Dangerously yours

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

             SKY’s POV 

I stand behind the counter of my bakery with Heather beside me, she hands a hot cup of coffee and a pastry to a tired looking man in a suit as I also give a woman in her mid twenties her order of a medium cup of Cinnamon Dolce latte. 

"That would be three dollars and sixty five cents Ma’am." I say out loud. She finally drags her gaze away from the screen of her phone and looks up at me with a bored expression. 

"What was that?." She replies. 

"I said that would be three dollars and sixty five cents please, for your order." I repeat to her. 

"I asked for tall, not a medium." She practically yells with an eye roll.

"No you asked for a medium cup of Cinnamon dolce latte." 

"Give me what I asked for. I know you are surely not as dumb as you look. On would think I would know if I asked for a medium, wouldn’t I?." She says snottily. 

"It’s no problem, I can get you the tall. It will just be one minute." I tell her with a tight smile. I can’t stand customers who feel it’s necessary to mess up their orders and blame the workers, they intentionally want to make things difficult for others. 

I go on ahead and make her a large cup of expresso. 

“That would be four dollars and Twenty three cents." I say calmly with a tight smile still on my face. 

She brings out the money  from her purse and hands it over, collects her expresso and flounces out. 

Well. 

I walk to the display glass that has croissants, cupcakes, rolls, doughnuts, bread pudding muffins, butter biscuits and cookies in them and refill them with doughnuts. It is an array and deliciousness . Everyone loves our chocolate glazed doughnuts covered in frostings and filled with Jelly . They always sold out early at breakfast hour. I add a bit more here and there and walk to the back room to clean up the area a bit, I can’t afford to have a dirty kitchen area. 

If you work in the food industry you will have to develop a deep profound ocean of patience, cause you will be dealing with a lot of people with different personalities and you’ll have to be calm and composed. A bad review or bad publicity from the wrong person or wrong crowd can totally crash your business and give the wrongest impression about the integrity of your business especially in a small town like this. Moreover I just started my bakery not long ago I have to take it easy. As the saying goes customers are always right. 

I drag a weary hand down my face. Last night I barely got any sleep, I was up late at night making a pie for Jane and after that I tried to get some shut eye but I couldn’t so I just gave up and went on ahead to make a raspberry rum cake. Recently I haven’t been getting any sleep and it’s making me cranky. 

The bell over the door jingles as another customer walks in through the door up to the counter. 

I look up and I’m immediately assaulted with arresting beautiful blue eyes the color of summer skies and brown tousled hair that gives the ‘I rolled out of bed looking this way’  look. My gaze moved lower to full lower lips and a very straight jaw line. My eyes continue their journey to meet lean muscles, not muscular but firm pecs, I hum, I drag my eyes back to his face and meet a warm smile. I flush from my neck up to my face. This stranger just caught me ogling him like a creep. 

I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole, I literally want to die of embarrassment. 

"Hi, I’m Deck." He says to me with a wide smile. 

"Hello, I’m Sky and welcome to ‘Coco’s Bakery’ what would you like to buy today?." I reply, Looking at him straight in the eyes. It took just a few seconds to gain my composure. 

"I would like a cup of coffee, black." 

"Coming right up, would that be all? Would you want to try a pastry?." I suggest to him. 

"What would you recommend, I am on a somewhat self imposed diet. I’m trying to stay away from sweets, but I can indulge this once what would you recommend?." He says with that same warm smile. 

"Erhmm, I think you should try the coconut and banana muffin. Flakey and moist, not too sweet with a hint of rum. It’s a new recipe I am working on so I would like a review." I smile excitedly. 

" Alright let’s have it. I’m excited." He has this puppy dog look in his face. 

He goes on to take his seat I set his his cup of coffee on the table and go to get the muffin. 

I pick up a plate and go on to bring it out of the show glass. His eyes immediately light up at the sight of the muffin like a kid in a candy store. He picks it up and takes a huge bite nearly eating the whole muffin. I giggle at the sight. 

He shuts his eyes as a rapturous expression takes hold on his face as he utters a deep groan of satisfaction. I am very pleased and it is very obvious by the big smile on my 

face. 

Baking is my passion and I have been doing it since I was a little girl and mama thought me the basics so seeing people enjoy my treats, sometimes I make new recipes and introduce it to my customers, many locals have become frequent customers, always eager to try out any new recipe I put out. Defer, an old fisher man who works at the docks always volunteers to be my ‘guinea pig’ and it feels with a sense of happiness and deep satisfaction. 

Deck polishes off the muffin in one more bite and opens his eyes. 

"That was absolutely delicious. It melted in my mouth like cream. It is so good." He takes his coffee and takes a huge gulp. 

"Thank you and I’m happy you like it." I turn away and walk back to the counter to let him continue with his coffee and join Heather. 

