Page 56 of Perfect Pairing
“I’ve decided on five categories: scones, muffins, croissants, danishes, and turnovers. Each category has three offerings. I didn’t want to go too crazy to start, especially since I know I’m going to be busy the second I open thanks to the season. I went with recipes that are easy to prepare the night before and bake fresh first thing in the morning. We’ll also be offering standardcoffee drinks. Black, decaf, chai, and a small selection of hot or cold herbal teas.”
She pushed a piece of paper toward me, a rudimentary menu she’d scribbled on and doodled all over. “I still need to get these printed, but I just haven’t had time.”
“Will you have some sort of menu board up behind the counter?”
Nodding, she said, “You want to go check it out?”
I perked up at that, desperate to escape the confines of this kitchen. Over the months, she’d shared progress photos with me, which had been sent to her secondhand from her dad or contractor. I could admit—I’d been skeptical at first. It needed more work than I probably would’ve wanted to put into it, but when I stepped out onto the main floor, I quickly discovered her father had spared no expense.
The space was utterly transformed; nothing of the dark, dirty business that had been here before remained.
One wall was papered in a mural of white, pastel pink, yellow, and orange flowers, lined with booths wrapped in dark green faux-leather. Tables filled the rest of the room, the seats of the chairs matching the booths. The floors were what appeared to be light laminate planks, but upon closer inspection, I found they were actually tile that looked like wood. The entire front wall was nothing but windows, letting in a ton of natural light and facing out onto Main Street. The counter was to the left, topped with white faux-marble and faced with what looked like pieces of reclaimed wood.
It was funky, fresh, a little girlie, and a whole lot of stunning.
“It’s gorgeous,” I said.
“You think so?” she asked, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Absolutely,” I assured her. “It’s going to be a hit. People will come inside because it looks cute and eye-catching, but they’ll stay because your food is incredible.”
“You haven’t even tasted it yet.”
“Then maybe we should fix that.”
With a small smile, Brie inclined her head, and I followed her back into the kitchen. She gestured to a stool she’d hidden under the counter, and I sat as she put the first plate in front of me.
This close, her scent stuffed itself up my nose—butter, sugar, and honey. It wasn’t a traditional floral or spicy scent you’d usually find in women’s perfumes because it wasn’t something you could bottle. No, that blend was all Brie.
“First, we have a selection of scones.” Reaching out, she pointed to each in turn as she named them. “Cranberry orange, triple chocolate, and ham and cheese.”
“Ham and cheese?” I asked with a quirked brow.
“I wanted to offer something savory, and when I came across that recipe in my grandma’s old cookbook, I couldn’t resist trying it.”
She damn near glowed when she spoke about her grandma and that collection of recipes, so that was the one I went for first.
“Fuuuuuuck,” I moaned as the first bite hit my tongue. Wide-eyed, I turned to her. “Are you joking with this?”
Brie’s brow furrowed, her cheeks turning dark pink. “It’s just a ham and cheese scone, Ezra.”
“Well, it’s the best damn ham and cheese scone I’ve ever tasted.”
“You mean that?” she asked skeptically.
“I would never lie to you.”
And I meantthat. I didn’t have a reason to lie to her. This girl—she knew my secrets, the darkest parts of me, and none of it phased her.
And this scone…
When I thought of scones, I thought of heaviness, of dense carbs that overshadowed the flavor of whatever other ingredients the baker used.
Brie’s was none of those things.
It was airy but substantial. The sharp cheddar with honey ham created the most delicious explosion of savory and sweet on my tongue, and the inclusion of chives rounded out the flavor profile nicely. It was something I could imagine being served in some high-end New York City bakery.
Instead, this gorgeous, talented, small-town woman had created it all on her own with the help of her late grandmother’s cookbook—and that right there made all the difference.
