‘Love the confidence. I have an eight-year-old daughter and we’re big on body positivity,’ Tristan confided. He flashed his phone lock screen, showing off a cute little girl with freckles and a unicorn headband. ‘That’s her there. Here’s the order, by the way. Placed by one Bonnie Chalmers.’
Bonnie checked the order, which he’d pulled up on his phone, then groaned. She must have typed an extra zero when making it – she’d been doing it while on hold with the people who serviced the bar equipment and simultaneously texting Flora from A Pocket Full of Posies about the care and keeping of the wisteria that overhung the patio frame. This was like that viral moment where instead of a bag of rice, a whole semi-trailer truck had pulled up in front of someone’s house.
Where on earth was she going to fit all that milk? Worse, how on earth was she going to use it? Milk was hardly a bestseller. Maybe she could sponsor a Girl Scout gathering outside of regular opening hours.
‘Is it too late to change the order?’ she asked, batting her eyelashes for good measure.
‘I wish, but I can’t send back perishables. Do you want some help bringing it all in?’
Bonnie sighed in resignation. ‘Sure, that’d be great.’
Bottle by bottle, Tristan started unloading the milk crates. But not onto a dolly or a cart. Onto the brick wall around the patio. Bonnie blinked. Wouldn’t it make more sense to wheel the dolly into the bar and then unload it?
When she said as much, Tristan shook his head. ‘But the cracks,’ he said.
Bonnie didn’t follow. ‘In the milk bottles?’
‘In the pavement.’ He nodded at the flagstones that formed a tidy path between the patio and the bar, the gaps between them filled with soft green moss. ‘It’s just...a superstition of mine. Step on a crack, break your mother’s back?’
Bonnie wondered whether she was being pranked.
‘My mother’s pretty frail, and I really don’t want to risk it. I’ll be quick, I promise.’
Maybe Tristan’s mom should be drinking the milk. It was good for bones, after all.
‘Are you sure you’re suited to this line of work?’
‘I’ve wanted to be a delivery guy my whole life,’ said Tristan cheerfully. ‘I was a UPS guy for Halloween three years in a row. And FedEx the three after that.’
‘All right, then.’ Bonnie sighed. ‘Here. You load them onto the dolly, and I’ll haul the dolly to the door. Deal?’
She was part-way through the hauling when Bobby showed up.
‘Career change, Bon?’ he asked curiously.
‘It’s complicated,’ she panted. Then she paused. ‘You don’t happen to need an enormous amount of milk, do you?’
Bobby shrugged easily. ‘Always. The bakery goes through it like you wouldn’t believe. You’d think we were rearing a shop full of kittens over there.’
Oh, thank goddess. A solution. ‘If you take this delivery off my hands, I’ll be grateful to you for ever.’
‘Sure. We’ll do a special on tres leches cake this week – the college kids go wild for it. What do I owe you?’
Bonnie thought about charging him – she really could use the money, given that she’d just spent several hundred bucks she didn’t have on dairy products, and the next payment on her Cadillac was due the following week. But just at that moment, Theo was strolling by, a pile of documents under his arm.
Here was her chance to work the whole jealousy plan that her entourage had recommended as the perfect method for sending Theo rushing into her arms. Yes, it was cheesy, but it had worked before. Most notably when she’d been dating one of the Chen twins, but had her eye on the other. Ah, the messy days of teenage Bonnie.
Donning her sunniest smile and doing the eye-crinkle thing sheknewwas irresistible, she lightly touched Bobby’s arm. ‘Put that away. You’re doing me such a huge favour already.’
Bobby stared down at his arm, his dark eyes dancing. Bonnie was slightly worried he might get a tattoo on the spot she’d touched to make the occasion linger for ever. ‘Sure, Bon. Wow. I’ll definitely bring over some treats for you. Not that we could ever match your mom’s brownies, but we’ll try.’
‘Great!’ she said warmly. Then, in the most casual voice she could muster: ‘Oh, hi, Theo!’
Theo pulled up, leaning over the patio wall. He greeted them both cheerily. ‘Thanks for the party last night, Bonnie. You know how to make a guy feel welcome.’
Bonnie preened. ‘I live to please.’
‘How’s town life treating you, man?’ asked Bobby, cradling a milk crate.
