Page 64 of Scoop Me Up
Sam
The summer was flying by and we only had a few weeks before the opening of Scoops on Maple. I had big plans to work at the shop every day until opening, testing recipes, building up our stock, ordering supplies, and doing anything else I could think of to prepare for the grand opening at the end of August. I’d gotten a business loan to cover a lot of the opening expenses, but money was tight so I couldn’t hire any employees quite yet, not when there wasn’t steady work or income to be had. That meant doing a lot of work alone, or begging for help from Cooper and Gabe. They always seemed happy to help, but I hated asking, worried I was going to ask too much and they’d burn out on helping. I remembered Cooper’s words about letting fear drive people away, though, and tried to swallow my anxiety and ask for help as much as I could.
One weekday about three weeks from the opening, I planned to spend the day at the shop. Gabe was spending the day with Ellie and Jennifer, which he did often. I was happy that he was able to spend so much time with Ellie—once he headed backto the city, that time would dwindle back down to every other weekend.
As I crossed the final block to get to the shop, my phone rang—it was Gabe, which was weird. He usually texted if he had something to say. I frowned and answered right away. “Hey there.”
Gabe let out a breath in what sounded like relief. “Are you at the shop yet?”
“Not quite.” I stopped walking. “What’s wrong?”
“Jennifer fell and twisted her knee or something a little while ago while she was out on a run. She called me to ask if I could drive her to urgent care.”
“Okay. No problem. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, of course. But… here’s the thing,” he continued. “Ellie. I don’t want to take her with us, and I couldn’t get in touch with Cheyenne, who usually babysits for her.”
“Bring her to the shop.”
He exhaled sharply. “Are you sure?”
I started walking again, a little faster. “Of course. Gabe—I’m here to help. Teamwork.”
“Teamwork,” he echoed. “Okay. I’ll be there in a little while.”
Less than a half hour later, I was at the shop when Ellie came bursting through the front door, Gabe close behind.
“Mix,” she called joyfully. “Look what I’ve got!”
I emerged from the kitchen to see Ellie in an apron I’d made her that said “Ice Cream Queen.” With a laugh, I reached out to her and she ran to me for a hug.
“That looks great on you, El. You ready to help me in the kitchen today?”
Before she could answer, Gabe cleared his throat. “I’m going to go. Will you be okay today, Bug?”
She nodded sincerely and turned back to me. “Can we make ice cream now?”
I laughed again, ruffling her hair. “Of course we can.” With a glance at Gabe, I shooed him away. “Go. Take care of Jennifer. We’ll be fine.”
“Thank you,” he murmured before rushing back out the way he came.
Not long after, Ellie and I found ourselves in the back of the kitchen, Ellie helping me take inventory of the supplies that had arrived and put things where they belonged. We stacked cups, ice cream bowls, spoons, and more, but Ellie seemed to be growing more and more bored with every passing second.
“Is it ice cream time yet?”
I laughed. “When we’re done, we’ll start putting together new flavors, okay El?”
She nodded and smiled up at me. “Do I get to help pick out a flavor?”
“Help? You’re going to create one all by yourself.”
Her eyes lit up. “I bet it’s going to be even better than the ones at Frozen Fest. If it was a contest, I’d win for sure.”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly, with a teasing tone to my voice. “I betI’dwin. I’m the reigning champion, after all.”
“Nope.” She shook her head, her blonde braids swinging. “Me.”
“Well, why don’t we just wait and see. Deal?”
