“Teddy wants to go with Princess Leia and Luke fromStar Wars.”
She doesn’t look very excited at the prospect, and rightly so since Luke and Leia are siblings. I tell her, “Why don’t we do that one for him and then you can pick one that you’d like.”
With a dreamy look on her face, she tells me, “I’d like to recreate our look from the summer when we were kids and had our first kiss.”
Taking the latte she hands me, I reply, “I thought you guys only met a few years ago.”
“We did, really.” She explains, “Teddy used to visit his grandparents here when he was a kid. I used to see him down at the beach, but I never talked to him.” She pauses to sigh. “He was older and way hotter than anyone I ever thought would bother with me.”
Girl, I feel you.
Faith continues, “The last time I saw him, he kissed me the night before he went back to Arizona. After that, he didn’t come back to town until a few summers ago.”
“That was pretty forward, kissing you and then leaving town.” Why couldn’t something like that have happened to me? My first kiss didn’t come until college.College.I’m guessing that’s probably because in addition to being a late bloomer, once I was diagnosed, I lost all confidence and subsequently all appeal to the opposite sex.Autism, the gift that keeps on giving.
Faith’s eyes appear to glaze over in memory. “It was like one of those perfect teenage love stories. It just took a long time for us to get our happily ever after.” She puts a sticky bun in a bag and hands it to me.
“You’re going to make me fat,” I tell her. Although, I still take the bag. I don’t fear fat like the average woman. In fact, I figure if I get chunky, I’ll just be softer, and thatismy favorite thing in the world. So really, there is no downside.
Faith pushes her glasses up. “You look fabulous, Finley. And what better way to start the day than with a sticky bun?”
She’s got me there. New socksanda sticky bun practically make this the best morning I’ve had all month.
After walking out of Rosemary’s, I stand for a minute and appreciate the beauty of Main Street. Most shops aren’t open yet, so it’s still fairly deserted. There’s something about Elk Lake, Wisconsin, that makes me think of Stars Hollow in that old show,Gilmore Girls.It’s so deliciously quaint, you just want to climb into your TV set and live there. Lucky for me, I already do.
I walk to Happy Snaps slowly while counting my steps—twenty-three from Rosemary’s to my shop. Occasionally, it’s twenty-four, which means I have to go back to the bakery and get it right. The good news is that I never make the same mistake twice in a row so I don’t get caught in a horrible loop of walking to and from the bakery all day long.
Unlocking the door, I step inside and tap the light switch three times before turning it on. I love my shop, and its location on the corner. Windows facing two directions means twice the light, and twice the shadows. Even though I shoot in the back with stage lights, I still love the look of sunshine as it dapples on everything it touches.
Once I flip theclosedsign toopen, I walk behind the counter and open the drawer where I keep the wet wipes and plastic silverware. I pull out a knife and fork before carefully removing the sticky bun from its bag. While I love the taste of the caramelly-covered sweet roll, I do not like sticky things.
I savor the first bite, letting the explosion of cinnamon and pecan fill my mouth. Whoever invented these is my hero. I’m halfway through the roll when Allie and Margie walk in. “Good morning!” I call out with my mouth still half-full.
“What are you eating?” my friend demands.
“Sticky bun,” I mumble.
“From Rosemary’s?” Margie asks.
When I nod my head in the affirmative, she turns and walks back out onto the street. “Get me one, too!” Allie calls after her.
When my friend turns her attention back to me, I ask her, “How are you two doing?”
She tucks a strand of auburn hair back behind her ear. “If I wasn’t adopting Margie’s baby, I’d want to adopt Margie. That girl really has it all together, you know?”
“Aside from the teenage pregnancy part, you mean?” I’ve never known of a teenager who was excited to find out they had a baby onboard.
Allie drops her duffel bag on the floor before sitting down on one of the chairs by the window. “Obviously, that wasn’t part of her plan, but she’s dealing with it so maturely, it’s mind-boggling.”
“I’m envious of you,” I tell my friend. “Your whole life is coming together.”
“It took long enough,” she scoffs before adding, “Don’t worry, Fin, your life is moving along just fine.”
“I suspect that’s true,” I tell her. “But I would like to meet someone and have my own love story.”
“You will.”
“How can you be sure?”
