He took a moment to consider her offer. As he did, the small patches of skin that were visible twitched at the edges of his mouth turned up in a small smile under his thick beard. The corners of his eyes crinkled as his mouth stretched out further into the first real smile Kaida had seen from him all afternoon. “Ms. Kaida, I’d love to be joinin’ ya for dinner.”
Kaida gave him her address, as well as directions, and told him that she’d meet him at the front gate when he arrived. He smiled at her again and, taking her hand into his, assured her that her bakery would be in good hands. Before leaving the kitchen, he looked around briefly one last time, promising that he would bring a detailed list of materials needed, as well as ideas of how to maximize the space within the kitchen itself. The two walked outside of the bakery, stopping long enough for Kaida to lock the door and pocket the key before they stepped off the sidewalk and parted ways.
Five
Kaida was on cloud nine when she arrived back at the farm a short while later. After walking Sorrel into the stable and taking care of her after their trip to and from town, she rushed back into the house and called for Eilaen.
“So, Ellie. What are we having for dinner?” Kaida said, pulling a small chunk of her lip between her teeth.
“I, uh... I don’t know? I haven’t thought about it. I actually didn’t realize that it was close to time to cook until you came barrelling through the door. Why?” Eilaen asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“I may or may not have invited someone to dinner. Tonight. Like tonight kind of tonight. A dwarf, actually. Well, more than a dwarf. He’s our contractor. I think? Or maybe our possible contractor? I don’t know. Either way, he’s coming for dinner so that the three of us can discuss everything as far as costs and materials and whatnot. So, what do you think is going to be for dinner?” Kaida knew that her nervousness was causing her to ramble, but she was struggling to stop talking.
Eilaen laughed. “Well, it’s cold out. I noticed a thin layer of snow when I was chasing Tillard back into the barn. That dreadful pig is going to freeze to death if he doesn’t stay in the barn with all the other animals in this weather. I suppose it would be best to make a big pot of soup. Potato or vegetable?” she said, offering Kaida the choice between their two favorites.
Kaida suggested vegetable soup, hoping that Elkhean would like it. Come to think of it, she thought to herself, I don’t know much about dwarven eating habits. While Eilaen prepared and cooked the soup, Kaida sifted through her cookbook to find a recipe for dessert, stopping when she found one for peppermint mocha chocolate chip cookies. “Hmm”, she mumbled softly. “Never made this one before.”
As the dough for the bread bowls sat on the side of the island for their first rise cycle, Kaida began to summon over the ingredients she needed for the cookie dough. She was excited to find that she had just enough peppermint shavings for two dozen cookies and pointed them over to the side as she sifted through her stash of chocolate chips and substituted the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate chips, craving the richness that they would bring. To her right, she lined up eggs, butter, and a vial of vanilla extract. In front of her, she drifted over a large bowl where she combined white sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda. When all of these items were blended together, she whisked in the chocolate chips and peppermint shavings. She then smoothly slid the bowl to the top right edge of the island before moving to collect her wet ingredients.
Slowly, she folded in the egg before blending the vanilla extract into the ingredients in front of her. Once the butter had softened, Kaida whisked it in until it was sufficiently incorporated into the mixture. She switched gears for a moment, turning back to the bread dough for dinner. After she punched it, she dumped the bowl onto a floured portion of the island and began to knead it before shaping it into the rounded shape she needed. After she had started the process to let it rise a second time, she whipped back around to where the cookie dough rested. Kaida then scooped it into identical dollops, dropping the little balls on the metal sheets sitting on the countertop in front of her. With a flick of her wrist, she opened the oven and slipped the sheets into the opened wood stove for baking.
It didn’t take long before the deliciously crisp aroma of the cookies began to drift out of the stove, mixing pleasantly with the scents coming from Eilaen’s soup. Needing something to do with her hands while she waited for the cookies to finish and for her to be able to put the bread bowls into the oven, Kaida filled the kettle and settled it on the hot stove.
Soon, the kettle whistled and she grabbed her teacup, pouring the steaming water over the tea leaves. The blend she had chosen was a lavender and lemon blend that she’d created on a whim. The lavender was soothing and mixed well with the twang that the lemon contributed. It made her feel bright, awake, and focused.
As she waited for it to cool, she wandered into the den to straighten up the couch and chair cushions, stroking the fire to ensure it would stay warm enough for their guest. She wracked her brain for any information she’d absorbed over the years, but quickly realized she didn’t know much about dwarves. Most of the knowledge she’d obtained involved the professions they typically worked in, which mostly included heavy work such as blacksmithing, mining, construction, and geode sifting.
