We have orders coming out of our ears and we need cake. Dammit! Nothing happens in the bakery without the mixers... Elias, how did this happen?’
Elias shifted on his feet and stared at a point behind her head. ‘I did tell you, Miss Ellie...the mixers...they need service. Did tell you...bad noise.’
Ellie scrubbed her face with her hands. He was right. He had told her—numerous times—but she’d been so busy, feeling so overwhelmed, and the mixers had been working. It had been on her list of things to do but it had kept getting shoved to the bottom when, really, it should have been at the top.
Ellie placed her hands over her face again and shook her head. What was she going to do?
When she eventually dropped her hands she saw that Elias was walking out of earshot. Jack had obviously signalled that they needed some privacy. He placed his hands on the mixer and lifted his eyebrows at Ellie.
‘Dropped the ball on this one, didn’t you?’ he remarked.
Ellie glared at him, her blue eyes laser-bright. ‘In between juggling the orders and paying the staff and placing orders for supplies, I somehow forgot to schedule a service for the mixers! Stupid me.’ She folded her arms across her chest as she paced the small area between them.
‘It was, actually, since this is the heartbeat of your business.’
Did he think she didn’t know that? ‘I messed up. I get it... It’s something I’m doing a lot of lately.’
‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start thinking about how you’re going to fix the problem,’ Jack snapped.
She felt the instinctive urge to slap him...slap something .
‘You can indulge in self-pity later, but right now your entire production has stopped and you’re wasting daylight.’
His words shocked some sense into her, but she reserved the right to indulge in some hysterics later. ‘I need to get someone here to fix these mixers...’ Ellie saw him shake his head and she threw up her hands. ‘What have I said wrong now?’
‘Priorities, Ellie. What are you going to do about your orders?’
‘You mean the mixers,’ Ellie corrected him.
Jack shook his head and reached for the paper slips that were stuck on a wooden beam to the right of the mixers. ‘No, I mean the orders. Prioritise the orders and get...what was his name...Elias...to start hand-mixing the batter for the cakes that are most urgent.’
That made sense, Ellie thought, reluctantly impressed.
Ellie took the slips he held out and a pen and quickly prioritised the orders. ‘Okay, that’s done. I’ll get him working on these.’
Jack nodded and looked at the mixers. ‘Are these under guarantee or anything?’
‘No. Why?’
‘Got a toolbox?’
‘A toolbox? Why? What for?’
‘While Elias starts the hand-mixing I’ll take a look at these mixers. I know my way around machines and motors. It’s probably just a broken drive belt or a stripped gear.’
‘Where on earth would you have learnt about machines and motors?’ Ellie demanded, bemused.
‘Ellie, I spend a good portion of my life in Third World countries, on Third World roads, using Third World transportation. I’ve broken down more times in more crappy cars than you’ve made wedding cakes. Since I’m not the type to hang about waiting for someone else to get things working, I get stuck in. I can now, thanks to the tutelage of some amazing bush mechanics, fix most things.’
Ellie shut her flapping mouth and swallowed. ‘Okay, well...uh...there’s a basic toolbox in the storeroom and a hardware store down the road if you need anything else.’
Jack put his hands on his hips. ‘And get on that phone and get someone here to service those mixers. I might be able to get them running but they’ll still need a service.’
Ellie looked at him, baffled at this take-charge Jack. ‘Jack—thank you.’
‘Get one of the staff to bring me that toolbox, will you?’ Jack crouched on his haunches at the back of one of the machines and started to
Elias shifted on his feet and stared at a point behind her head. ‘I did tell you, Miss Ellie...the mixers...they need service. Did tell you...bad noise.’
Ellie scrubbed her face with her hands. He was right. He had told her—numerous times—but she’d been so busy, feeling so overwhelmed, and the mixers had been working. It had been on her list of things to do but it had kept getting shoved to the bottom when, really, it should have been at the top.
Ellie placed her hands over her face again and shook her head. What was she going to do?
When she eventually dropped her hands she saw that Elias was walking out of earshot. Jack had obviously signalled that they needed some privacy. He placed his hands on the mixer and lifted his eyebrows at Ellie.
‘Dropped the ball on this one, didn’t you?’ he remarked.
Ellie glared at him, her blue eyes laser-bright. ‘In between juggling the orders and paying the staff and placing orders for supplies, I somehow forgot to schedule a service for the mixers! Stupid me.’ She folded her arms across her chest as she paced the small area between them.
‘It was, actually, since this is the heartbeat of your business.’
Did he think she didn’t know that? ‘I messed up. I get it... It’s something I’m doing a lot of lately.’
‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start thinking about how you’re going to fix the problem,’ Jack snapped.
She felt the instinctive urge to slap him...slap something .
‘You can indulge in self-pity later, but right now your entire production has stopped and you’re wasting daylight.’
His words shocked some sense into her, but she reserved the right to indulge in some hysterics later. ‘I need to get someone here to fix these mixers...’ Ellie saw him shake his head and she threw up her hands. ‘What have I said wrong now?’
‘Priorities, Ellie. What are you going to do about your orders?’
‘You mean the mixers,’ Ellie corrected him.
Jack shook his head and reached for the paper slips that were stuck on a wooden beam to the right of the mixers. ‘No, I mean the orders. Prioritise the orders and get...what was his name...Elias...to start hand-mixing the batter for the cakes that are most urgent.’
That made sense, Ellie thought, reluctantly impressed.
Ellie took the slips he held out and a pen and quickly prioritised the orders. ‘Okay, that’s done. I’ll get him working on these.’
Jack nodded and looked at the mixers. ‘Are these under guarantee or anything?’
‘No. Why?’
‘Got a toolbox?’
‘A toolbox? Why? What for?’
‘While Elias starts the hand-mixing I’ll take a look at these mixers. I know my way around machines and motors. It’s probably just a broken drive belt or a stripped gear.’
‘Where on earth would you have learnt about machines and motors?’ Ellie demanded, bemused.
‘Ellie, I spend a good portion of my life in Third World countries, on Third World roads, using Third World transportation. I’ve broken down more times in more crappy cars than you’ve made wedding cakes. Since I’m not the type to hang about waiting for someone else to get things working, I get stuck in. I can now, thanks to the tutelage of some amazing bush mechanics, fix most things.’
Ellie shut her flapping mouth and swallowed. ‘Okay, well...uh...there’s a basic toolbox in the storeroom and a hardware store down the road if you need anything else.’
Jack put his hands on his hips. ‘And get on that phone and get someone here to service those mixers. I might be able to get them running but they’ll still need a service.’
Ellie looked at him, baffled at this take-charge Jack. ‘Jack—thank you.’
‘Get one of the staff to bring me that toolbox, will you?’ Jack crouched on his haunches at the back of one of the machines and started to
Similar Books
