Falling for the Baker

Sophia sat back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest and a victorious smirk on her face. 

Between her and John was a tray devoid of any food. Sophia hadn't finished her drink but John certainly had. 

"So we know you like Americanos and bagels," she mused, tapping on her chin while she thought about it. "But I doubt you eat like this all the time." 

John was almost embarrassed at the ease with which he had finished all of the food. He had been hungry after their lack of eating the day before. It seemed the difference between them was that Sophia ate very little but he needed to eat a lot. 

John's dark eyebrows lowered. 

"What makes you say that?" he wondered. 

Sophia bit her lip, finding an excuse as to why she would think that, but nothing came to mind. She had to be honest which would put them on the topic of last night which she had been avoiding. 

"My…" she almost said boyfriend out of habit before stopping herself. After last night, she didn't think he deserved that title anymore. "Grant avoided this place because he said it would make him fat. He was obsessed with taking care of his body. It's clear you take care of yours too." 

John hated being lumped in with that worthless person but he tried to hold back from reacting. He thought of the way Sophia had cried before and he didn't want that to happen again even if it might mean he could hold her once more. 

"He never came here while the two of you were together?" he asked in disbelief. 

"Not once," she admitted. "Maybe he parked outside to pick me up, but that's it."

Sophia's eyes drifted to her hands in her lap and she felt herself getting upset.

"How stupid am I to be sad over someone like that?" she asked with a pained expression. "Whatever."

She tried to brush it off by grabbing the tray and quickly walking around the wooden counter and then to the back kitchen. She dropped the garbage in the correct spot and their dishes in the sink. When she turned to exit the kitchen, the door was being blocked by John. 

Sophia looked up at him and saw his blue eyes piercing her. She wanted to get lost in them.

"You're better than he is," he said. 

"You heard him," she uttered and glanced away. "No man wants a woman who can't function. But I don't want to talk about that anymore. It's been my nightmare for over two years. But I have to open up the bakery. There's no time to be sad right now." 

Was it his place to grab her and hold onto her and tell her what the bastard said was completely incorrect? 

He couldn't fully remember who he was but even he knew that you had to treat a woman gently. You reaped what you sowed. 

Sometimes she looked at him with fear. He was doing his best for her to never look at him that way again. 

When he woke up that morning, he didn't want to find out who he was because he wanted to prolong the time he could try and imbed himself into her heart. However, he was slowly changing his mind. 

If he was that bastard's boss, he could make his life hell. 

Relenting for the time being, John stepped to the side and went back out to the main area of the bakery. It was only 6:30 am which meant that the bakery would open in 30 minutes. 

Sophia soon appeared with a dark grey apron in her hands. She stepped towards John and lifted the apron by the strap that would go around his neck. 

At first, he was confused but eventually, he relented and leaned with his head down. 

The moment he was within her reach, she caught a hint of spearmint and she had to bite her lip. It was that smell alone that pulled her closer to him. His looks were icing on the cake. 

He realized she was paused and he looked up to meet her eyes. 

Sophia quickly corrected herself and carefully put the apron over his head, minding the hair that he brushed that morning and the staples on the back of his head. When he straightened himself out, she walked to the back of him and tied the apron around his waist. 

His heart was pounding. He was pathetic. 

"This one usually ties in the front for me but it's a little small on you," she said with a light laugh, trying to break the tense feeling inside of her.

When she was done tying it, she went back to the front and looked down at her own apron. It had been folded up and looped around the back but tied on the front. She truly was so small. 

Her size made him want to protect her. 

"Just tell me what you need me to do," he responded gently. 

Since Sophia normally worked by herself in the mornings, all she had John do for a while was bring things from the kitchen to the front to put in the various displays. She had all sorts of dough rising in the back room for cinnamon rolls, danishes, and croissants. In the meantime, she would work on homemade granola parfaits and tarts with fresh fruit on top. 

John was sitting in the front, patiently waiting for her call so Sophia decided to join him. She brought a tray to the front of the store with the tarts and started constructing them there. 

Sophia leaned forward with a focused expression and began building up the mini tarts with various berries, sliced kiwi, even some mangoes since she had a few that were ripe. She did many variations in case someone didn't like a particular fruit. 

On the top of a few, she normally garnished with fresh mint. She had brought out the mint, but her hand paused over the small case that contained it. The moment she opened it, she knew it would smell just like him.

Why was she so affected by him? 

She had known him for such a short amount of time but he had a way of disarming her completely. When he hadn't done anything to earn it, her entire being was set on trusting him. 

John was older. He could have a girlfriend or even a wife. What if he had a whole family and she was housing him and letting him do as he pleased?

Sophia knew she had to keep going forward. She pulled out the mint and picked off a few springs, decorating the tarts before she could put them in the display. 

When she went back to the counter, she saw John's eyes still on her. They had been for a long time. 

"You're staring," she uttered. 

His blue eyes quickly left her but he knew he was caught. 

Before he could come up with an explanation, the front doorbell rang and the first customer walked in. 

He felt relief that he didn't have to explain himself.