Other than that, she knew they typically didn’t care for elves, they didn’t really have much in the way of magic, they could hold their own when given copious amounts of mead or ale, and they really hated their lack of stature being used against them. She also thought she’d heard at one time that they preferred a meat and potatoes type of meal but wasn’t sure if that was true or not. You couldn’t always trust the Galbassi Gossip Network to get their facts correct in most situations.
She glanced at the small table she and Eilaen had recently bought for the den to work on plans for the bakery and realized it would be the perfect place to keep up with her lists, as well as the invoices and receipts for the renovations. Something in her told her that Elkhean would be the perfect dwarf for the job, especially since he was the only being to bother to show up and assess their property’s current situation. She also appreciated how he had also asked to discuss everything pertaining to materials and costs instead of turning around and bolting straight out the door after seeing the project at hand. No, Kaida told herself. There wasn’t anyone else for this job. It’s him. I don’t know what makes me so sure, but Elkhean is the only being I want to make this dream turn into reality.
She sat in her favorite chair and sipped her tea, the aroma of the bread baking beginning to drift into the den almost immediately after her bum connected with the seat. With a wave of her hand, she pulled the bread bowls out and, with Eilaen’s loud, frantic guidance, gently eased the tray onto the island. Her magic was growing by leaps and bounds these days, and the new things that she could do had begun to appear almost daily. She’d just finished her cup of tea when a noise from outside caught her attention. Peeking through the den’s window, she saw Elkhean approaching the gate.
“Ellie! I’ll be back in a moment! Our new friend is here and I promised to meet him at the gate!” Kaida shouted, slipping her feet into her boots and draping her thick cloak around her shoulders.
She opened the door, immediately being greeted by a frosty gust of air and her nose instantly felt cold as ice. Closing the door behind her, she walked the short trek down the path and to the gate. As she reached her side of the gate, Elkaen had reached his. She smiled at him and waved vigorously, unlatching it so he could step through. Quickly, she ushered him to the door, but not before wondering how he wasn’t frozen to death without thicker clothing and more layers.
“Good evening, Elkhean! Did you find us okay?” she asked nervously. The effect he had on her was slightly unnerving. It was a sensation she wasn’t used to feeling. She’d never been so nervous around anyone in her entire life.
He grunted a noise that she took to mean yes and motioned for him to follow her into the house. The moment the door was shut behind her, the warmth that filled the entryway began to envelop her, thawing her nose out. With a shudder, she slid her cloak and boots off, placing them against the wall in their designated places.
“Through here. Follow me,” she told him as she steered him towards the den. Once they reached the den, she stopped and turned back to him. “You’re more than welcome to sit here in the den, or you can follow me into the kitchen and meet Eilaen. It’s up to you.” She gave him her best smile and turned to walk into the kitchen, hearing his heavy footsteps trail behind her. Once in the kitchen, she beckoned him into the room rather than the doorway he stopped at. “Elkhean, this is Eilaen. She’s my best friend, soul sister, and business partner.” She turned to Eilaen. “Ellie, this is Elkhean, our new contractor. At least, I think he is. He certainly seemed as if he was confident in his ability to complete every single one of the jobs we’ll need done to open the bakery.”
She could feel her cheeks turning as red as the thick tomato paste Eilaen used in the vegetable soup. As Eilaen and Elkhean acquainted themselves with one another, Kaida turned her focus to the bread bowls and sliced into them, hollowing them out to hold their soup. When finished, she gently slid them onto plates and poured soup into the center of each one. After clapping her hands together to dust the crumbs off, she turned back to Elkhean and Eilaen and smiled. “Dinner is ready!” she exclaimed, grabbing three large, wooden cups and carrying them to the table.
She came out of their stockroom carrying two pitchers of mead, and Eilaen grabbed hers and Kaida’s plates. Elkhaen picked up his own and followed the halflings into the dining room. After they were all seated comfortably, they began to eat. The room was almost too silent, the atmosphere thick with a strange mixture of awkwardness and anticipation, the tension waiting on someone to speak first and break it. It made Kaida’s skin crawl, and she could feel her mind trying to spiral with the thoughts being held captive for too long. She had never done well in silent rooms for this very reason.
Determined to be the one to break through the thickness, she looked towards the dwarf who, if possible, looked just as uncomfortable as she felt. “Thank you so much for joining us tonight, Elkhean! I wasn’t sure what dwarves preferred food wise, so I hope this is okay?” she asked, uncertainty twisting through her.
