Bread

Previously: “Chester and I both thank you 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.

“Wow wow wow! Who in the world is that hottie?,” she put her purse in a cupboard under...

“I finally know what I want! Yes, I think I’ll have one scoop of the Peanut 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 minutes and the line behind her was growing considerably. I felt like I was starting to get frost bite from standing over the open cooler 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...