Page 14 of Scoop Me Up
At that moment, Ingrid stopped by with our plates and drinks. She looked from me to Sam and back to me before nodding once and stepping back. “You let me know if you need anything else.”
“Of course,” I said, digging into my burger.
Sam took a bite of their sandwich before getting back to the conversation. “Things don’t always work out the way you want them to. I never really thought I’d be any good at business school or running a place on my own, so I went to school for education instead. When I came back to Maplewood after college, there was this elementary position open, and I took it. I thought I’d stick it out a year or two while I saved up money for the shop or for grad school. Two years turned into ten, and here I am. Still saving up for my dreams, I guess.” They hesitated a few moments before shaking their head and seeming to shake off the melancholy. “What about you? What do you do?”
I laughed uncomfortably. It was hard to explain my job to people, I’d learned over the years. They all assumed I was independently wealthy or something, when in reality I’d just worked my way up from nothing before branching out on my own. “I’m a business consultant, actually.”
“Really? What does that entail?”
“Usually, a lot of meetings. I help businesses scale up. I’m sort of a renaissance man, I guess. Marketing, finances, efficiency, the whole thing.”
Sam looked genuinely impressed. “Have you had your own successful businesses?”
I shook my head. “I’ve always wanted to invest in something interesting but nothing’s ever caught my eye. I learned everything I know from working for other people and putting my MBA into practice. But one day, maybe.”
“So you’re not here to swoop in and open a rival ice cream shop, I take it?” Their tone was light and teasing, but there was genuine worry in their eyes.
“Absolutely not.”
Sam took another bite of their sandwich. “So how did you and Ellie come to enter the flavor contest?”
“Oh that.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin before starting my explanation. “That was all Ellie. She got excited when she heard about the flavor contest. She’s been learning to bake with her mom. When I got into town on Saturday, Ellie bum-rushed me and told me about this flavor creation contest that wehadto enter. Jennifer called whoever runs the festival and they said there was still time, and the rest is history. I don’t think we have a chance of winning, though. Your ice cream was amazing. Ours was nothing special.”
Sam frowned and shook their head. “Not true. It was great. I mean, I hope you’re right about the winning part though.”
I snorted. “Of course you’re going to win. I’m sure of it.”
Sam bit their bottom lip briefly. “I don’t know.”
“You will. What will you bet me for it?”
“You want me to bet against myself?”
I lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Why not? That way, if you lose, you still win.”
They laughed and nodded. “Okay. Name your terms.”
“Alright. IfIwin—which means you win the flavor contest—you have to make me your favorite maple-infused dessert.”
Sam rolled their eyes. “Okay, easy. What about if I win? Lose. Whatever.”
“I’ll—I don’t know, I’ll make you dinner.”
They let out a surprised laugh. “Can you even cook?”
I clutched my chest. “Sam! You wound me. OfcourseI can cook.” Probably. Which begged the question—what was I thinking, betting on this contest like that? Promising to cook dinner for Sam? What wasthatabout?
It wasn’t long until we’d finished our meals. I glanced out of the diner window. The sun was setting, the sky getting darker. “I guess we’d better get going,” I said, disappointment tightening my chest. I’d been having a good time getting to know Sam, just talking to them, and I hated to wrap up the meal. Still, we hadto get to the town square soon or we were going to miss the big announcement.
“You’re right. I’ve got a bet to win.”
I chuckled and flagged down Ingrid to pay, despite Sam’s argument to the contrary.
“I can pay for my own sandwich. I don’t mind,” they protested.
With a nod of my head, I handed Ingrid my card. “I know. Consider it a thank-you for such a warm welcome to Maplewood.”
Sam grumbled their thanks as Ingrid returned my card to me and we headed out. Walking toward the town square, with the sun setting and lighting up the sky so beautifully, my chest tightened. I felt strange. Like something was off. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. I tried to shake it away as we walked, and finally we reached the square just in time. Drake was announcing the winners of the various contests from the day after mentioning that Red’s sponsored the classic car show. It didn’t take long until he came to the moment we’d been waiting for.