“Yes. This is good. My compliments to the chef. I’m assumin’ that’s you, Eilaen?” Elkhean replied, looking up at Eilaen for the first time since sitting at the table.
“Yes! Thank you! But if you think the soup was good, wait until you try Kaida’s cookies! They smell wonderful and taste even better than they smell,” Eilaen replied, beaming at Kaida.
“Speaking of, I’ll be back in a moment!” Kaida lept from her seat and made her way into the kitchen, returning to the dining room in just a few moments. “Here. Try these! I made a new-to-me recipe, and you will not believe how amazing they are until you eat one.” She offered cookies to Eilaen and Elkhean before grabbing one for herself.
Elkhean finished his and then asked for another before eating the second just as quickly as he ate the first. By the time the girls had each finished two cookies, their new dwarven companion had devoured a dozen of the cookies on his own. Eilaen’s eyes looked at the platter and then back to Elkhean in surprise, while Kaida did her best to suppress a surprised giggle. When finished, he wiped the crumbs from his mouth before draining his mug in one large gulp.
Wiping the beads of mead off of his mustache and shaking the remaining cookie crumbs from his beard, he looked at Kaida. “Ms. Kaida. That was the best little dessert I have ever eaten in my life.” He looked at the almost empty platter that sat on the table. “I’m sorry for eatin’ most o’ what you made. I don’t think I ever ate anythin’ that tasted like that,” he sheepishly grinned as he apologized.
Kaida beamed. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. New recipes make me nervous.”
Smiling, Elkhean thanked them both for their kindness and Kaida watched as the tension visibly melted from his shoulders as he began to relax. She couldn’t help staring, wondering what was going on in his head as he sat between the two of them, watching them intently as they discussed their lives but offering very little detail into his. One of these days, she thought, I’m gonna get this dwarf to be comfortable enough around us to be himself. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Six
Eilaen stood up and began to clear the table while Kaida set the kettle on the stove so everyone could have another cup of tea. After the kettle had whistled and she had poured the water into three cups, she selected three of the pre-bagged “after dinner” tea blend and dropped one in each before placing them on the tray before carrying it into the den. Once they had all gotten settled, Elkhean pulled out the sheet of supplies and costs from his pocket, smoothing the wrinkles out as he laid it on the table.
Kaida cleared her throat and readjusted in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She felt her nerves trying to creep in, and she tried her hardest to shut them out. Just this one conversation, she told herself. Keep it together, Kaida. Get through this one conversation and you know it’ll get better.
She sat up in her seat, propping pillows up on her sides. These discussions could get long winded, and she didn’t want to risk getting distracted because she was uncomfortable. “What direction do you think we should go in, Elkhean?” she asked with a smile. She hoped she appeared as professional and confident as she thought she had, but she could never be sure how she appeared to other people. Her brain got in the way too much. Placing her cup and saucer on her table, she laid her hands in her lap, drumming her fingertips on her thighs as she tried to keep the rest of her body still.
“Here’s my idea. We replace every bit o’ floor here in the kitchen. That’ll allow me an’ the crew to get in there an’ get the walls replaced where the rot has ruined it the most before layin’ down any o’ the new floorin’. Once we get that done, we can paint and then lay the floor. Then build an’ put in the counters that you have designed. After that, we can go in the lobby an’ fix whatever damage that may be hidden within the walls or floor. Mind you, that with the amount o’ damage in the kitchen, there’s a high probability it’ll show up in somewhere in the lobby, too. If not now, then in the near future. I’ve seen it in the mountains when fixin’ dwellin’s an’ buildings damaged by stone, weather, an’ water.”
He placed the cost sheet on the top of the pile of papers that rested on the table between the three of them. The amount listed was almost enough to make Kaida puke. In an attempt to hide her impending panic, she tried to do the mental math on how much more they needed for the repairs, the sum being about three times more than she had in her meager bank account. She looked at Eilaen. “Ellie, we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can always try to find somewhere else, anywhere else. Somewhere that doesn’t need so much work if–,” she began.
Eilaen immediately cut her off. “No such thing will come from your mouth anymore, Kaida Louise. You fell in love with this property for a reason, and I have no reason to suspect that we cannot find a way to make this work.” Turning to Elkhean, she asked, “what do you think the timeline would be?”
“Dependin’ on how bad the floor an’ walls are between the rot? Two, maybe three months. If it’s worse than I think it will be, four at the most.”
