Page 4 of Burn for Me
Returning the smile, Kitty greeted, “Good morning, Jazz. How are you doing today?”
“Hey, Kitty. Great, thanks. Gosh, it’s winding up to be another scorcher of a day today.” Pausing to take a sip of her coffee, she hummed in appreciation. “How are you doing?” Jazz replied.
“Great, thanks. I know, right? It looks like another aircon kind of day.”
“Yeah. Oh, speaking of aircon, would it be okay if I call the refrigeration technician to come take a look at the display case on the left today? It seems to be struggling a bit in this heat.”
Laughing, Kitty gave her assistant a look over her shoulder.
“Are you sure that’s the only reason you want to give the technician a call?” To Kitty’s amazement, Jazz blushed. “Jazz, you little flirt!” She laughed again.
“Yeah, whatever,” Jazz mumbled, blushing a little more. She drank her coffee in silence for a couple of minutes before venturing, “So, would it be okay? I don’t want to lose stock because it spoils.”
“No problem. Just remind them to quote first. They’ve got a bad habit of just coming in to do the work without letting us know how much it’s going to be.”
“No problem.” Jazz went to put her now-empty coffee cup in the sink and headed for the front of the shop. As she got to the door, Kitty called her name.
“Yeah?”
“You know I’m was only teasing about the tech, right?”
“I know.”
“Thanks for being such an efficient assistant. I’d be lost without you.”
Giving Kitty a sunny smile, she replied, “All part of the Jazzy service.”
At exactly seven o’clock,Jazz opened the doors to a queue of people making their way to their office, looking for something to get their day started. For the next forty-five minutes, Kitty and Jazz were run off their feet. With stocks severely depleted, Kitty had just turned to head back to the kitchen for the next round of baking when the door sensor chimed and Archie walked in. He came in every day.
“Hi Kitty, hi. You’re looking beautiful today, as usual,” Archie lisped.
“Hi Archie. Thanks,” she replied, turning to head back to the kitchen.
Jazz rolled her eyes at Kitty before turning to assist Archie.
* * *
Archie gave Jazz a creepy feeling,but she tolerated him for Kitty’s sake. Kitty had been willing to give her a chance when everyone else had simply shown her the door, so she would do almost anything for her. Even putting up with the very weird and somewhat unsettling Archie Durwood.
“What’s it gonna be today, Archie?” Jazz asked.
“Um, I think I’ll have a mocha fudge today, please,” he replied, frowning as he watched Kitty turn to leave.
“So, Kitty, I was... was, er, was wondering if you would like to have a cup of coffee with me today?” he stumbled, blushing a rather unbecoming shade of red.
Smiling through gritted teeth, Kitty turned back to him.
“Thanks, Archie, but I’m really snowed under with work today. Maybe another time,” she replied.
“Oh, well, um, sure. Sure. No problem.” Taking his boxed cupcake, he bowed his head. “Another time then.” He headed for the door. Casting a last look over his shoulder, he left.
Jazz followed her to the kitchen. Leaning a hip against the counter, she faced Kitty. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please!” came the prompt reply.
“Man, I gotta tell you. That Archie is a right weirdo. He gives me the heebie-jeebies, pure and simple.” With a shiver, she handed over the cup of coffee.
Grimacing, Kitty reached for her mug. “Jazz!”
