Page 22 of Pretty Desperate (Pine Village #6)
I toss my napkin onto the table and move my salad plate to the side. “I wish I would have thought of it sooner, honestly. She has a solid business, but I know how hard it can be during the non-tourist seasons.”
“Very true,” Gabe agrees, finishing off his salad and checking his watch. “I hate to eat and run, but I have patients scheduled to start soon.
I wave him off. “You’re fine. I’m just glad I got to see you for a bit.” He pulls his wallet out as he climbs from the booth, but I wave it off. “I got it.”
He drops a few bills on the table. “I’ll at least cover the tip.”
I nod. “I’ll let you know about dinner.”
“Sounds good. Say hello to Jillian for me.”
“I will.”
And then he’s off, walking back to the clinic to see more patients.
I slip from the booth and head for the front counter where the register is. “Sorry, I didn’t get back over there. Was everything all right?” Ellie asks, setting our bill down in front of me.
“It was perfect, thank you. Gabe had to get back to the clinic.” I pull enough cash from my own wallet to cover our lunches.
She nods, tapping on the register until it opens to make change. “Usually, they don’t even have time to sit and eat. They always take it to go and eat together at the clinic.”
“I believe Blair has the afternoon off today,” I confirm, taking the change Ellie hands over. “Thanks for lunch. It was delicious.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by. Oh, and can I just say I’m loving you and Jillian together? She’s the sweetest.”
I can’t help but smile. “She is.”
Ellie stands up straight and leans in, hands firmly on her hips. “You better treat her right or else you’ll deal with all of us.”
“I will. Promise.” With that, I head out of the diner, waving to a few patrons I know as I go.
The moment I hit the sidewalk I know exactly where I’m going. The restaurant is closed again today, and while there’s always something I can do there, I don’t have anything pressing that needs my attention.
The walk to the bakery is short, and the moment I pull open the door, I’m hit with the scent of sugar and cinnamon, two things I will forever associate with Jillian. She’s behind her display case, moving pastries around on the trays and pulling out the empty ones. She glances up and smiles. “Hi.”
“Hey,” I say, making my way toward her. I’ve made several visits to her place, grabbing a cup of coffee on my way to the restaurant, but this is the first time I’ve arrived in the afternoon.
It’s quiet, only one table occupied by a couple of older ladies.
They appear to be enjoying coffee or tea and a sweet treat as they visit.
“What brings you in? On your way to the restaurant?”
“No, I just had lunch with Gabe. He invited me to meet him for a quick bite while he took lunch.”
She sets the empty trays on the back counter and gives me her full attention. “Blair didn’t join you?”
“No, Wrenlee had a doctor’s appointment, so it was just Gabe.”
“Isn’t it funny they’re both doctors and they take their daughter to a different doctor?” she asks with a giggle.
“Yeah, I assume they didn’t want to treat their own child, which I don’t blame them.”
“Oh, me either,” she quickly adds, waving her hand. “It’s just comical to me. I’m weird like that.”
I look around once more, noting the calm and quiet. Even with the group of ladies enjoying an afternoon treat, there’s a relaxed, peaceful vibe. “What do you have that’s good?” I ask, taking in her display case.
“Everything.” She flashes me a smile, one that I return. “It’s pretty picked over by this point in the day, but the good news is afternoon pastries are half price.”
I glance up, giving her a quizzical look. “They are? Why?”
“Well, I don’t want leftovers in my line of work.
Pastries aren’t as good the next day, and they don’t sell well.
So, I bake what I think I can sell that day.
My breakfast pastries are a huge hit. There are always people who stop by in the mid-morning or early afternoon for a sweet treat to get them through the day, so I offer anything left in the case after twelve at half price.
Sometimes it’s completely gone by twelve thirty and other times, it takes until closer to two. ”
“Huh,” I reply, giving her business model some consideration. I can understand why she does it, but I can’t help but wonder how much revenue she’s losing by offering it at half price.
“I’d rather recoup some of the money than just completely throw it away, which is what I would end up doing if it didn’t sell by the time I lock the door,” she adds, as if reading my mind.
“Makes sense.” Scanning the case, I take note of what’s left. A few dozen cookies in a variety of flavors, a couple slices of cake, and some jumbo cupcakes. “I’ll take a cupcake, please,” I say, pointing to the one with fresh blueberries on top.
“That’s lemon,” she informs me. “With a vanilla buttercream and fresh blueberries.”
“Sounds good,” I reply. I’m not usually much of a sweets guy, but I do admit her offerings always sound so damn delicious.
She places the cupcake on a small ceramic plate and asks, “Would you like something to drink?”
I look up at the menu on the wall. “How about one of those fancy teas.”
She nods. “Any particular flavor?”
“You choose. I’m not picky,” I tell her, reaching into my wallet and pulling out some cash.
She makes me tea with blueberry and sets it on the counter. “This will enhance the blueberry flavoring in the cupcake.”
I nod, taking the drink. “How much?”
She waves off my question. “On the house.”
My eyes narrow. “How much?”
Jillian crosses her arms and lifts her chin. “I got it.”
Sighing, I take the cash I was about to give her for my purchases and slip it into the tip jar.
“You don’t have to do that,” she insists.
“Yes, I do,” I tell her, taking my cup and my plate and heading toward a table as far away from the older ladies as I can get.
So I can enjoy my dessert in peace.
And appreciate one hell of a view.