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Denise and I stand in silence for a moment, watching the young starlet go. The silence between the two of us is almost palpable as neither of us can apparently think of anything to say.
But it doesn't stay silent for long. Suddenly, a loud crash of clattering metal hits the two of us like a slap of lightning.
Denise whips around, and I crane my head to see what has happened. Once again, Denise's redheaded employee has poked her head into the main part of the bakery. She's staring out the window, unblinking, at Tinsley. And at her feet, the source of the abrasive sound: a metal tin full of melted mint ice cream that has slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor, spilling the green liquid all over the white tiles and the wall.
"Brittany," Denise groans.
The redhead's cheeks puff up like a fish. "Was that…Tinsley Simon?"Her eyes grow wide. "She came here early? And you just let her leave without giving me a chance to say hello?"
"It all happened so fast, Brittany. I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry."
Brittany’s lips turn down into a pout. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. How often do you get to meet a celebrity that big?"
"Sorry, I’ll try to keep that in mind for next time." Denise lets out a laugh, though it sounds like she's still full of nerves.
"And what—he's like, her manager or something?" Brittany points at me, and even though there's a clear edge of playfulness to her tone, the narrowing of her eyes seems to be real when she looks at me.
Turning back around, Denise regards me with a similar kind of suspicion. "No. He's not here with Tinsley. He does know her, but that's because he's just her…." She presses her lips together. "Actually, I don't know that for sure. Whyareyou here, Brett?"
"I didn't say?" I ask, dancing around the question.
But she doesn't fall for it. "Well, earlier you mentioned that you wanted to speak with my boss about something." She puts a hand on her hip, her suspicion growing. "And sinceI'mthe boss here, you can take it up with me. How can I help you?"
My mind buzzes for a moment, searching for something to say. Her gaze penetrates me, strengthening that pinch of shame that I feel.
"Well," I swallow hard. "I talked to my brother yesterday, and he mentioned how great Sugar Breeze was." At least it's only partially a lie. "I thought I would come to check it out." I lean forward and wink. "I only asked about the owner because I've heardverygood things about her."
She blushes under my gaze. "What are all the papers for, then?"
As she gestures to the files in my hands, I realize I've forgotten I was holding them. I quickly fold the small stack in half, obscuring them before she can see what they say.
"Oh. It's nothing. My brother wrote down some directions for me. And a reminder to order some donuts for him."
She raises an eyebrow. "And the suit?"
I grin at her. "Is it a crime to want to look nice?"
She bites her lip. "I guess not.” Her face falls. "I’m sorry, Brett. But I'm not opening the bakery today. I can't fill that order for your brother."
"Yeah, I can kind of tell things are a mess around here."
"You could say that again," Brittany grumbles.
The little redhead had been so quiet that I'd almost completely forgotten she was there.
"Brittany," Denise starts to groan again.
But Brittany interrupts her. "It's true, Denise," she insists. "With the way things are going, something new breaking every other day, there's no way we can keep the bakery alive until Tinsley's wedding in December. It's only the beginning of August!"
"Well… when she gives us her down payment on Tuesday, that will help pay to fix these things up, right?" Denise's eyebrows pinch together, her confidence falling even further like she doesn't believe her words.
"Let me help," I blurt, just like I did right before Tinsley arrived. "Broken freezer, right? Let me take a look. I can be pretty handy."
Denise shakes her head. "No way. I can't ask you to do that."
I reach out and touch her arm. "Sweetheart, you aren’t asking. I’m offering."
"Please, Denise?" Brittany pleads. "It will be at least a day until the repairman arrives. Let this guy come help us out."
