One Funeral (No Weddings #2)(15)

Daniel shook his head and began loading another dozen cupcakes onto the transfer board. He seemed flustered, taking twice as long as usual to collect an assortment of the day’s featured selections.

I exhaled slowly. There was a delicate balance in tight quarters with two young, single employees, one male and one female. How did becoming friends with one or both of them work into the mix? Observing their exchange, the several year age difference between me and Chloe made me second-guess myself. I began to rethink the wisdom of making friends in the workplace.

Chloe stared at Daniel a beat longer before moving beside me, mumbling, “He’s lucky I don’t flash him my assets.”

My eyes widened, and I stared at her. “Uh, yeah. No flashing assets. No sexual harassment of any kind.”

She smirked, a smug expression on her face. Daniel pretended to ignore our whispering as he vanished again, heading up front.

“I’m just having a little fun with him. It’s great to see Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected rattled once in a while.”

I folded the lid down into the box while she untied her yellow ruffled apron and hung it on a wall hook. “I think Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected needs a break from all the estrogen in here. Maybe we can hit the restaurants before they open for lunch.” I grabbed my small purse off the desk and slid it up onto my shoulder, grateful to be getting some fresh air.

As we stepped out into the front area, Daniel handed a credit card and receipt to a college-aged girl along with a pink four-cupcake bakery box. We held the door open for her, and I glanced back over my shoulder. “You got the shop for a few hours?”

He dropped us a deadpan stare. “Yeah. I think me and my ‘mad business skills’ can handle things while the womenfolk flaunt their assets.”

I paused, putting a hand on my hip as I glared at him.

His expression turned contrite. “Fine. I take it back.” He shook his head, closing the window to the display case. “Sorry. Chloe just got me riled.”

She murmured, “Told you.”

He pointed toward the door. "Go. Be smart businesswomen and win them over with your sharp wit and cunning negotiations.”

I rolled my eyes. “Behave while we’re gone.”

“I promise.” He crossed his heart, a mischievous spark in his eye.

We closed the door and began walking down the sidewalk.

“He’s harmless,” Chloe remarked as we stepped carefully along the cobblestones.

I glanced at her, wondering what she thought of the exchange. “Sure makes for a fun workplace, having a guy around.”

She nodded. “It does. I’m glad you hired the two of us. We make a great team.”

“If I don’t instigate you harassing each other,” I muttered.

She snorted and gave me a sidelong glance. “Don’t worry. That was nothing new. He and I go back and forth all the time. We keep it clean and professional, mostly.”

When she said nothing further, I glanced at her again. She wore a broad smile. She certainly wasn’t bothered in any way by what had just happened back at the shop.

Spending a little time with my employees away from work, whether or not it turned into a friendship, would help me better understand my employee dynamic. At the very least, it would enable me to better manage the shop.

The first restaurant we approached was Curio, the same quaint bistro that Cade and I solicited right before Sweet Dreams opened. Only then, we’d handed out cupcakes to the customers waiting in line before it opened for lunch. This time, at almost 10:00 a.m., Chloe and I went straight to their glass front door and rapped on the wood frame.

After a few seconds, I spotted movement inside the dark interior as someone approached. I glanced at Chloe while I held the box of cupcakes in front of us to make it look like we were delivering something. “Would you like me to go first?”

She nodded. But when the young man came to the door, and his eyes alighted on Chloe, she smiled and put her hand on my forearm while he unlocked the door. “On second thought, let me try. I think I got this.”

He opened the door and smiled, looking at me, then glancing back at Chloe. “Good morning, ladies. How can I help you?”

She leaned forward and glanced at his name tag. “Good morning, Richard. I’m Chloe, and this is my boss, Hannah. We’re from the cupcake bakery down the street.”

He nodded. “Sweet Dreams.”

“That’s the one.” She smiled. “Are you the manager, Richard?”

“Yes. The day manager.”

“We were wondering, if you don’t have a dessert menu, might you consider having us supply cupcakes that compliment your fare? Or if you already make desserts, what about adding a cupcake that might round out your current offerings?”

I blinked, impressed with how thought-out her pitch was.

Richard looked at the box. “We offer chocolate cake and cheesecake, supplied by a downtown bakery, and vanilla ice cream. What kind of cupcakes do you make?”

Chloe grinned, taking the box from me and opening it as she stepped closer. She briefly glanced inside at our samples. “We’ll make any kind you’d like. But today, we brought carrot cake, red velvet, and…” She held the box higher, trying to get a look at the side of the third kind.

I jumped in. “And cream cheese frosted chocolate bacon.”