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My nose wrinkled up as I tried to place the name. “Is that the new place up where the little hat shop used to be?”
“Yep,” Emily said. “Now it’s a dessert bar.”
“Like at weddings?” I asked.
“No,” Emily said. “That’s a dessert buffet. This is a dessert bar. Meaning it has alcohol.”
“Well, baked goods, chocolate, ice cream, and booze sound like a pretty good business model to me,” I said.
“Apparently, it does to a lot of people. The place is completely packed all the time. It’s only been open for a couple of weeks, but reservations are just about impossible to get. I managed to snag us one at eight-thirty. I’ll meet you at your place. See you then.”
She didn’t even give me a chance to accept the invitation or decline it. I wasn’t totally sold on the premise, but I was looking forward to seeing her.
Later that night, we got to the bar and a dark-haired waiter brought us over to our table. Emily looked at him like she wanted to see him on the menu. We sat down, and I looked around.
“I have to admit, it’s a pretty adorable little place. I wasn’t sure how they would combine the themes, but they definitely pulled it off,” I said.
The waiter came back with menus and handed them to us. Each of us ordered a glass of wine. He was only gone for a short time before coming back to the table with our wine, but Emily and I had already chosen our first desserts. I ordered a selection of mini cheesecakes, and Emily ordered blintzes with fresh ricotta cheese, honey, and nuts.
“You look kind of tired,” she said after the waiter walked away. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “It was just a really long day.”
“Why?” she asked, taking a sip from her glass.
“My boss called me at about three this morning and woke me up. He had to tell me he was flying to Oregon to check on his family. The bar his brothers own and operate burned down last night,” I said. “It completely threw off my routine for the day, and I’m just really tired. But I couldn’t tell him I wouldn’t help when he was going through that.”
She cringed. “That’s awful.”
“It is,” I said. “That bar means a lot to him. And he had kind of a rough go of it the last few months. His father just died of cancer six months ago, and his mother, who is also sick, has been struggling with it.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Emily said. “I’m so lucky my parents are healthy.”
“You really are,” I said.
“Have they figured anything out about the fire?” Emily asked. “What started it or anything?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I haven’t gotten any updates since he left. He was frantic to get out of town and get on a plane to Oregon as fast as he possibly could. He basically put the company in Landon’s hands until he’s able to come back.”
“I can completely understand him wanting to get there,” Emily said. “That’s terrifying.”
“I think he feels bad because he’s the only one of his brothers who doesn’t live in Oregon. His brother Jordan is a bit of an exception. He was serving in the military for the last few years, but even he is back now. Anyway, I hope everything is working out okay,” I said.
The waiter showed up at the side of the table again and only put down my plate of cheesecakes. He looked at Emily. “It should be here in just a minute.”
She nodded and he walked away. I looked at her and gestured at my cheesecakes.
“Do you want me to wait?” I asked.
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
I took a bite of the raspberry-swirl cheesecake closest to me and let out a sigh. “You’ve got to try this.”
Emily took a bite and nodded. “That is delicious. So, have you hit on him yet?”
I nearly choked on my fork. The waiter walked by again but didn’t stop at our table. Emily watched him longingly. I didn’t know which one she was lusting after more at that moment, the waiter or the blintzes she hadn’t gotten yet.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
She slid her eyes over to me, giving me an incredulous, withering look. “Come on, Amanda. You know what I’m talking about. Have you hit on him yet?” The waiter walked by again, and her hopeful eyes swung along to watch him. “Someday. Someday my blintz will come.”
I laughed.
“I haven’t hit on him, and I have absolutely no intention to,” I said.
She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Why do you say it like that?” she asked.
“Because he’s my boss?” I asked. “Isn’t that reason enough? He’s also way older than me.”
“And?” Emily asked. “It’s not like he’s creepy older than you. He’s dignified and established older than you. And also, gorgeous and successful. And I know the two of you have a thing for each other.”
