Page 20 of Sugar High
“Okay, that’s one quarter-pound truffle assortment and four macarons, plus a chocolate chip cookie.” Sid placed each box inside a fortified red gift bag emblazoned with the Tish’s Riches logo. “Anything else tempting you?”
Kit, taking a short breather from her crisped rice treats, lingered in the open doorway looking out at the sales floor and watched the master at work.
Their customer, a young mother with a small child, hovered by the display case. Her mouth twisted into a moue of indecision, she tilted her head and gave half a shake. The boxes were birthday gifts, the cookie a reward for the child’s good behavior. “I think I’ve done enough damage for one afternoon,” she said with a short laugh.
“So you know, this is the last week for the espresso mini cheesecakes.” Sid tapped the glass door that opened to the top shelf. Two cakes remained, and Sid informed the woman of the coming menu change. “If you like coffee-flavored treats, this is it until winter.”
“I don’t, but my husband does. I’ll take one for him.”
Cha-ching.Kit caught Sid’s eye and winked at her before easing back into the kitchen to prep the rice treats for the case.
Sid’s presence behind the sales counter at Tish’s Riches brought a surge of excitement and light into the business. Where Gloria had attended to customers with mono-syllabic greetings and indifferent shrugs, Sid filled the front of the store with friendly chatter. The espresso cheesecake was one of many treats added to orders in the past month. Little by little, she increased sales.
She’d quickly learned the names of regulars and recognized voices over the phone. Her ideas on product arrangement helped with discovery of slow-moving items, so much that Tish considered adjusting her menu. Not every idea of hers got past the suggestion stage, not unlike Kit’s continued wish of a food truck or van.
I thought she might go for adding the store to FoodDash, Sid said one night as they cooked penne alla vodka.Delivery services aren’t just for restaurants, and they can only expand her reach.
Fees,Kit reminded her.More trouble than they’re worth. Also, chocolate melts.She silenced Sid’syeah, but… with a kiss.
Over the last month, they balanced work and dating. Though Kit spent a fair amount of time after hours at Sid’s apartment, she still couldn’t figure out where the woman kept such an extensive wardrobe. Throughout her two-week probationary hiring period, Sid never wore the same outfit twice, including socks.
Today, Sid sported a t-shirt designed to look like a Monopoly board. She’d matched it with a white, knee-length skirt decorated with black silhouettes of the game pieces, the top hat, the thimble, the old-timey boot, yada yada, and a pair of slip-on canvas shoes. The left foot saidGOand the right showed off the policeman with the whistle.
Go directly to jail. Do not passGO, do not collect two hundred orgasms.
When Kit came up front with her tray of chocolate-topped crisped rice squares she asked, “I’m guessing you’re not allowed to cross your ankles in those?”
Sid was boxing a half-dozen cupcakes for Marlene Robeson, who waited to pay with her credit card. All three women looked down for a moment, contemplating the alleged contradiction of Sid’s footwear. After a moment Marlene piped up, “Well, theylook great. You ought to consider opening up an account on one of those craft sites. You’d make a mint.”
Sid laughed away the compliment. “Really, it’s just a hobby. I can’t find the clothes and shoes I like, so I make my own. Running a store like that would be too much work because I’d need different sizes.” She pushed the box across the counter and swiped Marlene’s card. “At least cupcakes are one size fits all.”
Marlene rolled her eyes. “If I eat all of these in one sitting, nothing will fit. I hope I can exercise enough self-control to get them to the Jaded Ladies lunch.” With a goodbye wave and a smile, the older woman strolled out of the shop.
Sid turned to her. “Who are the Jaded Ladies?”
“It’s a social club, and the women wear green berets. Mostly women over sixty, but their group doesn’t have an age requirement.”
“So there’s room for us late-twenties folks.”
“We could join, but really all they do is drink and bitch about their ex-husbands.”
“It’d be more exciting to join the actual Green Berets,” Sid said. “But more fun to drink.”
“Right.”
Kit sensed Sid felt grateful for the lull in traffic. Only thirty minutes until closing, and Tish had been in a good mood all day. That meant she could be cajoled into observing the fifteen-minute rule, which meant if nobody came in for a last-minute sugar fix they could begin closing procedures a bit early.
Kit pulled out her phone. “Let’s get a shot of those shoes for our socials. You know the pictures of your outfits are starting to get more likes than our food?”
“Maybe tomorrow I should wear a cupcake bra?” Sid winked.
“Gaga and Chappell would have nothing on you.”I wouldn’t get much work done, either.The image of Sid stripped to thewaist, sporting swirls of delicious chocolate buttercream on her breasts, bloomed in her mind. She had to take a second snapshot because her fingers trembled a bit the first time around.
“I was thinking for dinner we could make some flatbread pizzas and binge watch a show,” Kit was saying, her voice low to keep from carrying into the kitchen. She posted the picture and already somebody had liked it.
Sid scoffed at the idea. “We did that last night, and twice last week. Let’s go out to Mick’s, or somewhere at the beach. I’ve been craving fried shrimp.”
Kit sucked in her breath. “I’m a bit tight this week.” Not the complete truth, but what if somebody saw them together? Yeah, one could assume two co-workers had gone out to eat, but given how Sid leaned toward affection Kit didn’t want to be put on display.
