I laugh but shake my head. “Nah. I think you hit the nail on the head with this place. You should be proud Gabi. It’s amazing.”
“Thanks,” she says, a blush coming across her face like it does any time I give her a compliment. “Though I don’t know if you should keep eating here. ”
“Why is that?”
She signals down to my bear claw. “Keep eating those, and anything else you get me to teach you to bake, and you’re going to be out of shape for next season.”
I wave her way. “My dietitians know about my sweet tooth. Plus, it’s the off season. I’m allowed to indulge.”
“But what about when the season starts? Are you still going to be averaging three bear claws a week?”
“Oh, it’ll go up to five,” I say with a wink. “Especially if I start the season with an interception every game.”
“I can see it now,” Gabi says, her hands pretending to unveil a billboard. “My new advertising slogan: Come to Sugar and Sweets. Get a bear claw. Play like Maddox Gallagher.”
Holy shit… my future wife and current friend is not only gorgeous, but she’s a genius too.
“That’s it!” I shout, grabbing my phone out of my back pocket and handing it to Gabi. “Will you take a picture of me please?”
“What are you doing?” she asks, very confused, as I hold up the bear claw to my face as I prepare to take a massive bite.
“Take my picture!” I say with the pastry half in my mouth. “Mmmm, so fucking good.”
“I have no clue what the hell is going on.”
I don’t reply to her, instead throwing on a filter that I’m known to use, and type a few words out, but I can feel her eyes on me.
“There we go. Perfect!”
“Maddox…”
Yup. The stern way she says my name. I fucking love it.
“Gabrielle…”
She’s giving me a look like a few of my teachers did when I was in school. Like I’ve been very bad and she wants to make sure I know it, but I’m still not going to get punished
It’s a little hot. If she would be wearing her glasses right now I’d be saying fuck this friends bullshit and I’d be eating her out under this table.
“Maddox, I asked you what you’re doing?”
I finish typing my caption, and hit post, before looking at a very concerned Gabi. “Testing out the new ad campaign.”
Smiles.
All smiles.
Because Gabi has a line out the door.
Fuck yes.
I should’ve known something was happening when I had to park three blocks away from the bakery. Then I turned the corner and the line.
I fucking love this for her. I love that I was able to make it happen with one social media post. But mostly? I love that I know for a fact these people are going to be returning customers because no way they’re going to have one of her baked goods and not want more.
When I make it to the sidewalk, I hear people whispering, wondering if it’s me walking next to them. Any question of my identity is thrown out the window when one woman yells “Holy shit! Maddox Gallagher! He really does eat here!”
“I do,” I say to her as I pose for a selfie. “The bear claws are awesome, but really you can’t go wrong with anything. I hope you all enjoy!”
