My first Christmas prompt, for https://twitter.com/idrinkmyfriends on twitter. The prompt was “Food.” I hope I did okay?
“Are the ovens hot enough for another loaf?” Eliza asked, shuffling the round dough into a bread pan.
“Should be,” Rachel replied. “Are you sure we need another one, though? We’ve already filled the case out front.”
“It’s nearly the holidays,” Eliza answered. “You know we’re going to get all those religious pilgrims in addition to the normal customers today.”
“Hm, true.” Rachel took the pan from Eliza and slid it into the depths of the oven. “Did Martin clean out the empty stalls in the stable? We’ll need them today.”
“He’s doing it now,” Eliza said. She reached picked up a pastry from the far table and held it to Rachel’s lips. “Try. They should be cool enough to eat now.”
Rachel bit into it, and then cupped her hands to catch the crumbs and gently-oozing strawberry filling. “Good,” she said, grinning. She licked the filling off her lips and pecked a quick kiss on Eliza’s cheek. “Thank you for breakfast.”
“Yes, well, you’ll need it today, won’t you? I think they’re opening the outpost now. We’re going to be stuffed full of people in quarter of an hour at most.”
Rachel laughed and picked up a pastry and held it to Eliza’s lips. “Then you, eat, too.”
Eliza took the pastry and ate it in one messy bite, then wiped her lips. “Thanks.”
Rachel took her hands. “Anything else we need to get done before the customers come in needing food? Did you get cider waiting?”’
In that case, with the front stocked with food and second and third batches of bread, cakes, meat pies, and pudding in the oven already, Rachel couldn’t think of any way to spend the next few minutes before the chaos of morning other than a few quiet moments with Eliza. Soon the sleeping patrons crowding the floors of the outpost near the hearth, desperate for a warm place to sleep on their travels. would be woken and forced from their beds, and the first place they would stop would be for food before continuing on their ways.
Eliza squeezed Rachel’s hands in hers and Rachel grinned. Soon, it would be busy and they wouldn’t have a moment’s rest for hours, but for now, at least, she was surrounded by nothing but the scent of yeast and flour and the warmth of Eliza’s smile.
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