With a full stomach and a parting word to Margaret, Daniel returned happily to his bakery, but his face dropped when he saw who was waiting for him outside.

Daniel did his best to plaster on a smile he didn’t feel.  “Hello, Mr. Prickson. How may I help you?” 

Simon Prickson had worked at the Milford Community Bank for most of his adult life. He was stout, blonde, and generally described as an icky person. Men like Daniel and Adrian were bachelors by choice, Simon Prickson was not.

“Danny,” he said with an oily smile. “What a pleasure. I’m here to discuss your monthly payment.”

Daniel felt a pit form in his stomach. His uncle had taken a loan out on the bakery a few months before his death. Simon Prickson’s first appearance, and the outstanding sum his uncle owned, had come as a great shock. Daniel had been given a choice: default on the loan, forfeit the bakery, and return to New York; or pay off the debt and keep the sanctuary he’d found. The decision had been easy.

“I’ve already paid the bank this month. What else is there to discuss?”

“We’re upping your monthly bill.”

“What?” Daniel gasped. 

“We’re changing your loan plan due to increased interest rates. You can expect an increase of 10% per month.”

“B-But you can’t do that!” Daniel was barely keeping up with the payments as they were. A ten percent increase would be nearly impossible. 

“I assure you we can do that.” Simon took a step closer to him and Daniel could smell that he reeked of aftershave. “If you have questions, you can come to mine this evening and negotiate further.”

Daniel grimaced. He’d heard horrible rumors about Simon. He often invited desperate men and women to his home under the guise of negotiating loan payments. Daniel would have to be truly desperate to take him up on that offer. 

“That won’t be necessary,” he sighed. “I’ll have the new amount ready at the first of next month.”

“Lovely.” Simon squeezed his shoulder before heading down the street. “I look forward to seeing you then.”

His parting glance made Daniel’s skin crawl. An extra ten percent! The bakery was pulling a profit, but he was barely making ends meet. He’d have to seriously cut back on his expenses to make due. He sighed, that was something to ponder this evening. There was nothing to do now but keep his head down and work. 

Evening came around and, just like Daniel had expected, Adrian returned to his shop for his nightly loaf.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment,” he called out. “And could you please put out the cigarette?”

Adrian lazily waved his hand in lieu of a response, tossed the cigarette outside, and leaned against the wall.

 How many cigarette butts am I going to be cleaning off my porch this week? 

Daniel was currently helping Miss Lillian, who had stopped by for a chat as well as a loaf of bread. She was his second most loyal customer.

“Are you sure you want sourdough?” Daniel asked her. “It’ll be another few minutes for it to be finished. I already have a pumpernickel waiting for you. I know it’s your favorite.”

“The husband insisted on sourdough tonight,” she sighed. “You know how picky that man can be. Compromise is a part of any healthy relationship. Speaking of relationships…”

Daniel groaned internally, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading.

“How was your dinner with my friend Marie last week? Will you be seeing her again?”

“Well–,” Daniel started.

“She told me she had a lovely time at dinner.”

“I’m–,”

“She said you were an absolute gentleman too,” Lillian gushed. “She loved watching you cook. She told me she couldn’t wait to see what else those hands could do.”

Daniel could feel himself blushing. “Lillian!”

Attempting to avoid Lillian’s eye, Daniel glanced around his shop. Unfortunately, his eyes landed on a scowling Adrian.

Goodness, he must think this is entirely inappropriate.

“No, I won’t be seeing Marie again,” he responded politely. “I’m sorry, but there was no, uh, spark on my end.”

Lillian pouted at him before responding. “That’s too bad. I know that any girl would be happy to have a catch like you, and you’re not getting any younger.”

“I’m in my twenties, not a spinster. Also, I’m perfectly content on my own.”

Lillian swatted at his arm. “Don’t think I can’t see right through that act. Everyone wants someone to love them. Also, I’d imagine it’d be easier having a second pair of hands around here.”

Daniel tutted gently before responding. “I would say that there are other ways to obtain an extra pair of hands at the shop.”

“Yes, like Mr. Adrian here.”

Adrian jerked his head towards the pair. His eyes were wide with surprise. “Huh?”

“Daniel, you should take after Mr. Dane and get an apprentice. I’m sure it’d make your life much easier.”

He glanced over at Adrian, who was still staring at them mutely. Daniel cringed. The man looked angry just waiting in line. He couldn’t imagine he’d want to take part in a casual conversation.

“Uh, what do you think, Adrian?” Daniel asked, now taking the sourdough loaf from the oven. “Would you recommend an apprentice?”

Adrian looked away, giving a noncommittal shrug. “Suppose so. Chester isn’t completely hopeless. Makes a few things easier.”

