“I remember how much you liked the white chocolate flavor we have,” Stacy tells Abbott and I swear there are cartoon hearts in her eyes. My eyes fly to her left hand. No wedding ring. “Remember you used to come in on all my shifts and order a white chocolate milkshake with a swirl of blueberry topping.”
“And Aspen mentioned your cheat snack is—"
“Lucky Charms,” I say out loud at the same time Patti does.
Terra is staring at me but I don’t glance down. I don’t know what I’ll see on her face but I’m pretty sure it will make me uncomfortable. I haven’t told Terra about the romantic past I have with Abbott, but Aspen might have. Aspen’s never told me she knows but that girl knows all the secrets in this town, but unlike Mrs. Green, she doesn’t spill them every chance she gets.
“So, the flavor is white chocolate ice cream with a blueberry swirl and marshmallows!” Patti announces and everyone claps. Everyone but me. I’m just staring at Abbott and wondering why he’s still letting Stacy cling to his side.
“Aww, you guys that sounds perfect! I can’t wait to try it.” He finally steps out of Stacy’s clutches and reaches for the spoon, but she grabs it before him and literally feeds him his first bite. In front of everyone. And they all have their phones up recording or snapping pictures. Including a guy in a Portland Press shirt and Mrs. Green and her daughter Cassidy. “Delicious!”
More cheers. I want to puke. Patti claps in delight and announces, “Everyone the price on this one is discounted today. Fifty percent off. And the ballot for voting for the names is at the end of the counter. Your choices are Barlowe Blast or Abbott’s Ice.”
“They both suck,” I mutter, and Terra smacks my arm.
“Be nice. Let’s get some while we’re here,” she suggests, and I groan. “Go get us both a cone. I’m going over to talk to Aspy.”
I don’t move so she pushes me toward the line. It takes fifteen minutes. Fifteen fucking minutes where all I do is stare at Abbott, who is serving people along with the regular staff and Stacy. Why the hell is she back there? She hasn’t worked here in years. She’s an accountant in Saco. He’s smiling and laughing and letting people take selfies with him. He looks so… comfortable with all of it. Even when Stacy repeatedly side hugs him. He’s more comfortable living a lie than I am in my own skin and I hate it.
“Deck! You came to this?”
I’m suddenly at the front of the line, staring right into his inky blue eyes. “Not on purpose.”
His happiness fades as he blinks. “Oh. Well, I’m glad you’re here. I would have invited you but I just thought… this isn’t your thing.”
“Nope. It’s not. But since we’re here getting our ice cream order for the restaurant, Terra said we should try this stuff. So, two cones please. I guess,” I mutter and keep my eyes on the counter, staring at the sparkles in the white Formica like it’s my job to count them or something.
“Sugar cones. The ones with the chocolate Jimmies on the rim,” Abbott tells Stacy. “They’re Deck’s favorite.”
I hate how easily he says that. Like the fact he knows me inside and out is no big deal. “So Stacy, you and Abbott should go out sometime and catch up. Now that he’s back full-time and everything.”
“I would love that!” Stacy answers instantly, grinning so widely it’s hilarious.
Abbott is in the middle of pushing a scoop of the ice cream onto one of the cones that Stacy handed him and it suddenly cracks. His eyes don’t even follow the ball as it lands with a plop on the floor after glancing off the front of his pants first. He’s just glaring at me with a horrified gleam in his eye.
“Oh crap. How did that happen?” I ask and smile innocently.
Stacy walks over and hip checks Abbott. “He just doesn’t know his own strength. Keep those muscles for the slap shots, hot shot. Ice cream needs a gentle touch,” Stacy kids and takes the scooper from him. “Go clean up your pants real quick. I’ll serve Declan.”
Stacy scoops me two perfect cones and I thank her and make my way down to the till. I hand Patti a ten and tell her to keep the change. She points to the small box and the stack of golf pencils and ballots. “Don’t forget to vote for the name. You know Abbott so your opinion matters. Also, when you’re done, I’ll have Katy grab your ice cream order.”
I smile at her but head to Terra and Aspen instead of over to the ballot box. Terra grabs her cone from me and Andie instantly reaches for it. Aspen pulls her chubby little hand back, much to Andie’s dismay. “I let her taste it when Patti was developing it and now I have a monster on my hands.”
I smile at her and then at Andie. Her chubby hand reaches for my cone too, but once again Aspen pulls it away. She does what babies do - she wails. “I’m going to have to go outside and calm her down. Good seeing you guys. Thanks for supporting Abbott.”
Aspen disappears. “Can we go too?”
Terra nods and we make our way back toward Patti’s storeroom. Abbott is coming out of the bathroom at the end of the hall. Our eyes lock. Terra looks up at me and then over at Abbott. “Hey, congrats! You’re ice cream guy famous.”
He smiles at her but it’s kind of lackluster. “Deck, got a minute?”
Before I can answer, Terra does. “I’ll load the coolers. You take your time.”
Abbott walks over to stand in front of me. “You really tried to set me up with Stacy?”
“Why not?”
“You know why not,” Abbott snaps. I look down at the thigh of his pant leg and it’s damp where he must have tried to clean off the ice cream.
