Don't Tell My Brother

Chapter 60 - Marriage and Make Up

Lucas was thankful that they'd at least managed to sort that business out, because the next week was hectic. School was getting more serious as slowly but surely the end of the term inched closer, and all too often Lucas found himself drifting off halfway through highlighting a page in his textbook as the glowing digital display of his clock showed the minutes ticking past midnight. Work at the bakery didn't provide much of a respite: even with Damien there, since the charity gala they were catering for was that weekend Lisa had them working harder than ever. Her stern gaze kept Lucas hard at work, serving customers, perfecting recipes, going over meal plans and vegan, gluten-free, nut-free options until he could practically recite the ingredients.

Damien, however, seemed untouched by the stress. The three days they worked that week, he always showed up just a second before "late", offering Lisa a wide smile that even her eye roll couldn't dispel, and charming every customer who walked up to the register. He had an uncanny knack for convincing customers to buy more than they'd intended to, which made up for his apparent lack of baking skill. Lisa had resigned herself to this fact, and kept Lucas working in the kitchen. Which, of course, meant Damien kept finding excuses to come back to the kitchen, getting more ridiculous by the second.

"What're you doing?"

Lucas looked up from his bowl of lemon curd to find Damien at his shoulder, staring into the mixture. He put one arm around Lucas' shoulders, and Lucas noticed he'd tied one of the ribbons they used to wrap cake boxes around his wrist.

"Whisking this lemon curd. And hey, shouldn't you be-"

"Shouldn't you be working?" Lisa finished, bustling towards the smooth marble bench Lucas was mixing on, a metal tray of tart casings tucked under each arm.

Busted. Lucas grimaced, but Damien still looked perfectly at ease. "I am working. I just..." Damien glanced around for a split second, "...needed a new apron. I think this one's too small. Or maybe I've gotten bigger, it is bulking season..."

Lucas tried to look like he knew what 'bulking season' was. Lisa didn't even try, eyes narrowing as she frowned at Damien. "If you've left customers waiting-"

"I haven't!" Damien said, putting his hands up in a show of innocence. "It's been empty for a while, promise. I'll hear if someone comes in, and then I'll be out there so fast they won't even see it."

Lisa tapped her foot on the tiled floor. "I don't pay you to chat to your friends, Damien. Don't make me call your mother. Because there are lots of kids who'd take this job, so if you're not going to do the work..." She left the sentence hanging in the air, raising an eyebrow. The implication was clear.

"I'm definitely going to do the work." Damien said, stepping away from Lucas and giving Lisa a little salute. "In fact, I'm going to go do it right now. See you, Lucas." He walked backwards through the doors that lead to the front of the shop, blowing Lucas a kiss just before they closed.

"You don't think I was too harsh on him, was I?" Lisa asked, placing the trays down beside Lucas with a clatter.

"He'll be fine." Lucas said, smiling to himself as he continued to whisk. "He's got thick skin."

Lisa nodded, glancing to the doors Damien had disappeared through. "I'm happy for you two."

"What for?"

But Lisa just gave him a knowing look, a small smile on her round face, and then set him to work filling each of the pastry casings with the curd.

But no one was more busy than Alex. Lucas and Mona barely saw her over that week. Every lunch time she'd be off with some job or another: testing the lights and sound for what felt like the hundredth time, meeting with the tech department, mending a costume that 'some idiot ensemble member' had torn, running through scenes...a host of different things Lucas and Mona didn't understand.