Page 14 of Kiss Me Ever After
“And you decided to clean up the mess with your shirt?”
Reluctantly, I pulled on my damp t-shirt and let out a hard breath. “Not exactly.”
I didn’t feel like going into the detail of my attempts to tease Lennon.
I’d been teasing her for years, reeling her in on a couple of occasions, getting close to kissing her, then pulling back.
She’d always been part of the group over the summers. But I kept my distance.
We were too mismatched for anything to ever happen between us.
The Princess and the Pauper.
Why then did it feel different this time?
6
Lennon
“Areyou sure you’re okay to lock up on your own tonight?” Bryony leaned back against the counter in the brief respite between customers and brushed her fringe back from her forehead.
It had been a crazy busy lunch period and bone crushingly tiring. The past few weeks, I’d been steadily improving and would even go as far to say I was getting the hang of this waitressing malarkey. With every shift, I learned something new. To have Bryony trust me with locking up marked a definite breakthrough.
I sipped my water while I had the chance. “Sure, no worries.”
“I wouldn’t normally ask, but Si’s sister and her annoyingly perfect family arrive tomorrow and if the house doesn’t look like it should be in Vogue Interiors, I’ll never hear the end of it.” She rolled her eyes, and I fought back a smirk. As organised as Bryony was around the cafe, she told me her house was the complete opposite, and while she loved the chaos, not everyone was a fan. “I know I should tell her to take us as she finds us, but otherwise she’ll spend the whole weekend tutting and running her finger over the shelves checking for dust.” Bryony sighed. “Who am I kidding? She’ll do that anyway.” One of the customers on the table by the window waved to catch her attention.
“I’ll go. They probably want the bill,” I said.
“Thanks, Lennon.”
“Can I get you anything else?” I asked the family who’d beckoned me over.
“No, thank you, just the bill, please.”
I whisked their empty plates away. “Give me a moment and I’ll bring it right over.”
“Would you be able to pass on a message to whoever baked the cherry and chocolate cake?” The woman asked.
I turned back to the table. “Mmmhmm?”
The woman broke into a wide grin and clutched a hand to her chest. “It was heavenly! I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so delicious. What’s the secret?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you. If I did, I’d have to kill you,” I joked.
“Is there any chance I can have the recipe?” she begged. “I’d love to try to recreate it.”
Bryony appeared by my side with their bill. “Everything okay?”
“I’m in awe of your amazing cherry and chocolate cake. Would you share the secret?”
My boss laughed and leaned down to whisper something in the woman’s ear. Her eyes grew like saucers as Bryony divulged the magic in her baking. I bit my lip. The Blue Goose outsourced the cakes to a local lady and none of us had a clue what went in them, not even June who worked the kitchen. But neither of us were about to admit it.
Once she’d finished, the woman reached into her purse and placed down some notes to cover payment.
“Thank you so much. We’re staying for two weeks and we’ll definitely be back.” She smiled and pressed the money into Bryony’s hand.
They got their stuff together and left, while I finished cleaning their table. When I was done, Bryony called me over.
