The Health and Happiness Society Collection by Katie Cross

Author:Katie Cross [Cross, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: KC Writing

85

Opportunity

The next day, I left Sophia’s office with a recipe for petit fours she wanted me to attempt. The paper wrinkled in my free hand. The close proximity of things in the prep room—and my skills with using only the crutch on my right side—gave me a free hand these days. A little piece of freedom that I appreciated more with every passing day.

I came to a dead stop just inside the preparation room.

Neatly stacked boxes filled the far counter.

A head of blond hair appeared just over a tall cardboard box. The delivery boy from a few weeks ago.

“Hello, William!” Sophia called from behind me. She waved. “Great to see you again.”

Huh. He didn’t look like a William.

William lowered the box to the ground with a wide smile that extended all the way to his eyes. “You too, Miss Sophia.”

Our gaze met. He ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Hey,” he said to me. “Listen, sorry about last time. I was late for a class. Which doesn’t really justify being rude but at least explains why I was so … grumpy.”

Ah. Not too intense on the bad attitude, then. A refreshing change. I smiled and shrugged.

“No problem. I was the one who scared you.”

He waved to Sophia again as she slipped back into her office, then motioned with his hand to the boxes. “I figured the counter was the best place. What with your leg…”

“It’s perfect. Thanks. Sophia puts all the big stuff away, anyway. I just sort through it.”

He nodded and moved to the back door while I reached into the nearest box and pulled out containers of rainbow sprinkles and candy stars coated with edible glitter. By the time he returned, I’d already unloaded a new assortment of frosting tips, food coloring, and silicone cupcake liners onto the prep table. I tossed the cardboard box to the ground. William paused in front of it, head tilted to the side, then grabbed the box.

“Does Sophia use these?”

“Not that I know of.”

He eyed the boxes. “Mind if I take them?”

“I don’t care. I think she just recycles them.”

“Sweet.” He stacked his hands on his hips and looked around. With his long-sleeved gray shirt, his bright eyes appeared more sea-foam green than emerald. “Look,” he said, “I have some extra time. Do you want help unloading all this? Then I can get these boxes out of your way.”

“Sure.”

For the next couple of minutes, we didn’t say a word. William worked at lightning speed, like he’d been a grocery bagger for years. Each box I unloaded he happily bore away.

“Sophia gave me some of the macarons you made last week,” he said, breaking the silence. “She dropped them off a few days ago.”

“Oh?”

“They were really good. Rivaled Sophia’s, and I don’t say that lightly. Seems like you’re a good fit here. She said you’re working full time now. That’s pretty cool.”

A rebuttal surfaced. You’re just saying that about my macarons, I wanted to counter, but I stopped myself. I thought of my last session with Janine, when I complimented her perfect calves and she smiled.

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