Work Text:
Ted hurried out of the office, avoiding questions about where he was going. He drove uptown and smiled as he saw the building just down the road. "Just Desserts", the sign read. He'd seen that sign a million times.
He parked and opened the door. Carol looked up at the jingle of the bell. "Hey, Ted," she greeted him, as cheerful as ever. "How's Ken?"
"Pretty good." He still wasn't used to hearing her call his boss by his first name. "You haven't told him, right?"
Carol laughed. "No, just like every time you ask. I don't know why you're so paranoid, Ted."
"If my coworkers knew I own a bakery, they'd never let me hear the end of it."
"Co-own," Carol reminded him with a smile.
"Co-own. Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "Just let me in the kitchen, Carol." Ted opened the door and walked into his favorite room in the world. He breathed in the delicious smell of cinnamon and smiled. After washing his hands, he slipped on his apron. He grabbed the ingredients to make his favorite dessert, red velvet cupcakes. He preheated the oven and papered the pan.
Carol walked in and hung up her apron as he was mixing the dry ingredients. "I'm wrapping up for the day, can you close tonight?"
"Sure, Carol," he grinned. "See you later."
"Thanks! Bye," she smiled back at him. The bell jingled again as she left.
He added in the rest of the ingredients and mixed them. When it was smooth, he poured the batter into the pans and put it in the oven. He set the timer and started making the frosting, taking a sample when he had finished. Perfect. He was surprised when he heard a jingle and two people walking in. Through the kitchen door, he heard a young girl's voice.
"Come on, my dad told me the desserts are great."
"I don't know, is there even anybody here? No one's behind the counter."
Ted looked through the small window in the door and sighed when he recognized one of them as Alice, with a girl he assumed was Deb. He didn't want Bill's daughter to see him here, but they were still customers. He knew he couldn't just hide in the kitchen like the fucking coward he was. He had to go out and face them. God, he was acting like Paul, being scared of two teenagers. He took off his apron, grabbed the doorknob and walked out behind the counter, hoping this would be quick.
Alice gasped the second she saw him. Of course she recognized him. "Mr. McLaughlin?" And of course she used his last name.
"What?"
"Dad didn't tell me you worked here!"
"Ha, no. My, uh, my girlfriend owns the place." He awkwardly forced a chuckle.
"If my dad's correct, his boss's wife owns this bakery. So you've either got some explaining to do, or you've got some real explaining to do," Alice smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"And dude, you have frosting in your moustache," Deb chimed in. "You aren't fooling anyone."
"Fine." Ted put his hands up in surrender. "You caught me. I like to bake, and I co-own Just Desserts. Your dad didn't tell you 'cause I didn't tell him." He paused. "And no, by the way, I am not with my boss's wife."
Alice giggled. "I didn't think so." They ordered a slice of (vegan) cake to share and thanked Ted before sitting down at one of the tables. He tried to get back to his cupcakes, but Alice stopped him. "Mr. McLaughlin! This is delicious! Did you make this?"
He sighed. Why lie? He had nothing left to hide. Well, except Charlotte, but she was unrelated. "Yeah."
"Why don't you tell people you bake? This is the best cake I've ever had!" Deb told him, taking another bite.
Ted wasn't about to pour his heart out to two seventeen-year-olds. "Just don't tell Bill."
"Got anything to sweeten the deal?" Deb asked, leaning back in her chair.
"Deb!" Alice scolded, lightly hitting her girlfriend's shoulder. "Don't listen to her, Mr. McLaughlin."
"Eh, it was worth a shot," she chuckled. Ted didn't get why Bill didn't like this kid, she was great.
He turned and walked back to the kitchen. Two minutes left. Just in time. He put his apron back on and washed his hands again. He couldn't help glowing from the compliments. The timer dinged and he opened up the oven door. He stuck a toothpick into one of the cupcakes. Clean. He put on oven mitts and pulled out the cupcake tin. They needed to cool before he could frost them. As he was moving the cupcakes from the tin to the cooling rack, he heard another jingle and Alice calling back a thanks.
~•~ Three months later ~•~
Ted smiled to himself. The office party was going great. He had made something special for the occasion: a chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting, topped with crumbled graham crackers and bruleed marshmallow rosettes on the border. He had begged Carol to say she'd made it, to her reluctant agreement.
"You're going to have to tell them someday, Ted," she whispered as she passed him, walking toward her husband. He knew that. He just couldn't that day. He wasn't ready yet.
"Ted! Have you tried this cake?" Paul asked, grinning ear to ear. Ted tried his hardest not to smile back as he shook his head. "You've got to. This is delicious."
"I'll think about it, Paul."
Bill walked in with Deb and Alice. They greeted Bill's coworkers and noticed the cake. The girls made eye contact with Ted. He nodded slightly. Alice got a slice and they walked over to him.
"Have you told anybody?" Alice asked.
"No."
Deb chuckled. "Fuckin' coward."
"Anyone tell ya you smell like pot, kid?"
"Anyone tell ya you smell like nutmeg, dude?"