Page 4 of Cosy & Chill
The Crown & Anchor
The stranger had deep blue eyes and a friendly smile.
“Please.” Finn shifted his messenger bag.Royal blue Aran. Not navy. Azure mohair for a scarf.“I’ve not seen you here before,” he said as the other man set his own bag on the floor by his feet and took a seat.
“I’m Leo,” he replied. “You’re a regular?”
“Finn. I come here when I want to knit in peace.” Better get that part out of the way. If Leo objected to men knitting, then—
“You knit? Cool. What are you making?”
“Tonight? Just a quick hat.” He lifted the moss green toque off his lap.
Leo tilted his head. “That’s not for you, is it?”
“What? No. It’s for a customer. I… I take orders.”
“For hats?”
“Hats, scarves, gloves, jumpers… you name it. During the summer, I’ve made cushion covers and blankets. Christmas gifts, you know?”
“Where do you sell them? The local market?”
Finn shuddered. “Gods, no. Imagine selling knitwear and yarn in the rain. Doesn’t bear thinking about. I have an Etsy shop. I’ve also been to craft fairs in the town hall. Mostly, though, I knit to order.”
Leo studied him as if he’d said something clever. “Keeps the risk down, doesn’t it? I’m trying to get to that point.” He took a sip from his beer. “The point where people place orders, I mean.”
Annabelle’s encouraging smile came to Finn’s mind. Maybe she’d— “You knit?”
Leo blinked. Then he laughed. “No, no. I make ice cream.”
That was unexpected. Finn hadn’t taken Leo for a chef, despite the Tupperware dishes. “Ice cream?”
“Yep. The good stuff. Homemade and funky flavours. Here.” He dug in his bag and came up with the four small pots, popping the lids as he spoke. “Vanilla and chocolate are the flavours that show that you know what you’re doing. Then I have cinnamon latte, and my latest: green apple.” He handed Finn a tiny plastic spoon. “Try them.”
Finn did. He started with the chocolate, thinking it might clash less with the taste of the stout in his mouth than green apple ice cream. It wasn’t as sweet as he was used to, but rich and creamy and very, very chocolatey.
“Wow. That one’s nice,” he said, wishing he could finish the sample. In the end, he took another spoonful. “Sorry. I love my chocolate.”
“And I love to see someone enjoy my ice cream.” Leo sounded pleased. “I’m mostly selling at the market, but business isn’t so good in the winter. I’m hoping to get pubs or coffee shops to place regular orders. Maybe even a restaurant. That would be ace.”
“Which is why you’re making the rounds.” Finn had moved on to the vanilla, which was just as rich. “Maybe… have something to serve with this when you offer it?” he suggested. “It’s a bit… well, vanilla.” He grinned, and Leo grinned back.
“Spiced plums go lovely with this. That’s what I’m experimenting with right now. Spiced plum ice cream. It’s a grown-up flavour, and I haven’t got it quite right yet.”
“Are you a chef, then?”
Leo shook his head. “Just a guy who loves making ice cream and tries to make a living doing it.”
“Well, I’m not gonna discourage you. For one, that chocolate ice cream is lush. And anyway… I’m just a guy who loves to knit and tries to make a living doing it. So there.”
Their gazes met. Held.
Finn didn’t know why he found it so easy to talk to Leo, when he’d never been one to confide in strangers. Could it be because they had things in common? Or was it that Leo hadn’t mocked his love for knitting?
He picked up the lid of the Tupperware container and turned it over. Chill it read in pale blue letters that dripped icicles. “Brrr.” He mimed feeling cold. “That’s a fabulous name for an ice cream place.”
“Thank you. I thought so, because…” Leo rubbed his nose. He’d done that before, and Finn wondered if he was embarrassed. “I had this dream of selling ice cream from a stall in Borough Market. When I thought about it, I could see the sign and everything.”
