lot of it. Mary knows a ton about bread making. I just helped her mix more dough than I ever thought possible. Because we’re cooking the dinner there, I brought all of the dough here so it could finish rising and we could bake it.”
My mouth watered at the idea of bread fresh from the oven.
“What can I do to help?” I asked, already kicking off my shoes.
Mary didn’t just know things about bread, she possessed some kind of powerful voodoo, too, because the bread that came out of the oven several hours later was pure magic.
“Stop stuffing your face and help me wrap this one up,” Emily said with a laugh. “We need to get to Mary’s for tonight’s dinner.”
We left a few loaves cooling on the stove and wrapped the rest to carry with us. They warmed my arms and teased my nose as we walked. It didn’t matter that I’d already eaten half a loaf. I wanted more.
Unfortunately, not all the loaves made it to Mary’s house, so I had no hope of a second round of gluttony. Emily had given several loaves to the fey we encountered along with directions of where they were to be delivered.
“But why?” I asked as the third to last loaf left us.
“Because if people taste what we can do, I’m hoping a few will be interested in taking up the task. It’s a skill that more of us need to learn.”
“You mean, you hope someone will step up to be a full-time baker for the community?”
“Exactly. There are so many idle hands right now. Angel’s idea about teaching the fey how to provide a non-sexual massage is a great one, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. We need to think bigger if we want to become self-sufficient. We need a bakery.”
Emily had been more than a little intrigued when I’d retold that morning’s events. Angel’s suggestion had sparked an explosion of ideas in Emily’s head. She seriously wanted a list of everyone’s skills to determine what roles people could fill, and she wanted to find out what the skill levels were so she could determine what kind of cross training needed to happen.
A fey jogged past and gave us a friendly nod. Emily smiled and said hello then turned on me with an urgent expression.
“And people who know how to sew. Clothes that fit will make the fey appear less intimidating.”
I looked around at all the fey. Most of them wore items that were too small.
“I don’t think they look intimidating. They look two seconds away from pointing the direction of the nearest beach, though.”
She snorted.
“Look further south for intimidation,” she said from the side of her mouth.
I did, and my mouth popped open a little. The fey who no longer wore his leather leggings had opted for cotton joggers, likely because the material stretched more than jean. And jeans in fey sizes were nearly impossible to find. That meant the fey’s one-size-too-small pants were plastered to the impressive lengths of his flaccid meat stick.
“If you look too long, it moves,” Emily said, elbowing me in the side.
Averting my gaze, I tightened my hold on the bread.
“Why did you have to show me that? I was walking around in a beautiful state of ignorance.”
“Ha. No, you weren’t. You’re the one who pointed it out to me when we first got here.”
Well, that explained why I couldn’t remember. My drinking had been escalating hard by then. I shifted my thoughts away from drinking.
“So a baker, a tailor, and what else?”
“We already have a doctor, but we should maybe talk to Cassie about taking someone under her wing.” Her expression lit up. “That’d be perfect.”
“Talk me through your epiphany.”
“Kerr’s already learning things because he’s her assistant. The fey aren’t squeamish. I mean, obviously, right? They rip off heads like it’s nothing. If Cassie can teach another fey, because I don’t think Kerr would be willing to leave Cassie to do house calls, we’d have a fey doctor who could help treat humans at Tenacity.”
“Anyone sick over there would probably just ask for Cassie,” I said.
“They get what they get,” Emily replied stubbornly.
“I think it’s a good idea. Not the forcing who they see part but getting people to learn different skills. You’re right that we need to think bigger. Someone who knows how to care for animals and to watch over them would be good, too. Maybe, someday, even a butcher?”