More customers come in and I get busy answering orders alongside Heather we attend to them speedily. As I walk around dropping pastries and drink orders on tables I keep catching Deck’s eyes following me.

I just finish packing up a customers ‘to go’ order when Deck stands up and approaches me, I look at him and flash a smile. 

"Ready to go?." I ask. 

"Yeah." He brings out his wallet. 

"Your total bill is six dollars twenty eight cents." I print out his receipt and hand it over. 

"Here you go." He hands over a twenty dollar bill.

I take the money and hand the change back to him. 

"Keep the tip." He waves my outstretched hand away. 

"Thank you sir." I put the money into the tip jar and face him again. 

"So I wan wondering if i could get your number and call you if I can take you out sometime?." 

He scratches the back of his hair nervously. I find that incredibly cute. 

"Sure, I can do that." 

He hands me his phone, I type in my number  into it, hand it over to him and he types on it for a bit. I hear the ping of phone in the pocket of my shorts letting me know there’s a new message notification. 

"I sent you a text so you’ll have mine too." He says smiling. 

"I’ll see you around. Bye Sky." 

"Yeah. See you around Deck." I throw a small wave at him as He turns around and walks out of the shop. 

Heather walks over to my side and squeals animatedly. She’s so cute I can’t help a giggle. 

"Who was that hunk of a man Sky?." She asks with wide eyes. 

"I saw you two making googely eyes at each other, do you know him ? He’s so handsome." She fires her questions at me nearly jumping on her tips toes. She can get a bit boy crazy at times. I put her out of her misery. 

"No Heather, I don’t know who he is. I just know his name that’s all. I have never met him before". I move around her, I pick up a napkin and walk to the table Deck just left and start wiping it coffee spills and cake crumbs off. 

I walk back and Heather is still there waiting. 

"I saw you guys talking, did he ask you out ? Are you going on a date with him?." She whispers dramatically. 

"I don’t know. We just exchanged numbers that’s all and I’m not sure I’m going to go out with him even if he asks." I shrug lightly. 

"Why???." She ask with a shocked expression on her face. 

"He’s not your type ? Cause trust me from where I was standing he’s everybody’s type Sky." She replies. 

"He’s attractive but I don’t know. Let’s not talk about this anymore, go back to work Heather." I smack her butt with a dish towel and hustle her back to her spot she whines out loud to which I just laugh at in reply. 

REID’s POV 

                     I walk into the restaurant where I’m supposed to meet Luke, Jasmine and my date for the night. It is a five star restaurant, from what Luke has told me Jasmine picked the restaurant and made the reservation ahead, so things are going to be pricy here. The money is not a problem for me though. The Waiter takes me to our table. I see Luke and Jasmine seated. 

"Hello, I hope I haven’t been keeping you guys waiting for long?." I ask as I reach the table. We set the time at eight noon and this is fifteen minutes past eight. 

"Hi Reid, it’s so nice to see you again and no we only just got here ourselves." Jasmine says, standing up stretches her hand for a hug. I oblige and hug her back perfunctory. 

"Jasmine, it is nice to see you too." 

Luke pats me on the back as I take my seat. 

"What’s up man?." Luke asks. 

                 He picks up a bread roll from the basket on the table,breaks into it and starts to munch on it. Luke has always had the bigger appetite, during our childhood we were always in competition; who can eat the most popsicles?, who can eat the most turkey on thanksgiving? who can eat the most of Mrs Churchill’s famous pumpkin pie?. Luke always won hands down, it is like he has a bottomless stomach as a matter of fact it would seem like he still has one of those till now as I watch humorously as he eats. I smolder a smile as I watch him wolf down the basket of bread rolls on the table. 

"I’m good buddy, how about you?. How’s work going ?." I reply. 

" Same ole’, same ole’." 

I look at the empty seat beside me and Jasmine notices and answers the question that is apparent on my face. 

"Clare is on her way here, she will soon arrive. She called few minutes ago that she’s going to be running late, after work traffic is a bummer." Jasmine says with a small smile on her pretty face.  I nod my head in understanding.  

"My love, why don’t you order us a good bottle of wine while we wait for Claire?." She asks Luke. 

"Sure darling." He beckons to the waiter. 

"What can I get you sir?." The young boy asks

“Do you have the Château Mouton Rothschild Aile d'Argent" Luke tells the waiter 

"Yes sir, we do have that available. would that be all ?." He says. 

"Yes. That would be all for now. Thank you." 

"Jasmine has made me develop a good taste for good French wine." Luke says smugly. 

"You have expensive and fine taste if I should say so myself." I say to Jasmine. 

"I know. Thank you. I’m influencing Luke, might as well polish him up a bit." She teases. 

The waiter comes back with a bottle of wine In an ice bucket and a couple of glasses. 

We make small talk as Luke pours out the wine. 

I pace myself and take small sips, I do enjoy a good glance of rich tasting wine but right now I would prefer a good ole bottle of beer.