Page 35 of Cookie

“Where did you go?” he asked and glanced at the bag I held.

“I thought we deserved a little treat.”

“Really? That’s so sweet of you. What did you get?” Ryan asked and reached for the bag.

“Not yet. How about we close early?” I said and pulled it away from his reach.

“I like that idea,” he said and locked the door before flipping the sign to closed. “Okay, I’m ready for my treat.”

I unbagged the containers Sherry had packed the food in and handed one to Ryan. “Two meatloaf sandwiches, complete with mashed potatoes.”

“That sounds good,” he said and cleared a space to eat at the counter because neither of us wanted to wait. I had also bought two coffees and set those down too before taking out the other container.

“What’s that?” Ryan asked as he took a sip of his coffee. “This is so good.”

“A cookie,” I said, and set the pink cookies on the counter. “For dessert.”

“You know, I’m not opposed to eating dessert first,” Ryan said. He reached across the counter and caressed the back of my neck. “I love you, Charlie.”

“I love you too, and I’m glad we get to spend the next few days together.” He leaned in and kissed me and in that moment, I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect.

Thirty-One

Ryan

The snow continued to fall, and by the time Christmas rolled around, I was starting to hope spring would come early. The store was busy, and I finally felt confident I’d made the right decision about buying it. Then there was Charlie. He was the best decision of them all.

“Hey, babe, I’m going to head over to the shop. I’ll see you after work,” he said, and after a quick kiss, he was out the door hurrying across the freshly plowed street. We’d be ringing in the new year together at his cabin, something I would have never imagined last year.

“Morning, Ryan,” Avery said as she walked into the store covered head to toe and bringing my focus back to the here and now. “I’m so glad the power is back on.”

“Morning. Me too. The generator is okay, but it’s nice to be able to turn the lights on and not worry about running out of gas. Do you have plans for tonight?”

“Some of my friends are getting together at my house for a few drinks and games. We’re not really into going out to drink on New Year’s Eve,” she said as she hung up her coat and stripped off her scarf and hat.

“Good choice. We’re going to Charlie’s cabin so we can stay there tomorrow.” At first, I didn’t want to close the store, but we’d been working hard even with the heavy snow and power outage. I was ready to spend time with my man.

“That sounds nice. Are you cooking anything special or going out to eat?”

“I’m not sure. I’m letting him take care of that. He’s a better cook than he likes to admit,” I said.

“You hit the jackpot with that one. Charlie really is one of the best.”

“He is. I should get something special to take with us. I’ll think about it and maybe once you’re settled, I’ll go down the street.”

“Sure thing. It’s not like we’ll be swamped today.”

“Thanks, Avery, I appreciate how much you do for the store. You know I couldn’t have made this happen without your help.”

“I know,” she said and walked into the backroom. I took care of the small amount of tidying up needed and unpacked an order we had received earlier. Just as I was putting the last book on the shelf, Avery walked out carrying a cup of coffee.

“You’re still here? I thought you’d be out shopping by now,” she said with a grin before taking a sip of coffee. “What are you waiting for?”

“You’re right, no time like the present.” I slipped on my coat and after a wave goodbye, was out the door. The street was quiet, but most of the shops were open. The first stop was at the café where I ordered the same meal we’d had that first date and madesure it would be ready right after work so we could go from work to Charlie’s cabin and not worry about cooking anything. Then I went to the bakery and after choosing a few cookies to snack on, I also bought a small Opera cake for dessert. “Can’t go wrong with chocolaty goodness,” I said as the counter person slipped it all into a bag.

“No, you cannot,” he said. “Special occasion?”

“Just celebrating the new year with my boyfriend. I thought I’d make it a little special and save him having to cook everything.”

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