I grin. “You’re lucky Layla isn’t here, or a couple of egos would take a hit.”
“We’re allowed to have two favorite girls.” Joyce smiles back. She and her husband, Bob, just returned from vacation, and it’s good to see them again.
Joyce makes a show of looking around the shop. “Well, everything looks like it ran smoothly while we were gone, but I had no doubts that it would.”
Between Layla and me, we could run this place in our sleep. We started working here around the same time and learned every aspect of the business together. I’m glad she and Bob were finally able to take a vacation, something they’ve rarely done in the three years I’ve been here.
“Well,” I say, “there was that one kid whose coffee we accidentally dumped arsenic into. He almost died, but he pulledthrough at the last minute. Although I’d expect a lawsuit any day now.”
Joyce laughs, shaking her head. “Aren’t you the funny one this morning?”
“So how was the cruise?” I ask, leaning against the counter. “Did you and Bob have a good time?”
Joyce’s face lights up. “Oh, Tessa, it was wonderful. We did the Mediterranean—Greece, Italy, Croatia. The food alone was worth the trip.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“It was,” she says, then laughs. “Although Bob almost caused an international incident at the buffet in Naples.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “What? How?”
“Well,” Joyce leans in conspiratorially, “you know how Bob gets around food. We’re at this gorgeous outdoor lunch buffet at the port, and he sees this beautiful plate of pasta sitting on the counter—fresh lobster ravioli in this creamy sauce, garnished perfectly.”
“Okay…”
“So naturally, Bob assumes it’s part of the buffet display and just picks it up and sits down with it. Starts eating. I’m across the way getting my own food, and I hear this commotion. I turn around, and there’s Bob, halfway through this plate, and this Italian couple is standing there absolutely furious, yelling at him in Italian.”
I cover my mouth, already laughing.
“Turns out, they’d special-ordered it from the chef—paid extra for it and everything—and it was sitting there waiting for them to come back from getting drinks. But Bob thought it was just a fancy buffet presentation.” She shakes her head, grinning. “The couple doesn’t speak any English. Bob doesn’t speak any Italian. So he’s just sitting there with a fork in his hand, lobsterravioli in his mouth, trying to mime an apology while they’re gesturing wildly at him.”
“Oh my God,” I gasp.
“Finally, a cruise employee had to come over and translate. Bob offered to pay for a replacement order, but the couple was so insulted they refused and stormed off. The employee had to escort Bob away from the buffet, and we got a formal warning from the cruise director that evening about respecting other passengers’ meals.”
“You did not,” I say, wiping tears from my eyes.
“I know. Can you believe it? Four thousand miles from home and Bob is still causing a commotion.”
“He can’t help it.” I chuckle.
Her eyes soften and a smile spreads across her face. “Yes, his childlike behavior is part of his charm. Fifty-two years of marriage and the man still finds new ways to embarrass me.” She smiles fondly. “But I wouldn’t trade him for anything.”
“Well, I’m glad you had fun and didn’t have more than one incident of food theft.”
“We did, and me too.” She chuckles, then holds my stare, studying my face for a beat. “You know, you look happy.”
“Do I? More so than normal?”
She squints, considering. “Yeah. There’s something different about you. What happened while I was gone?”
I lift one shoulder. “Nothing that I know of.”
“Well, happiness looks good on you,” she says before giving me a wink. “Alright, I’m going to head back. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
“Got it.”
The bell chimes, and my gaze snaps toward the door. Brief disappointment washes through me when I don’t recognize the person walking in.
