“You bake gluten-free, dairy-free items?” Hillya asked me then.
I wish I had read that letter now. I had no idea what this was about and I had obviously been way off with my assumptions. “Uh, yes, I mean, not professionally. I just enjoy baking and I can’t have dairy or gluten... so…”
“You good with the low-calorie granola mixes and those bowl things that are all the craze?” she then asked.
I nodded. “Acai bowls? I make them for me,” I said.
Hillya folded the letter slowly and studied it before looking back at me again. “I’ve owned this place for thirty years. I’ve had to change it many times to keep up with the trends. Seems the trends have changed on me once again. Young people want healthier options. Nut-free options I have managed, but the gluten and dairy, I have not. I do not know how to make the granola bowls the way they want them or the best way to make them low-calorie. I will pay you twenty dollars an hour. Thirty hours a week. If you have any savory evening appetizers ideas, I am looking for those too. We add a full bar after four every day and stay open until ten. There are two different book clubs that are held here each month and we have a monthly author signing.”
I stood there, unsure what to say. I had never made any of my recipes for anyone other than me. my family, and some friends. My mother had tried and liked them and Gran had enjoyed my experiments in the kitchen but that didn’t mean others would. This woman was offering me twenty dollars an hour without even trying any of my creations. What had Gran said to her?
“Would you like me to make some of them for you to try first? Before you hire me?” I asked. I hadn’t wanted to get a job so soon, but I also hadn’t expected to get a job doing something I enjoyed. Something I thought I was good at, but I wasn’t sure other people would agree. At least not sure enough for twenty dollars an hour.
“Honey’s opinion is all I need,” she replied and tucked the letter into the pocket of her white capri pants. “I believe baking runs in your blood, even deeper than you realize,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Can you start tomorrow morning? Fridays are busy and I could use the extra help. I get here at four, but if you could be here by five that would give me plenty time to show you things and you can tell me what all you need in order to make your creations.”
All I could manage was a nod. How could I say no to this? Well played, Gran. Well, played.
“Thank you,” I said.
The expression on Hillya’s face was sad, but there was something else there. Possibly hopefulness? Was her shop struggling that much? If it was on me to save the place that was a lot of pressure. “I believe we both have Honey to thank,” she replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Henley.”
When I was seated back in my car, I thought perhaps I should start reading all the letters Gran left before I delivered them.
“What have you gotten me into this time, Gran?” I asked, but of course she didn’t answer.
Starting the car, I pulled out onto the road and drove. I didn’t drive toward Gran’s house or the library. Instead I headed for the health food store in town. I needed to be sure they had what I needed before tomorrow morning. I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. I would feel better about things if I could walk in and bake some items right away for Hillya to try. I might also feel more confident at five in the morning if I spent my day today baking what I planned to do tomorrow.
Will had loved my banana bread and it was not only dairy and gluten-free but organic. Mom always asked me to make the dark chocolate granola bars and I could do those organic as well if I could find the right ingredients.
My mind began turning over all the different ideas and I grew excited about the possibilities. I was going to get to bake things that I created for people to buy. I would be lying if I hadn’t thought about it before but then I would push the idea away because I had no real training. I played around in the kitchen. I would have never had the confidence to apply for a job to do something like this, and yet, here I was with a job doing just that and it was all thanks to my gran.
Five
Two banana loaves, two dozen caramel oatmeal cookies, one batch of dark chocolate granola and one batch of brown sugar granola later along with a new idea in the oven I didn’t have a name for yet.