’t budge, she glared at him. “ Now !”
    Eli pressed his hand over the top of hers for a few seconds, and her vision blurred. Then he turned and disappeared into the backroom. She exhaled loudly and turned to Baron.
    “What the hell is going on, Anna?” Baron demanded.
    “Nothing. He’s just…passing through,” she answered, using Eli’s lie because what else could she say? Oh, he’s no one special. I made him last night. He’s actually made of flour and sugar and fairy dust my grandma hid in a box. I baked him, and voilà , he’s a real boy!
    “Passing through,” Baron repeated flatly. “And apparently staying in your apartment. When were you going to tell me about him?”
    “He just showed up today, first thing this morning actually,” she said quickly. “He’s harmless.” Her stomach