She stared back.
Shit.
She wasn’t wrong.
I dug out my wallet and she shook her head.
“This one’s free.”
“No.”
“It’s customer appreciation. You’re my first regular.”
“I doubt that. What about that old guy in the corner?”
“He’s close, but not yet.” She smiled. “You are my first regular. Today my regulars don’t pay.”
I set cash on the counter anyway. “I’m paying.”
She sighed dramatically. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
“By women?”
“Mostly.”
That earned me a look.
Interesting.
I sat at one of the tables by the window while Josie wiped down the counter. A few minutes later, a mom came in with twin boys who couldn’t have been older than six.
Chaos followed.
One wanted strawberry.
The other wanted blue moon. Then they switched. Then one cried because the other’s scoop looked bigger. Then they both wanted sprinkles.
Josie handled it without missing a beat. She knelt behind the counter so she was eye level with them.
“You know what the secret is?” she whispered.
Both boys leaned in.
“If you stop arguing, I’ll give you rainbow sprinkles.”
The crying stopped instantly.
I snorted.
The mom laughed. “You’re a miracle worker.”
“No,” Josie said. “I just know my audience.”
The boys ran to a table and the mom smiled at Josie. “You’re good at this.”
Josie’s face softened. “Thanks.”
