"I don't want anything else. This is it. Check, please."
Tallulah laughed at my joke. If she kept laughing, I had no choice but to keep making jokes.
I scraped leftover crumbs and icing from the plate, and she tried to block me. We ended up in a playful silverware battle, fighting for the last bit of our favorite so far.
Next was a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache, which we both agreed was too rich.
We tried the honey lavender cake next. As I chewed, I noticed the flavor was a little off. The cake was decent, with a floral notethat didn't overwhelm, but there was another flavor underneath I was struggling to identify.
"Do you taste that?" I asked.
Tallulah nodded, her expression becoming contemplative.
"Kinda earthy, isn't it?" I asked.
"I was going to say herbal."
"Like rosemary, or..." I struggled to find the words for the unfamiliar taste.
"Something else. I don't think it's the lavender, either. Shelley uses a lot of organic ingredients and local honey. Could be something local we're not familiar with," she suggested.
"Hmm. Maybe."
We both sat there for a moment, chewing slowly.
Riley popped her head in the door. "Everything okay in here?"
"We're fine. There was an unusual herbal flavor in the lavender honey cake. Any idea what it could be?" Tallulah asked.
"No, ma'am, but I'll ask Shelley when she comes back."
"No need. I was just curious."
"If you don't have any more questions, I'll help Jenny close up shop."
"Go ahead, you don't need to babysit us. We know where to find you if we need help."
After she left, I raked my gaze over the choices left. "What's next?"
"There's one filled with strawberry. Let's try it," Tallulah said.
We tried another piece of cake and another, and after a while, I began to feel... odd. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I felt myself slowing down and the edges of the room became... softer.
I leaned back in the chair. "I am so relaxed right now." Was I talking slower?
Tallulah laughed. Then I laughed.
The two of us kept laughing.
"Why was that so funny?" I asked.
"I don't know. I guess because I feel really relaxed too." She covered her mouth and giggled uncontrollably.
I tapped her cotton bag sitting on the table. "Pretty. I liked the one you had at Knife & Fork too. How many of these bags do you have?" What the hell was wrong with me, telling her how much I liked her accessories? I was out of control.
"These bags?"
Was she slurring her words? Was I?
