Sébastien always seemed like a guy of few words. Never one to talk much. Which was absolutely fine, because I wasn't either. But when a very persistent eight year old named Lexi kept pushing him, I noticed his shell slowly start to crack open.

The man who I'd recently discovered was the owner of the bakery, led me and my daughter to the back, where all the magic happened. It was where the large countertops and the big ovens were. Where flour and sugar met and chocolate ganache was created. Where all kinds of special techniques were developed to create something so good people paid to eat and then came back for more.

If I looked in the mirror right now, I'm pretty sure I'd be blinded by the glint in my eyes.

"Wow." I whispered in amazement at the view before me, while I traced my fingertips along the marble countertops.

I could feel Sébastien's eyes burning holes in the back of my head, but only gave in and looked at him when Lexi interrupted the silence. "Seb, do you have a stool?"

He gave Lexi a questioning look and she moved to the countertops, standing on her tiptoes, singling her height with her hand. "I can't reach."

He nodded in realisation and walked out of the kitchen, only to come back in less than a minute with a small stool, placing it by Lexi's position. "Is this okay for you?"

She hopped on it, and nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"Mum?" Lexi called me and I turned my head in her direction. "Chocolate cake?"

What she loved most about cooking and baking was being involved in the whole process, but she was an eight year old nonetheless. She didn't remember the recipe by heart and she still needed my help on most things.

I quickly pulled my blonde hair into a ponytail, and rolled up my sleeves. I can't think of a reason why, but I always did these two things before cooking or baking. I guess it allowed me to feel more concentrated, more focused on the tasks at hand.

Sébastien showed me where the measuring cups were and I fetched all the right ones, handing some to Lexi, so she could measure the dry ingredients first.

A chocolate cake seems to be one of the most basic forms of cake that a baker can create, yet, when done the right way, it can also be the one that distinguishes a good from a bad baker.

Sébastien sat on a high stool, resting his elbows against the countertop that was located in the middle, resembling an island in the middle of the kitchen area. Even with my back turned to him, I could feel his eyes all over me and Lexi, watching our every move while we mixed the flour with the sugar.

Lexi's favourite part about baking? Cracking the eggs. Being still a child, hers wasn't the smoothest way of cracking them but she loved it. I've always told her, the most important thing is to not let any shells fall into the mix.

She tapped the egg against the counter, gently and softly, and with her two delicate hands, she carefully held up the egg just above the bowl, and pushed the two halves aside, letting the inside of the egg fall into the mix.

"Two more eggs." I reminded her. "Don't forget it, Lex."

Lexi nodded in agreement. However, before she could tap another egg against the hard surface, Sébastien came into the picture.

"Lexi, you're very talented." He complimented her with a wide grin. "But I know a special trick. Do you want me to show you?"

She bobbed her head up and down excitedly with a bright smile on her face.

He extended out his hand, holding his palm up so Lexi would place the egg on his hand. Once she did, Sébastien carefully rolled the egg between his fingers and tapped in against the edge of the bowl. In one smooth, swift motion, and holding half of the egg with his thumb and index finger, and the other with his middle finger and his palm, he cracked open the egg and let the jelly content inside the shell fall down effortlessly onto the dry mix and the egg Lexi had previously cracked.

She looked up at him in amazement, and with an amused smile on her lips.

Seeing her reaction, and realising that was exactly what he was aiming for, Sébastien smiled proudly.

"That was so cool!" Lexi said.

The blonde French man handed her the third egg we had in line, and gave her a knowing look.

"You try it, now."

Lexi didn't think twice before taking the egg from his hand, and attempting to achieve the same feat he did. With her small hand and delicate fingers, it proved to be a challenge and she ended up needing his help, but she was just as happy as if she had done it perfectly all by herself.

"Do you have a hand mixer?" I asked the blonde man that stood behind me.

* * *

The amount of time a cake takes to bake and be ready depends on the oven. If it's an electric oven that you can preheat to 175 degrees Celsius, it usually takes about forty to forty-five minutes. But if it's a conventional gas oven - the most common type -, it might take slightly longer, even if you preheat it. That's mainly because the first will provide a constant temperature (although it will take longer to reach it), while the latter provides some temperature swings in a large range (but heats up rather quickly).

