bottom of his bifocals “Compliments of the Main Street Merchants Association. Wishing you sweet success.”
Bob passed the card to Toni and went out to retrieve the rest of the order.
“How awesome is that?” Mike asked. “And it’s Gowers brand. That’s the best. It’s got a high percentage of butterfat and they make it in small batches so it’s denser—not a lot of air bubbles.”
Toni shrugged. “And you know this how?”
“I worked in an ice-cream parlour all through high school.”
Of course you did.
Bob returned with another full dolly. He put the whipped cream and cherries in the fridge and the case of cones on a shelf under the counter. He pulled the pump tops from the three labelled dispensers and emptied the corresponding sauce into each. He worked quickly and didn’t spill a drop.
He tossed the empty containers into the trash and held out the clipboard for Toni to sign.
Toni took the pen from Bob and as she signed mused, “Main Street Merchants Association, hmm, maybe I should join.”
Bob chuckled. “Yeah, and that would bring the membership up to what, two, Liam?”
* * * *
Toni slid back the dipping freezer door and looked at the eight brand-new tubs of ice cream inside. She glanced over at Liam who stood beside the sauce dispensers with his thumbs hooked in the front belt loops of his black jeans.
“For the record, I ordered the ice cream before the, um, incident in the bathroom,” he said. “Like I told you, it’s in my best interest to have this business succeed.”
“Right, what with you being the president of the Main Street Merchants Association and all,” Toni teased.
Liam winked and Toni’s face heated. He made no attempt to be discreet as he looked her over from head to toe and back again, lingering on her curves. She mirrored his actions, raising an eyebrow when her gaze reached the bulge at the front of his jeans.
“It’s almost dark,” Thomas said from across the counter.
Toni startled at the sound of his voice. She’d been so engrossed in her examination of Liam that she hadn’t heard Thomas approach.
“What should I be doing?” Liam asked.
I could think of a few things.
Liam turned and winked at Toni as if responding to her thought. She was about to ask him if that was the case when Thomas answered, rather too curtly.
“You shouldn’t do anything. Just watch.”
Liam made another lecherous scan of Toni’s body. “I can do that.”
“Easy, pal,” Thomas muttered.
Liam turned to Thomas and laughed. “Problem?”
“I don’t have a problem. You’re the one with the problem. Why don’t you show a little respect and stop looking at her like a piece of meat?”
The men glared at each other across the white marble and Toni looked from one to the other. The air felt charged, as if an electrical storm was building.
“She doesn’t seem to mind,” Liam said and stepped towards the counter.
The windows glowed orange with the last rays of the setting sun. Thomas stormed to the opening in the counter and approached Liam until they were less than a yard apart. Their chests heaved and their hands were balled into fists.
The ceiling lights surged. Toni was close enough to the men to reach out and touch them, but she was immobilised. She couldn’t take her eyes from the standoff, but she was aware of scuffling out on the shop floor.
“Here we go,” Mike said. “Bridge, hit the lights. I’ll pull down all the shades.”
A moment later the front half of the ice-cream parlour went dark and the sun slipped below the horizon as Mike pulled down the last shade. A single bulb burned above the candy counter at the back of the shop. Toni was now able to see an irregular pulsing halo of fiery light outlining Thomas and Liam. It rolled off them in waves of red and orange and yellow.
They were radiating anger and Toni knew she had to stop it before it escalated. She reached out to touch Liam’s and Thomas’ hands. Their fists relaxed and they
Bob passed the card to Toni and went out to retrieve the rest of the order.
“How awesome is that?” Mike asked. “And it’s Gowers brand. That’s the best. It’s got a high percentage of butterfat and they make it in small batches so it’s denser—not a lot of air bubbles.”
Toni shrugged. “And you know this how?”
“I worked in an ice-cream parlour all through high school.”
Of course you did.
Bob returned with another full dolly. He put the whipped cream and cherries in the fridge and the case of cones on a shelf under the counter. He pulled the pump tops from the three labelled dispensers and emptied the corresponding sauce into each. He worked quickly and didn’t spill a drop.
He tossed the empty containers into the trash and held out the clipboard for Toni to sign.
Toni took the pen from Bob and as she signed mused, “Main Street Merchants Association, hmm, maybe I should join.”
Bob chuckled. “Yeah, and that would bring the membership up to what, two, Liam?”
* * * *
Toni slid back the dipping freezer door and looked at the eight brand-new tubs of ice cream inside. She glanced over at Liam who stood beside the sauce dispensers with his thumbs hooked in the front belt loops of his black jeans.
“For the record, I ordered the ice cream before the, um, incident in the bathroom,” he said. “Like I told you, it’s in my best interest to have this business succeed.”
“Right, what with you being the president of the Main Street Merchants Association and all,” Toni teased.
Liam winked and Toni’s face heated. He made no attempt to be discreet as he looked her over from head to toe and back again, lingering on her curves. She mirrored his actions, raising an eyebrow when her gaze reached the bulge at the front of his jeans.
“It’s almost dark,” Thomas said from across the counter.
Toni startled at the sound of his voice. She’d been so engrossed in her examination of Liam that she hadn’t heard Thomas approach.
“What should I be doing?” Liam asked.
I could think of a few things.
Liam turned and winked at Toni as if responding to her thought. She was about to ask him if that was the case when Thomas answered, rather too curtly.
“You shouldn’t do anything. Just watch.”
Liam made another lecherous scan of Toni’s body. “I can do that.”
“Easy, pal,” Thomas muttered.
Liam turned to Thomas and laughed. “Problem?”
“I don’t have a problem. You’re the one with the problem. Why don’t you show a little respect and stop looking at her like a piece of meat?”
The men glared at each other across the white marble and Toni looked from one to the other. The air felt charged, as if an electrical storm was building.
“She doesn’t seem to mind,” Liam said and stepped towards the counter.
The windows glowed orange with the last rays of the setting sun. Thomas stormed to the opening in the counter and approached Liam until they were less than a yard apart. Their chests heaved and their hands were balled into fists.
The ceiling lights surged. Toni was close enough to the men to reach out and touch them, but she was immobilised. She couldn’t take her eyes from the standoff, but she was aware of scuffling out on the shop floor.
“Here we go,” Mike said. “Bridge, hit the lights. I’ll pull down all the shades.”
A moment later the front half of the ice-cream parlour went dark and the sun slipped below the horizon as Mike pulled down the last shade. A single bulb burned above the candy counter at the back of the shop. Toni was now able to see an irregular pulsing halo of fiery light outlining Thomas and Liam. It rolled off them in waves of red and orange and yellow.
They were radiating anger and Toni knew she had to stop it before it escalated. She reached out to touch Liam’s and Thomas’ hands. Their fists relaxed and they
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