“I finally know what I want! Yes, I think I’ll have one scoop of the арахис Brittle and one scoop of the Decadent Hot Chocolate. I’ll have a cup, please.”
I sighed in relief. The customer standing before me on the other side of the ice cream counter had been deciding what she wanted for the last five минуты and the line behind her was growing considerably. I felt like I was starting to get frost bite from standing over the open кулер, охладитель for too long awaiting her choice. I heaped generous scoops of her chosen flavors into a purple striped cup stamped with the store’s Decadence logo and handed it to my assistant Stacy. She would add the toppings.
“Next, please!”
Stacy and I worked in companionable silence for the Далее twenty minutes, serving the seemingly endless line until the last customer of the lunch rush finally left the store. The accompanying jingle of the bells that signaled someone’s arrival или departure echoed across the now almost empty walls of the store.
“Wow, I can’t believe how busy it is today. This week, even!”, Stacy finished rinsing off the scoops in a sink behind the counter and laid them to dry in a rack. She turned to me with her pretty ocean blue eyes and flipped her yellow-blonde hair from over her shoulder. “I mean, it hasn’t been that busy since July 4th! What gives?”
“Well, the yearly Entreprenural convention is being held at the lodge this year. I think that’s why.” I took a rag from behind the counter and spritzed it with our custom cleaner to wipe down the front of the shop. “Florence told me she and Grant haven’t had a single empty сиденье, место, сиденья from open to close down at the Corner Café for three days now,” I scrubbed a таблица in the corner with vigor. “It’s been a packed house.”
“Oh yeah, Kevin told me about that. He сказал(-а) even the Red кленовый, клен Inn has been packed to the gills too.” She came over to the таблица I was scrubbing and dislodged the gunk with a scraper, then she looked around the empty Магазин as if she had a secret to tell and narrowed her gaze on me. “Don’t tell anyone I told Ты this, but Kevin also сказал(-а) some of the guests have been a little…well, difficult to say the least. One of them screamed in his face over a room misunderstanding.”
“Wow, that’s a little extreme. Even on a supposed vacation, these business types can’t seem to relax.”
“I know. Well, Ты won’t tell anyone will you? Kevin could lose his job, and that’s the last thing we need.”
“Promise. My lips are sealed.” I mimed zipping my lips and throwing away the key, then smiled at her. “Why don’t Ты take your lunch now? I can take mine after.”
“Are Ты sure?,” she flipped her thick mane of curls to look at the ice cream cone clock on the Стена behind her then turned back to me, “Well if it’s alright with you. Maybe I could catch Kevin at work. He has lunch around one also.”
“No problem. Have fun and tell Kevin hi for me!” I smiled at her retreating back out the front door and picked up the book I was reading. After flipping a few pages of the latest mystery, I was almost to the reveal of whodunit when the bells signaling someone had entered the Магазин rang out. I suppressed a groan and placed my book down. When I looked up, I was met with the most intense gray eyes I had ever seen. Attached was an equally compelling face with a mane of dirty blonde hair I briefly thought about running my fingers through. He gazed down at me with a mega watt smile.
“Hi there, I’m sorry to inconvenience Ты but do Ты think I could get a bowl of water?”
“A bowl…of water?”, I looked up at him with confusion.
“Yes. For my dog, Chester.”
I managed to tear my eyes away from his to look down at the leash he held in his hand. Another set of striking eyes looked back at me, these attached to an adorable golden retriever. I bent down to pet him and he licked my face with vigor.
“Sorry, he’s a friendly guy. Stop that, Chester.”
“It’s no problem.”
“A sign on your Магазин window сказал(-а) Ты allow animals,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “I hope it’s okay he’s in here.”
“Oh absolutely! We are an animal loving town,” I set down a brimming bowl of ice cold water for Chester and he lapped it up eagerly. “Can I get Ты anything?” I turned my attention back to the owner with the gray eyes and winning smile.
“I probably shouldn’t. It would set a bad example, but why not? I’ve been eyeing that банан Cream Pie since I walked in so I’ll have a scoop of that.”
“Coming right up. Do Ты prefer cone или cup?”
“Cup please. It’ll be easier to handle with this rascal in my other hand,” he gazed lovingly down at Chester who had now stopped lapping the water and was chasing his tail.
After scooping the chosen ice cream into a cup and handing it to him, I finally caught what he сказал(-а) earlier. “A bad example? What did Ты mean by that?”
“I’m the new doctor in town. Evan Forrester. And Ты are?”
“Carly. Carly Frost. Nice to meet you.” I smiled and shook his outstretched hand, which was lightly calloused. Not that I noticed.
“Mmm. Very decadent indeed.”
I was stunned into momentary silence. Was he hitting on me? I felt a light blush creeping its way up my neck and onto my cheeks. Seeing my hesitancy, he clarified, “The ice cream, I mean” then winked at me. He actually winked. I may have cleared my throat a little too loud unnecessarily.
“Chester and I both thank Ты for our cool treats. I’d like to say I hope you’ll visit me, but that would mean you’d be sick and well, I’d be a bad doctor to wish that on anyone.” He laughed and I think I felt my knees weaken a bit as I grasped the counter for support. I was barely able to lift a hand to wave goodbye. Out the front window, I saw Stacy walk up just as he was leaving. Her gaze lingered a little too long on his retreating back. Not that I noticed her noticing him.