L'Amour had both types of ovens, but Sébastien insisted that the gas oven would work out better, but that meant that it would also take longer.

"I think your oven isn't working." Lexi said, dropping her face onto her hands.

Sébastien laughed at her antics and questioned. "Why do you say that?"

"It's taking forever!"

"Good things take time." Was all he said, which seemed to have confused her, but seemed so plain, simple and right to me.

My daughter climbed up the stool to pick up another toothpick, and looked at me, silently asking me to come with her to the oven. She knows better than to use the oven without my help or supervision. I opened the door, letting the thick heat wave wash over me and, after rolling out the tray with the cake, I scotched to the side to let Lexi insert the toothpick in it, to see how close it was to being ready.

The toothpick came out a little wet with the batter and I gave her a negative nod. She threw out the piece of wood and made her way to her seat, going back to the hot chocolate Sébastien had prepared for her (and me) while she (in)patiently waited.

I followed her and took my place next to her, sitting across from Sébastien himself.

"I'm gonna need to know why you chose to reopen the bakery all of the sudden." I stated, before taking a sip of the hot drink.

Sébastien chuckled slightly, running his fingers through his soft stubble, but refrained from answering. So, I continued.

"Because I don't believe it was solely because of what that little one said."

"No, not just her." He waved his hand in Lexi's direction. "You made a pretty good argument as well."

"Me?" I asked in disbelief, thinking about my very unprofessional rant at work the other day.

"Yes." Sébastien didn't elaborate and I chose to let the subject go. For now, at least.

After finishing her drink, Lexi asked me to go to the kitchen with her again, and shortly after, she was coming back to the table, with a toothpick that was dry as a bone.

"It's ready!" She announced, a magical smile dancing on her lips.

I couldn't help but smile as well and after Sébastien slid out of his seat, the three of us made our way back to the oven. I turned it off and just as I was about to put my hands on the door's handle, they met his.

We both chuckled shyly and removed our hands, pulling them back instantly.

"Please." He said as he took a couple of steps back and stood on the sideline, gesturing for me to go on.

I did as told and opened the oven door, pulling out a magnificent chocolate cake that was tall, fluffy, round and hopefully, tasty.

"Mum, look! It's so beautiful!"

"It does look amazing." Sébastien said once he took a good look at it. I placed it on the central countertop, with a proud smile on my face.

I grabbed a plate that Sébastien had already taken out of the boxes and set aside for this, and, in a swift motion, I transferred the cake out of the pan and into the plate.

"You know what we should add on top?" Lexi questioned, and I already knew what she meant - dark and white chocolate frosting.

"Yes." I responded. "But we need to let it cool down a little first."

Sébastien gave Lexi a questioning look and she told him about our special frosting.

"Non..." His French came out. "It's such a shame that I don't get to try it now." He commented.

"Seb, why don't you come over to our house and try the cake?"

"Lexi!" I alerted before turning to Sébastien. "I'm so sorry if she's stepping out of line here."

"No, that's no problem." He showed me another one of his warm, kind smiles, that definitely didn't match the persona, or at least the one he carried around whenever he was wearing his fancy suits, that seemed to serve as a shield.

"Where do you live?" He asked and I stood still for a moment. Frozen in my place. I was expecting anything but this.

"I..." I started but I didn't know what else to say, my brain still processing his latest question.

Sensing my bewilderment and my lack of courage to speak up, he tried to help out. "I would love to come over and try the chocolate cake, if that's okay with you, of course."

"Yes, yes! That's no problem." I turned around and dug my hand into my bag, searching for a pen and paper and after a lot of digging, I eventually found an old receipt of a plant I'd bought. I turned it around and wrote down my address on the blank side of the paper.

Taking a couple of steps back towards him, I then handed him the address I had just written down.

"It's the least I can do for letting us use your kitchen to make the cake." He took the paper from my hand and studied my handwriting. "And for reopening the bakery."

My eyes looked into his, while he flashed me a smile and I found myself doing the same. 

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

If you liked this chapter, you're going to LOVE the next one! ❤

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Xoxo, Mars