Chapter 38
Whitney was hustling around with the water pitcher, flashing the same kind of friendly smile as Roland to all the customers. Rocking her retro look, she was turning heads, and Jennie’s Biscuits was hopping with more folks than usual. Roland was in the weeds with how busy it got,
scrambling to keep up.
Seeing his plight, Lina and Jonah exchanged a puzzled glance before jumping in to help Whitney.
“Hold up, no need. I’ve got this. That’s a nice dress; let’s keep it clean, all right?” Making the biscuit, Roland tried to say, not wanting Whitney
to mess up her outfit.
“Just stick to the baking, Mr. Atkins,” Lina was already dealing out biscuits like cards and juggling to–go orders.
Jonah stood motionless like he was part o
him.
t of the furniture, not having a clue how to pitch in. The guy was raised with people doing this stuff for
Lina brushed by with a tray full of biscuits, and “accidentally stepped right on his shoe. “Move it or lose it, buddy!”
Jonah was itching with anger, but Lina was right. He was, indeed, merely an obstruction in this busy situation.
Whitney couldn’t help but laugh at Jonah’s helplessness. “Maybe you could help Mr. Atkins with the biscuits in the kitchen?” she said.
Jonah took that like a direct order and made a beeline for the kitchen. But getting there, he might as well have landed on another planet. All these pots and pans and no clue what to do with any of them. He was eyeing the biscuit dough like it was gonna bite him, asking himself, “How do I even start?”
“Is there any way I can help, Mr. Atkins?” Jonah ventured, feeling unusually self–conscious.
Roland tossed a look back over his shoulder, “Could you whip up some more dough? I’m running low.”
“O–Of course…” Jonah blinked in confusion, then glanced at the rolling pin and dough on the cutting board. Drawing from memories of the bread–making techniques his family’s servants used, he began to give it a shot.
He didn’t get far, though, because Whitney swooped in. “Might wanna rethink that. You out there, clearing tables–way less of a disaster waiting to happen.” She took the rolling pin like it was second nature, whipping out that dough and chopping it up into perfect little biscuit-
ready squares.
Jonah was blown away by Whitney’s biscuit–making magic. In a flash, she had a whole tray of them ready to go.
She passed the dough to Roland for baking and got right back to work, whipping up more. Roland’s biscuits looked homey, but Whitney’s were next–level cute, perfectly rounded mini masterpieces. “Wow, Winnie, you’re a natural! If your art gig tanks, you could totally rock a bakery,” Jonah gushed, super impressed.
“Enough chit–chat, get moving. Look at that disaster out there…” Just as Jonah started to get pumped up, Lina gave him a not–so–gentle smack on the head and pointed at the mess outside. Jonah bit back his annoyance and got to work clearing the tables, trying really hard not to snap back at Lina.
When the lunch rush finally slowed down, Jonah tossed his rag on a table, dropped into a chair, and just about melted from exhaustion. ” feel like I’m dead on my feet,” he complained, He wanted nothing more than to rest his head on the table, but the thought of how grubby it was made him cringe.
In the kitchen, Whitney remained focused and unhurried, completely absorbed in her tasks.
“Yikes!” Whitney jumped a mile when suddenly a flour–covered hand patted her cheek while she was knee–deep in dough. She quickly wiped her face with her floury hand and turned to see Jonah grinning like he was up to no good.
Chapter 38
Not missing a beat, Whitney grabbed a bunch of flour and chucked it at him, nailing him right in the face. Coughing out flour, Jonah tried to blink it out of his eyes, looking completely ridiculous,
“Haha, you look hilarious!” Lina burst into laughter from another room, but her fun was cut short when Jonah fired back, giving her a full–on flour shower. Lina went from zero to full–on grandma look in a flash. She wasn’t about to let that slide.
Suddenly, the kitchen turned into a full–blown flour fight, and everyone was cracking up as the flour flew everywhere.
Roland stood off to the side, just watching and laughing, clearly loving the good vibes.
As the excitement died down, Whitney felt a p
a pang of embarrassment. They were supposed to be helping Roland, not making a mess.
“Sorry we got your kitchen all messy, Mr. Atkins…” Whitney said, feeling super awkward and gesturing around at all the flour.
Roland just laughed it off. “No worries. Guess I’ll just dock your pay!” But Whitney knew he was just kidding.
Once the laughter settled down, Roland’s eyes wandered to the photos on the wall. “You know, if Jennie were here, she’d be about your age.” he said softly, still wearing a sad smile. The mood turned heavy in a heartbeat. Whitney wasn’t sure what to say.
Finally, she cleared her throat. “Mr. Atkins, I know we just met and all, but I need a favor…”
Roland didn’t hesitate to say yes when Whitney told him about her charity event. He saw it as a ray of hope while he was looking for his daughter. Whitney felt even more respect for Roland. He was clearly something special.
“Mr. Atkins, we all hope Jennie will come home,” Whitney said, hoping these words could offer some kind of comfort. But she instantly felt like those words weren’t enough.
Roland’s eyes lost their sparkle for a second. “Thanks, but I’m learning to live with it.”
wanted to switch topics but didn’t wanna seem insensitive. “Even though Whitney kicked herself mentally, wishing she hadn’t said that. She w we haven’t found Jennie, Mr. Atkins, you’re like family to us now,” Whitney continued. “If there’s ever anything you need, just holler, okay?”
“It’s all good. With you guys helping out around here, I could ditch the apron,” Roland said with a small smile, sliding a fresh plate of biscuits toward her. He looked at them and added, “Thanks, girl. You guys being here… kinda feels like having Jennie back, if only for a little bit.”