I sighed in relief. The customer standing before me on the other side of the ice cream counter had been deciding what she wanted for the last five минуты and the line behind her was growing considerably. I felt like I was starting to get frost bite from standing over the open кулер, охладитель for too long awaiting her choice. I heaped generous scoops of her chosen flavors into a purple striped cup stamped with the store’s Decadence logo and handed it to my assistant Stacy. She would add the toppings.
“Next, please!”
Stacy and I worked in companionable silence for the Далее twenty minutes, serving the seemingly endless line until the last customer of the lunch rush finally left the store. The accompanying jingle of the bells that signaled someone’s arrival или departure echoed across the now almost empty walls of the store.
“Wow, I can’t believe how busy it is today. This week, even!”, Stacy finished rinsing off the scoops in a sink behind the counter and laid them to dry in a rack. She turned to me with her pretty ocean blue eyes and flipped her yellow-blonde hair from over her shoulder. “I mean, it hasn’t been that busy since July 4th! What gives?”
“Well, the yearly Entreprenural convention is being held at the lodge this year. I think that’s why.” I took a rag from behind the counter and spritzed it with our custom cleaner to wipe down the front of the shop. “Florence told me she and Grant haven’t had a single empty сиденье, место, сиденья from open to close down at the Corner Café for three days now,” I scrubbed a таблица in the corner with vigor. “It’s been a packed house.”
“Oh yeah, Kevin told me about that. He сказал(-а) even the Red кленовый, клен Inn has been packed to the gills too.” She came over to the таблица I was scrubbing and dislodged the gunk with a scraper, then she looked around the empty Магазин as if she had a secret to tell and narrowed her gaze on me. “Don’t tell anyone I told Ты this, but Kevin also сказал(-а) some of the guests have been a little…well, difficult to say the least. One of them screamed in his face over a room misunderstanding.”
“Wow, that’s a little extreme. Even on a supposed vacation, these business types can’t seem to relax.”
“I know. Well, Ты won’t tell anyone will you? Kevin could lose his job, and that’s the last thing we need.”
“Promise. My lips are sealed.” I mimed zipping my lips and throwing away the key, then smiled at her. “Why don’t Ты take your lunch now? I can take mine after.”
“Are Ты sure?,” she flipped her thick mane of curls to look at the ice cream cone clock on the Стена behind her then turned back to me, “Well if it’s alright with you. Maybe I could catch Kevin at work. He has lunch around one also.”
“No problem. Have fun and tell Kevin hi for me!” I smiled at her retreating back out the front door and picked up the book I was reading. After flipping a few pages of the latest mystery, I was almost to the reveal of whodunit when the bells signaling someone had entered the Магазин rang out. I suppressed a groan and placed my book down. When I looked up, I was met with the most intense gray eyes I had ever seen. Attached was an equally compelling face with a mane of dirty blonde hair I briefly thought about running my fingers through. He gazed down at me with a mega watt smile.
“Hi there, I’m sorry to inconvenience Ты but do Ты think I could get a bowl of water?”
“A bowl…of water?”, I looked up at him with confusion.
“Yes. For my dog, Chester.”
I managed to tear my eyes away from his to look down at the leash he held in his hand. Another set of striking eyes looked back at me, these attached to an adorable golden retriever. I bent down to pet him and he licked my face with vigor.
“Sorry, he’s a friendly guy. Stop that, Chester.”
“It’s no problem.”
“A sign on your Магазин window сказал(-а) Ты allow animals,” he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, “I hope it’s okay he’s in here.”
“Oh absolutely! We are an animal loving town,” I set down a brimming bowl of ice cold water for Chester and he lapped it up eagerly. “Can I get Ты anything?” I turned my attention back to the owner with the gray eyes and winning smile.
“I probably shouldn’t. It would set a bad example, but why not? I’ve been eyeing that банан Cream Pie since I walked in so I’ll have a scoop of that.”
“Coming right up. Do Ты prefer cone или cup?”
“Cup please. It’ll be easier to handle with this rascal in my other hand,” he gazed lovingly down at Chester who had now stopped lapping the water and was chasing his tail.
After scooping the chosen ice cream into a cup and handing it to him, I finally caught what he сказал(-а) earlier. “A bad example? What did Ты mean by that?”
“I’m the new doctor in town. Evan Forrester. And Ты are?”
“Carly. Carly Frost. Nice to meet you.” I smiled and shook his outstretched hand, which was lightly calloused. Not that I noticed.
“Mmm. Very decadent indeed.”
I was stunned into momentary silence. Was he hitting on me? I felt a light blush creeping its way up my neck and onto my cheeks. Seeing my hesitancy, he clarified, “The ice cream, I mean” then winked at me. He actually winked. I may have cleared my throat a little too loud unnecessarily.
“Chester and I both thank Ты for our cool treats. I’d like to say I hope you’ll visit me, but that would mean you’d be sick and well, I’d be a bad doctor to wish that on anyone.” He laughed and I think I felt my knees weaken a bit as I grasped the counter for support. I was barely able to lift a hand to wave goodbye. Out the front window, I saw Stacy walk up just as he was leaving. Her gaze lingered a little too long on his retreating back. Not that I noticed her noticing him.