“He is handsome; didn’t you notice?”
“Of course I noticed, but why did you offer him a cinnamon roll that he has to stand out there and wait fifteen minutes for?”
“He’s not waiting,” Mrs.Madelyn shared.
A puzzled expression appeared on Noel’s face.“He left?”
“He’s gone to get coffee for us, remember?”
Noel’s hands quit moving for the first time since Mrs.Madelyn stepped into the kitchen.“You gave a stranger twenty dollarsandasked him to get coffee for us,” she asserted emphasizing the word and.“Don’t you think that qualifies as strange?”
“Cavin seems like a nice enough fellow, and I figured it would give him something to do while waiting for the best breakfast in Beaufort,” she replied with a grin.“Plus, did you see the coat he wore?”
“The Black Friday coat?”Noel laughed while feeling herself relax a little for the first time since Mrs.Madelyn arrived.“What about it?”
“The man doesn’t need twenty dollars,” she pointed out.“But he does need coffee and breakfast.And he is not wearing a wedding ring,” she added with a wink.
9
Upon reaching the other side of the crosswalk, Cavin turned and looked back at Beaufort Candy Company with an unusual expression.What just happened in there?This thought rattled around in his mind; he never imagined his stay in Beaufort starting out with running errands for the first locals he met.However, he figured he now had four new friends, or at least three, since he was unsure about Noel.The woman seemed irritated by his presence from the moment he walked into the store, and things didn’t seem any better by the time she disappeared into the back.She had cute kids, though, and Cavin wondered if Mrs.Madelyn was their grandmother.She made him laugh a lot.Even now he still chuckled inside about the way she phrasedthe social media.
“Beaufort Candy Company has complimentary cinnamon rolls for the first fifty guests this morning,” Cavin randomly shared with a family standing on the corner where he temporarily paused his journey.He pointed to the building he just left.
The little boy tugged on his mom’s jacket.“I want one,” he whispered with excitement.
“Thanks,” the dad replied.“We’ll check it out.”
“Tell Mrs.Madelyn that Cavin sent you.”
Cavin walked past a building that looked like a bank as he read the names of some of the shops on the other side of the street.For some reason Sweet Lilly Ru stood out to him.Maybe because he once dated a woman named Lilly.
“Free cinnamon rolls at Beaufort Candy Company,” Cavin announced to a couple of teenagers walking past him.
They blushed and said nothing, but once they passed by, he heard them laughing which made him smile.
Cavin found Cru, the coffee shop, a little way down the sidewalk, exactly where Mrs.Madelyn explained.He opened the door as a woman walked out and stepped back to give her room to exit while holding the handle.
“Thank you, sir,” she offered with a friendly smile.
“My pleasure,” he replied.“Beaufort Candy Company has a complimentary cinnamon roll that would go great with your coffee,” he commented.
Her smile grew.“Sounds delicious.”
When Cavin entered, the place was hopping with patrons.It took a moment to find an open spot to stand as he studied the menu on the brick wall behind the counter.He quickly realized the establishment offered much more than coffee.Photos of flatbreads, bagels, and pizza stood out, and he even noticed a glass-cased freezer next to the counter featuring ice cream.They sold other goodies as well, so he figured he shouldn’t announce the free cinnamon rolls to anyone else in here.
Potentially making enemies on the first day in town wouldn’t bode well for his plan, and he knew from experience that most shop owners and even some employees were heavily invested in their downtown community.He needed everyone on his good side including Noel.Maybe he would take her something extra, he considered while eyeing the other customers' selections.Then Cavin remembered he hadn’t done anything wrong; he simply walked into Noel’s store, or at least he assumed the shop belonged to her.Something about her demeanor made it seem as though she was in charge although she and the older lady acted like best friends who could say anything around each other without being offended.Maybe Mrs.Madelyn or someone else owned the store, he considered.
By the time Cavin made it to the front of the line, he decided on an iced latte for himself to go along with Mrs.Madelyn’s and Noel’s orders, and he decided to add a couple of extra items that he hoped would go over well upon his return.
During the breezy walk back to Beaufort Candy Company, Cavin told three more strangers about the giveaway.One man looked a lot like Santa Claus and seemed equally as jolly.Another person told him she ate already, but she might grab one for her husband.The third contestant said they loved cinnamon rolls.
Cavin’s mom and dad told him that from an early age he talked to everyone he encountered whether in public, at company parties, or at family gatherings.They said he always wanted to be the life of the party.So, as an adult, communicating with people came easily.He didn’t mind taking no for an answer.Although as he learned how to talk to people, he became pretty good at convincing others to see things his way.
When Cavin stepped into Beaufort Candy Company the second time around, the vibe felt completely different.The store seemed alive.Smiling shoppers meandered up and down the aisles reaching for candy in the bins and barrels before placing it in their baskets; Christmas music played softly in the background; and the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls wafted through the air.Mrs.Madelyn moved in a seasoned pattern behind the counter weighing candy, placing it in cute little bags, and ringing up customers in the short line one by one as if nothing else in the world mattered.Noel waltzed from one person to another while balancing the tray of cinnamon rolls while the kids handed the excited recipients a small paper plate and a napkin.
“Welcome back, Mr.Dawson,” Mrs.Madelyn called out between customers.
He smiled, set two drink trays on the end of the counter near a bowl of gold-covered chocolate coins, and held up her coffee.“This one is for you, Mrs.Madelyn.”