Lillian gave him a surprised look. “Well young man, I think that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard you say about anyone.”

The scowl returned to Adrian’s face as he slumped further against the wall. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell him. It’ll give him a big head.”

“Then it’s settled,” Lillian decided. “Daniel, you’ll take on Margaret’s niece Anna as an apprentice.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Margaret mentioned to me the other day that her niece was in need of apprentice work and asked that I put some feelers out. This works perfectly.”

“Oh,” Daniel said, now handing Lillian her wrapped loaf. “I’m not so sure–,”

“Don’t worry about it!” Lillian waved, now exiting the shop. “I don’t mind setting it up. I’ll see you soon!”

Daniel stood still, rather dumbfounded by the quick turn of events. Lillian liked to meddle and gossip, it was one of his favorite things about her, but he wasn’t a fan of her interfering in his business. 

He stared after her until Adrian cleared his throat.

“Ah! I’m sorry. How can I help you?”

Adrian scratched his neck, observing the glass display window. 

“I’ll just take the pumpernickel you made for Lillian.”

Daniel tilted his head, quirking an eyebrow at him. “But you don’t even like pumpernickel.”

“How do you know what I like?”

Because you’ve been coming here for a year. 

“I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but you’ve been a patron here for quite some time and you haven’t bought pumpernickel once.”

“Time for something new I suppose. Just like you taking on that apprentice.”

“Oh bother,” Daniel huffed. “That all happened rather fast, didn’t it? But I guess it’s better than Lillian playing match-maker with me.”

Adrian nodded in solidarity. “Yeah, I remember when she did that with me. She was dead-set on marrying me off for a while.”

“How did you get her to stop?”

“You’ve got to be meaner– to Lillian and the girls she sets you up with. Once she realizes you’re a cantankerous shrew that no one can tolerate, she’ll drop it.” 

“I’d hardly call you a shrew,” Daniel said. He decided not to address the cantankerous bit. “And I can’t imagine doing that.”

“Of course not,” Adrian scoffed. “You’re like a ray of pure sunshine. About as intimidating as a marshmallow.” 

“Well…” Daniel trailed off, unsure of how to respond. His soft nature had been the target of some rather mean bullying in his childhood, though being called a ‘marshmallow’ was new. 

“I’d rather be known as too nice than mean. Anyways, here’s your pumpernickel, let me just–,” Daniel searched for some fabric to wrap the bread in, before realizing he only had some left on his highest storage cabinet. He cursed his short stature before attempting to climb the counter to reach it. Unfortunately, he noticed the precariously placed cast iron pan too late. It clattered to the floor, narrowly missing his toes. Daniel yelped and watched in horror as the handle of his favorite pan broke off.

“Oh, fuck!” he cursed, before remembering he wasn’t alone in the shop. He turned to look at Adrian, who was staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Excuse my language.” Daniel apologized. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just…” he gave a deep breath, determined not to become misty eyed as he picked the broken metal off the floor. “This was my uncle’s. I can’t believe I’ve been so careless as to ruin it. A seasoned cast iron is invaluable to a cook.”

They stood in silence for a few moments, until Adrian cleared his throat again.

“Uh, why don’t you let me take it to my shop tonight. I’ll fix it up for you.”

“Really?” Daniel asked incredulously. “Weren't you just on your way home?”

“I’ve got nothing waiting for me there aside from a bottle of gin. Come by my shop tomorrow

afternoon and I’ll have it finished.”

“Thank you,” Daniel said slowly as he handed over the cast iron. Part of him expected Adrian to pull back and proclaim it was a joke, but the man grabbed it with both hands. “Thank you so much. That’s awfully kind of you.”

“I’m not kind, I‘m just a black smith. It’s my job. See you at noon.” 

“Yes, you will.”

With a loaf of pumpernickel and a cast iron in hand, Adrian left the shop. 

Daniel grinned to himself. His beloved, seasoned pan would be salvaged. He knew that playing nice with the town blacksmith was a good idea, even if the man could be insufferable at times. 

After closing for the night, Daniel climbed the stairs to his studio apartment that sat above the bakery. He turned on a single light to guide his path. He’d need to keep the electricity bill down if the bank was increasing his loan payments. 

He turned on the only sink in the apartment and splashed water on his face. He ran his fingers through his mousy brown curls as he stared around the emptiness of his apartment.  There was no mistaking that only one person lived here. The only possessions he had were those he’d brought from New York, which mostly consisted of his book collection. 

He grabbed a familiar title before crawling into his twin bed, which had never seen another person. Lilian and Margaret kept him great company, but it couldn’t quell the loneliness that seemed to live in his bones. 

He sighed, keeping in mind that things could be worse. He could be out with Simon Prickson.