When you know there won't be a second chance

 

Who would have guessed it? Well, Boone didn't right away. He wasn't thinking he was actually baker material. He'd only gone in for part-time at the bakery.

"But..but you need the money, right?" Ste wanted to know. "Could you make it full-time?"

"I don't see why not?" Boone thought he might need the money. He didn't want to leave Phil high and dry with all the bills. There was food to think about too. He looked at Ste wide-eyed as if he were interested. Of course, he'd even dressed in a suit, but felt as if he was sweating like a pig. He wished he was in a tank and shorts like the owner who was still looking in on breads and such in the ovens.

"Tell me, have you ever been to cooking school?" Ste never sat down for the interview.

"No sir." End of story. He better check at the grocery store and see if he could get on there. Boone was certain he was wasting Ste's time.

"Good." He was satisfied with Boone's answer. "I will teach you."

Boone thought his mouth might be hanging open. "Really?"

"The sooner you can get started the better," Ste told him his wife was expecting a baby and he wanted to be there for the birth and the first month or so too.

Boone nodded. He'd finished his finals early. He'd had plenty of talks with his mom about being on his own. She would be proud. He knew. Of course, she really was the only one that mattered, and maybe Phil. Oh, he didn't think Phil cared what kind of job he had as long as it was a hard-working job, and this would definitely be a hard-working job.

They shook hands. Ste went to get the paperwork. Boone could hardly believe it. Of course, he yawned while Ste was away and thought he might pass out. Someone handed him a bottle of cold water.

Of course, she was pretty and looked as if she knew everything there was to know about this place.

"So you're our new baker?" She asked.

"um, I..I guess so." He nodded. "So..so you work here?"

"Yeah," she said she could work longer now with school almost out. Her name was Lily.

"I just thought..I just thought you were older than me," Boone didn't mean to give her a goofy grin. She laughed softly.

"You look awfully young to know anything about baking," she told him.

He nodded. She was probably right, but he had to learn sometime. And he guessed the time was now.