CHAPTER 30
Dawn in London came earlier than usual. Today, Viv had the rare opportunity to wake up before Daph — normally, she would sleep in until around 9 or 10 o'clock in the morning.
Wrenford's Antiquarian & Rare was still closed. Daph was still sleeping soundly in bed, while Viv was in the kitchen, wearing Daph's oversized hoodie that seemed to swallow her whole. She was gently preparing all the ingredients for the Baumkuchen she had promised Daph. Viv planned to bake plenty of cakes to serve other customers when she opened the bookshop about three hours later.
Duke Pudding heard the clang of the oven door, the hum of the electric stove, and caught the aroma of flour and butter — it instantly awakened his senses. He lingered under Viv's slippers, his tail brushing back and forth against her calf.
"Wait a minute, my Duke," Viv murmured to her cat, before taking out his food and pouring it into the blue ceramic bowl shaped like a cat's head in the corner.
Duke Pudding strutted proudly to his bowl as if he had just outwitted a human, then began to eat with an air of nobility and leisure. Viv smirked slightly before returning to the kitchen counter. She was skilled at measuring cake mix, pouring it into molds, and keeping a close eye on the oven temperature. No one quite understood why Viv was good at baking but rather terrible at cooking — at least Daph was the only one who had eaten her meals without complaint so far.
Viv baked about three large Baumkuchen: one for Daph (which she certainly deserved) and the other two for herself and her customers. At 8:30 a.m., Daph wandered sleepily downstairs, stretching her shoulders in the lazy, satisfied way that spoke of a good night's rest. She leaned toward Viv, who was decorating the cake, kissed her on the cheek, and murmured in her still-sleepy voice, "Morning, sweetheart."
Viv's hands didn't stop as she sprinkled flour over the cake, but a small smile appeared on her lips. "Morning, gorgeous," she replied.
As usual, before going to work, Daph stepped into the kitchen to prepare breakfast and, while she was at it, packed lunch for Viv to keep in the refrigerator. Then they kissed goodbye before Daph opened the door and left for work, ready to continue contributing her intellect to the company.When opening time came, customers flowed in and out nonstop — drawn in by the smell of the delicious cake drifting through the street. It was no surprise, considering the bookstore hadn't had any fresh cakes during the time Viv was away on her mission.
"You're so good at making Baumkuchen," an elderly regular customer said as she enjoyed a slice. "I suppose you must have made this many times. It seems difficult to do."
"My girlfriend likes it so much that I searched for the recipe online," Viv replied softly, with a faint smile.The old lady didn't seem surprised — just happily continued eating the cake while reading some ancient poems she had found. The two of them chatted a little more, and it seemed the cake would be gone before Viv could sell a single book today.
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