He glances up from his register, and the smallest of smiles lights up his face.
“Eli, my boy, I was wondering when you were going to come in again.”
Right above the cash register is a framed jersey of mine signed and made out to Robert, the man beaming at me. I gave it to him last year as a seventy-fifth birthday present. It absolutely made his day.
“Hey, Robert,” I say. “Been busy and also trying to cut down on the sweets.” I pat my stomach. “Playoffs are just around the corner, and I need to be in top form.”
“I recall the night you came in for some red velvet cake. The next day, you had one of the best games of the season.” He lifts his chin. “I told everyone it was because you ate my cake.”
“You know, I do believe that was the reason.”
He chuckles. “Look at this guy making an old man feel good about himself.” He turns his attention to Penny. “And who might this be? I’ve never seen you bring a girl in here before. She must be special.”
I pull Penny in even closer and give her shoulder a squeeze. “She is special. Her name is Penny. I’ve known her for a bit now, and she decided to spend my birthday with me.”
“It’s your birthday?” Robert asks. “Well, hot dog. I have just the thing for you.”
He walks to the back of the bakery, disappearing for a few moments.
“I take it you come here a lot from how familiar you are with the owner?” Penny asks.
“I come here probably far too much. He makes these chocolate croissants that are so fucking good that I once wept while eating one.”
“You did not,” she says while poking me and laughing.
“Close to crying. If I was able to tap into my emotions on a deeper level, there would have been tears for sure.”
Just then, Robert comes back to the front holding a cake box. He taps the top of it and slides it across the counter. “French silk pie. It’s my last one.”
“What?” I ask, excited. “You never have any left.”
“Today is your lucky day. Happy Birthday, Eli.” Robert lends out his hand, and I take it, giving it a solid shake.
“Thank you so much,” I say. “How much do I owe you, Robert?” I take out my wallet, and Robert holds up his hand.
“It’s on me. Consider it a birthday present.”
“You know I can’t do that,” I say.
He shakes his hand at me. “With the amount of business you’ve brought me just by talking about my shop, I do owe you this gift. Now take the pie and don’t argue with me.”
I’d never argue with Robert, so instead, I take a fifty out of my wallet and stick it in the tip jar. With a wink to an annoyed older man, I grab the pie. “Thank you, Robert.”
“Anytime.” He glances at Penny. “Be nice to this guy. If he brought you here, you must mean something to him. We think the world of him, and I sure hope you do as well.”
Looking slightly uncomfortable, Penny says, “He’s really great.”
Satisfied, Robert offers us a wave, and I head toward the front door. When I open it for Penny, she says, “Where are we eating this pie?”
“Well, since Robert is closing up, we can eat it out here. He always includes forks so we can dig in.” When she shivers, I secretly smile to myself. “Or we can take it up to my place, which is just across the street.” I point at the modern-looking apartment building directly in front of us.
Her eyes narrow, and she says, “Well, how convenient.”
“For me. Not sure about you. I don’t know where you live, but like I said, after dessert, we part ways. So we can scarf this down right here, and then I’ll be more than happy to find you a taxi to get you home.”
“You want me to eat a pie while freezing right outside your place?”
“I mean . . . if you want to warm up, you are more than welcome to come to my place and do so. I have a fireplace we can sit next to.”
