"We can split something." I hopped to my feet. "How about an Insane Brownie Fudge sundae?"
"I'm probably going to regret it, but it sounds like something you would come up with."
I shot him a wry look as I started pulling ingredients out of the cooler. I had a few brownies leftover from yesterday, so I decide to use one of those since I would probably have to throw them away soon anyway. I hated wasting food but I also refused to serve stale brownies or cookies in my shop. It was tricky.
Brody watched as I built the sundae, his eyes growing wide as I added more and more toppings. "Is that for the two of us or are we expecting more people?"
I laughed. "It's for the two of us. Some of this stuff will have to be thrown away soon so I'm trying to use as much as I can."
"Then I guess I'll eat as much as I can."
Once I finished making the sundae, I brought it to the table and set it between us.
"Your spoon, good sir," I said, handing him a plastic spoon.
The first thing I did after I sat down was grab one of the maraschino cherries I'd placed on top and ate it.
Brody chuckled as he dug into his side of the sundae.
"What?" I asked around a mouthful of ice cream and fudge sauce.
"Some things never change."
"What?" I repeated.
"You always stole the cherries off of any sundae we shared."
I gestured to the three other cherries sitting on the concoction. "There are three more."
Brody stuck another spoonful of ice cream and brownie in his mouth but I saw the flash of his grin. After he finished the bite, he said, "I don't like maraschino cherries."
My hand arrested, holding my spoon in front of my face, and my mouth dropped open. "What?"
"You're saying that a lot. Do you have brain freeze or something?"
"How...howhave I known you for twenty years and I didn't know that about you?" I paused and continued, "And you orderedthreeon your sundae the other day!"
He shrugged and shoveled another bite into his mouth. For someone who claimed not to want very much of the huge sundae between us, he sure was eating a lot of it.
I waited until he was finished, staring him down the entire time.
"You always got such a kick out of grabbing it before I could that I didn't have the heart to tell you. Jacks loves them too so I always order extra now anyway."
I shook my head. "All that unnecessary guilt over the years and you didn't even care!"
"Guilt?" he asked.
"I felt bad!"
"But not bad enough to stop?"
"Of course not! The cherries are the best part!" I replied defensively.
Brody laughed so hard he started coughing and had to take a few sips of tea before he finally got it under control. Then his expression grew serious. "Thank you." When he saw the look on my face, he explained, "You took my mind off everything that's going on today. It means a lot to me."
"Ice cream makes everything better," I stated.
"I don't think it was just the ice cream." Brody grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. "I have to get back to the office. Thanks for having lunch with me."
