Fluffy & Fabulous

Chapter 2-2

The next few hours passed by quickly for me. I always had a couple of busy hours right after I opened and I loved it. My customers were great. Everyone remarked on the snow, with a few grumbling, but being in Winterville, New York… well, snow was pretty much a requirement.

Once my early rush died down I headed back to the kitchen an got started on icing the waiting cupcakes. It was Tuesday and my friends were coming out for our weekly girls’ night. Over the years our group had changed. I wasn’t a part of the original group of Mandy, Sam, Addi, and Claire. The four of them had gone to college together and met every week for years after college. Mandy met Xander and when they were fighting one week she needed a new place for their weekly gatherings and they showed up at Bite Me! And never left.

I liked the four of them immediately, but it was a few months before I became part of the group. My best friend, Lexi, and I started hanging out with them around the time Claire got married. About a year later Sam met Riley and with Riley came Carrie.

Those seven women had become a family to me. Lexi and I got close when we were in grad school together, and she helped convince me to start Bite Me! and over one too many bottles of wine we came up with the name. Expanding our little twosome to eight brought a fullness to my life I hadn’t ever known.

I always made sure I had my friends’ favorite cupcakes fresh and ready for our Tuesday night gatherings. It was a struggle to have them pay me but they all insisted. Sometimes I wondered if my business was primarily maintained by my friends.

Almost.

My display cases were half filled by the time lunch rolled around. I brushed my hands on my apron and blew out a breath with a grin. It had been a good morning. Once I got through the lunch rush I would be able to take a break. Some days my lunch involved a few cupcakes. It wasn’t the healthiest option but definitely delicious.

Even though my afternoon would be slow until people were off work, I didn’t like to leave the shop unattended. Since I woke up late that morning I didn’t have lunch ready to go, but eating cupcakes was definitely not a hardship.

As the lunch rush started to die down I couldn’t deny how hungry I was. There was only one blueberry muffin left and it was calling my name.

The bell above the door jingled and a tall, skinny man wearing a Soup’s On sweatshirt walked in. My stomach grumbled immediately, wishing I had a warm bowl of soup for lunch but knowing I couldn’t leave Bite Me! I smiled at the man and asked, “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for Charlotte.”

Confused, I looked him over. Cautiously I replied, “I’m Charlotte.”

No one calls me Charlotte. People who know me call me Charlie, or Charles. I felt my spine stiffen and fear lodged in my throat. The last time I got an unexpected visit by someone who called me Charlotte was when my grandma died.

“This is for you then. Enjoy,” he said as he handed me a large white bag with Soup’s On written on the front.

“Wait, what is this?” I called as he headed to the door.

“Lunch. There’s a note in the bag.”

He grinned at me before stepping out the door and rushing across the parking lot to his car. I watched him like it was all some kind of joke and wondered what in the world was going on.

Then I realized how good it smelled.

I carried the bag back to the kitchen and opened it up. A sheet of paper was inside, like the guy said. When I unfolded it I saw handwriting I didn’t recognize.

Charlotte,

Thank you again for the coffee and muffins this morning. Since you wouldn’t let me pay you, I figured I could at least send you lunch. Without knowing what you liked, I’ve included their four most popular soups, and my favorite. Hopefully you like at least one of them.

It was a pleasure meeting you this morning.

Max

I couldn’t stop the smile that crossed my face. I didn’t have time to get involved with anyone, but he was sweet. And I was hungry.

The bag held French onion, broccoli cheese, chili, baked potato, and minestrone soups. It smelled so good my mouth actually watered. I couldn’t decide which one I wanted to eat so I opened them all and alternated bites between each bowl, snacking on the sourdough mini-loaves of bread, too. Each bite was more delicious than the last.

Somehow I managed to pull myself away when the bell above the door rang. I smiled when I saw Lexi walking through the door, fully dressed in her head-to-toe blue uniform from work. “Hey, Lex, what are you doing here?”

I’d always been a little jealous of Lexi. When we met in our business class we were paired together during a class assignment. During the semester we realized how much we had in common and started getting together outside of class too. Lexi was one of those women that was unassuming. She looked perfectly ordinary, but underneath the overweight shell was a take-no-prisoners woman who’d risen to Building Manager at EAAC Pigments in her early thirties.

Her shoulder length blonde hair and bright blue eyes were deceiving. She looked demure and sweet until she opened her mouth and put you in your place. Lexi was a s**t-kicker at work and that confidence attracted her wonderful husband, Mike.

She was also the only person who would have had the confidence to challenge me to go for my dreams.

“I had some supplies to pick up for our event at the end of the week. I’ve got another kaizen in my building and I’m trying to help the Lean manager. I was also hoping I could talk you into opening up early for me to get some coffee and muffins to start the meeting.”

I waved my hand dismissively. “You know I’ll always open for you. If I’ll open for the snowplow guy I’ll open for my best friend.”

As soon as the words were out I knew I would regret admitting it. Lexi had become like a shark since she and Mike got married, constantly wanting to hook me up. I kept telling her I wasn’t interested in a relationship, but she thought it was just something I said because I hadn’t found the right guy.

It was partly true, but I also hated being set up. I was perfectly capable of finding my own dates.

“What snowplow guy?” Lexi asked with a wag of her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at her… because she deserved it. “The guy who plows the lot stopped by this morning when he was done. He said he forgot his coffee. He saw the lights on and I took pity on him.”

“Is he cute?”

I shrugged and turned away, busying myself with lining up the perfectly ordered cupcakes and muffins. Heat crept up my neck and I knew Lexi would catch it. She didn’t miss anything.

“Ooh, he is cute. You so like him!”

“No, I don’t. He’s cute. He was nice. That doesn’t mean I like him.”

Lexi took her time appraising me, and I could tell she was trying to figure something out. Knowing Lexi she would end up being right, but I didn’t want to hear it. Whatever was going to come out of her mouth next, I wasn’t ready for it.

“Lex, don’t give it another thought. I’ve got too much going on with moving my whole life. I don’t have time for a man. Next subject. What muffins do you want and how many?”

Lexi pursed her lips and I could tell she wanted to say something else. Thankfully she dropped the subject. “There will be 17 in the group. I was thinking three dozen muffins and however much coffee. Could I pick it up around six?”

I nodded as I wrote everything down. “No problem. Flavors?”

Lexi shrugged. “Whatever you think. I’d say a variety of stuff. You’d know better what people will like. You know I’ll want blueberry.”

“Yep, I’ll send blueberry, banana nut, chocolate chip, and a few bacon and egg. Mostly men?”

Lexi nodded and pointed to a chocolate mousse cupcake. I handed it over. “Yeah, 14 men, three women.”

“That works. I’ll work on that first thing. Are you coming tonight?”

Lexi took a bite of her cupcake and moaned. “So good,” she mumbled. “Yeah, I’ll be here later. I gotta run back to work. Love ya babe.”

“Love ya,” I answered with a wave. Lexi was out the door with half her cupcake already gone. I went back to my lunch and smiled, glad I kept my mouth shut about my special delivery. She would never have let up if I’d let that slip.