Page 36 of Frosting and Flames

“Well, isn’t it your parents’ responsibility ultimately? Even if they aren’t here right now? Aren’t they the owners?”

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “Don’t get me started on them.”

A part of me wants to smile that she’s opening up to me in some small way like this, but I don’t. “You need to vent?”

She sighs. “They haven’t been running it well since Grandma died and they took over. That’s why I came back to Aurora a couple of years ago. To help out. But they won’t take my suggestions seriously. Won’t advertise, won’t digitize anything. They’re big into the wholethis is the way we’ve always done thingsshtick. As if technology and consumer buying habits haven’t changed in the past couple of decades.”

Consumer buying habits? This is getting advanced.

“Sorry.” She holds her hands to her temples. “I shouldn’t be dumping this on you. Or, you know, divulging family secrets.” She gives a faint laugh, though she clearly doesn’t find it funny. “You caught me on a bad day.”

I want to tell her she can talk to me about anything. That I love hearing her voice. That I want to be someone she can confide in.

I’m fairly sure we’re not at that point, though.

“I’m an excellent secret keeper,” I joke instead. “You wouldn’t believe what I know about Mrs. Klassen.”

At that, she does laugh, and I mentally savor the sound.

“Actually, I have a secret about her,” she says, something mischievous in her tone.

“Really?” I was only joking. What could our town librarian have hidden up her sleeve?

She nods. “She reads spicy romances. Like… super spicy.”

My eyes widen. “I didn’t need to know that.”

“Well, if I have to be burdened with the knowledge, now you do, too.”

“Hmm. Well, when you think about it, it makes sense. I mean, look at Mr. Klassen.” He would take first place in a most boring man alive contest.

“Oh my God, stop.” She pushes playfully at my arm, and it’s all I can do not to reach out and ask her to touch me again, reveling in the sparkle in her eye.

“Sorry,” she says, awkwardly moving her hand behind her as she tucks her chin down toward her chest.

“It’s fine.” More than fine.

“I guess I needed a laugh. The past couple of days have been stressful preparing all these orders. Although, it’s kind of my fault for advertising.”

“Have to move into the twenty-first century sometime, right? Even if it’s a quarter of a century late. And whatever you put in that ad must have worked.”

Her responding smile this time seems more natural. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

I want to keep that smile on her face. “I know you’re stressed, but did you have anything positive that came out of advertising? Like a fun order?”

She takes a moment to think about it. “Ingrid’s husband ordered her a dozen cupcakes piped to look like a bouquet of redroses. That was really sweet. And rare. You wouldn’t believe how many guys order things for their mothers but not their wives for Mother’s Day. You know, the mother of their children.”

I don’t have experience ordering for either, but I understand what she means. “That sounds nice.”

She looks down at her feet, then pushes away from the wall. “I should get back in there.”

I nod, though I don’t want our time together to be over. “I can help. If you want.”

Her lips twist. “It’s Saturday. I can’t let you waste your weekend. Don’t you have plans?”

I shake my head. “You wildly overestimate my social life. I promise I have nothing going on today.” Naps be damned. I would much rather be here with her. “And you’ve already helped me a ton with the fundraiser ideas. It’s the least I could do.”

She chews on her bottom lip. “Maybe just until we’re a little more caught up. We keep helping each other out of jams, don’t we?”

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