As she swallowed down another mouthful with a happy sigh, she thought that not only was an annual trip justified, it was practically an obligation. Her taste buds demanded it.
All too soon, the cake had been eaten down into a skinny, wobbly tower, and she pushed it over onto its side, feeling oddly satisfied as it fell with athwap!onto the plate.
“You finish it,” she said, nudging the plate toward Max. She could’ve happily done so herself, but she really did want him to have it.
“You sure?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Positive.”
Even though there was only a tiny amount left, he took his time, clearly savoring every mouthful.
I’d like to see him savoring a different kind of mouthful,she thought, before her face heated up hotter than it ever had before. Surely she was fire-engine red at this point, and she sipped at her coffee in an attempt to distract herself.
Max finished the cake, scraping around the plate for every last morsel, before looking up. His expression changed from satisfied to concerned.
“Are you okay?” he asked, clearly worried. “You look like you’re overheated.”
“I’m fine!” she squeaked. “My coffee was just a bit hot, is all.”
He looked like he wasn’t buying the excuse, and fair enough – her coffee was room temperature, at this point. Quickly she added, “And I never did take my hat off, either. Just a little bit warm.”
That much, at least, was true – she’d been so surprised to see him that she hadn’t taken off any layers.
She hastily pulled off her beret, scarf, and jacket, hoping to any higher power that would listen that her hair hadn’t been flattened too badly.
“Whew!” she said, fanning her face melodramatically. “That’s much better.”
Max still didn’t lookentirelylike he was buying her act, but at least he seemed somewhat mollified.
Looking around for a change of topic to distract him with, Poppy racked her brain for something to say.
“Oh!” she said. “Did you see the framed copy ofDish & Plateon the wall by the front counter? This bakery got reviewed by Aubrey Z.!”
She was sure that that would be enough to distract Max – between his love of cake and his love of reading, surely he would know who Aubrey Z. was.
It was therefore with surprise and a little dismay that she watched Max’s eyebrows shoot up for a moment, before his nose wrinkled.
“Who?” he said, in an odd tone of voice.
Poppy blinked. She wassurethat Max would know who Aubrey Z. was – there weren’t many people who weren’t at least vaguely familiar with the name.
“Aubrey Z.,” she said. “The food critic. Super famous. Surely someone as well-read as you has heard of him?”
Max looked a little like he’d swallowed something unpleasant, which really was just strange. Either he’d heard of Aubrey Z., or he hadn’t. There was no need for this kind of reaction.
“Oh,thatguy,” he said eventually, before sliding into a silence that made it clear he had no intention of saying anything further on the subject.
“Or girl,” she said. Aubrey Z.’s identity was one of the most closely-guarded secrets in the country. She wasn’t sure how they managed to do it – surelysomeonewould have to find out and spill the beans at some point?
“Oh yeah, of course,” he said, his eyes flitting about. “That person.”
It was clear that he still didn’t want to discuss the topic, but that just made Poppy want to discuss it more.
“Not a fan?” she asked.
“… You could say that,” he said grudgingly. “They’re overrated.”
Poppy was lost for words for a moment.
