Total pages in book: 18
Estimated words: 17362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 87(@200wpm)___ 69(@250wpm)___ 58(@300wpm)
“You can’t prove it’s sawdust!” He snaps back.
“That’s not a very innocent sounding rebuttal,” Elias says before he turns to me. “Uh, is using sawdust a common thing in bakeries?”
“Back in the ye olden days, shady bakers used to pad out their flour supplies by blending sawdust into their bread. Obviously, people did not like eating sawdust, and legend has it the bakers who did this would be put to death by being baked in their own ovens.”
“Can’t beat the classics I guess when it comes to making a profit.” Elias turns to Henry. “Yeah, pending confirmation that this is sawdust, I’m going to have to shut you down.”
Henry stamps his feet and begins shouting. “What? No. You’re just in the pocket of my competition.”
“That’s not something you can prove. But this? I’m pretty sure I can prove its sawdust.” He turns to Fred. “And you. I’m going to have to look into your accusations, given that’s is awfully convenient you’re focusing all your energy on one bakery and ignoring their direct competition.”
Fred puts on his worst acting and gasps. “Sir, I would never do anything of the sort.”
“They say that sometimes, every accusation is a confession, Fred. And if you’re going to harass my woman with false claims, I’m going to make sure you’re on the level. This will be my last act as Smith County Health Commissioner, so I have nothing to lose.”
“You can’t do that. I’m going to take this higher up the ladder! All the way to the governor if I have to!”
“Whatever you need to do.”
Henry is launching into a string of profanities laced together at Elias, words that are so nasty that I’m going to avoid sharing them here. “And your little butterface slut is going to be penniless after I’m done, too!”
The last in the string of insults turns Elias’s smug demeanor into a much more annoyed one. “You don’t know when to shut up, don’t you?”
“I’ll shut up when all is right in the world.”
“Oh, no, I was just going to do the standard. But now your shops better be pristine. Because if I find anything wrong? I’m going to use it to the fullest. I’m going to destroy your entire business, Henry. You should have stopped provoking me when you were already neck deep, and now I’m just going to bury you entirely.”
I smirk. Elias seems like such an easy going guy, but I have to say, I like when he gets spicy like this.
Henry takes deep breathes and seethes, knowing he’s messed up and crossed so many lines.
“Now, I originally came by to see if my love wanted to go and get some lunch,” Elias says, offering me his hand in the most gentlemanly fashion. “Would you, my dear?”
I giggle, and take his hand. “I would love to.”
Leaving the chaos behind us, we leave Henry’s Baking Factory behind us, and I remember there’s a lovely taco shop that I want to introduce Elias to.
SEVEN
hannah
I told him it’d be hard.
That it’s a lot more work that takes a long time to get results.
But he understood that.
He stuck to it.
His desk is covered with books on farming - crop rotations, crossbreeding, proper amounts of fertilizer, everything else. More books on the business end, how to make all of this work and keep his head above water, and not just treating this like some sort of long vacation.
All I can do is bring him some coffee and his favorite brownie, made with white chocolate and almonds. The man would work himself to death if I didn’t show up to remind him that he’s still just a human being.
It’s been quite a hectic six months.
Henry’s business crumbled like a house of cards. Yes, he was using sawdust. But he also had poor storage of his perishables and often used expired milk and eggs. Then Elias suggested some of the other agencies take a look at his business practices, and found that he was paying his employees less than he’s legally allowed to, avoiding paying overtime, and generally just being an awful boss. An audit was the coup de gras, finding out that yes, he had bribed Fred to fraudulently close my bakery down.
“Don’t you think you’ve studied enough today? There are classes for this, it doesn’t all have to be self-taught,” I say, giving him a shoulder rub.
“I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“There’s plenty of folks in Evergreen Valley that can give you practical advice. And nothing saying you need to plant something now. Isn’t letting the dirt rest a thing?”
“It is. But you know how it is. I also just have spite motivating me.”
Getting the farm and making it work didn’t come easily either. Elias’s father wasn’t happy and didn’t think he’d succeed. He’d thought his son had gone batty and was, quote, ‘just chasing pussy’. Calling me the bad influence. I guess I should take that as a badge of honor.