Lynn let loose a quick curl of her lips. “Oh, no, no. Held my breath when I was bending down just now.”
While the two were bantering, a group of twenty-something men strode through the front door, all of them donning business suits with their nameplates pinned to the chests.
Strangely, there was no woman among them; this curiosity hooked Tiffany’s attention. Experience told her that men didn’t typically visit cafés in throngs, and women were usually better appreciators of all things sweet.
Instinctively, she reasoned that these men were here to buy for their girlfriends. “Welcome! What would you like? Here are our latest goods, and they are guaranteed to be a favorite among the ladies. Would you like me to introduce them to you?”
A clean-shaven man leading the troop was a little bashful. “Um, well… Just giving all of us a set of your recommendations will do.”
Tiffany cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm? Dining-in? You’re not buying for your girlfriends or female friends?”
The man’s friends had already taken their seats when one replied, “What girlfriend? We’re looking at them right now! Or rather, this shop that’s filled with beautiful ladies — hey, where are the other two?”
Smack! Lynn struck the menu hard on the table before Tiffany could answer them. “Please be patient. Your food will be served soon.”
There was not a hint of a smile anywhere on Lynn’s face, and with the grimace she wore, it might even be dangerous to provoke her ire. However, one of the men was foolhardy enough to pipe up, “Got Instagram, miss? It’s for ease of contact in the future. We would loooove to order directly from you in the future whenever the mood for sweetness kicks in.”
Lynn turned steely. “Calling the number of this shop will do. Look, it’s right there staring at you from the wall.”
A measly rejection was hardly a humiliating blow to the man, who continued to tease, “And who’s usually the one answering? You?”
Lynn had already started back to the cashier. “The one who’s pitifully free at the moment, I’m afraid.”
The clean-shaven man had said not a word after his exchange, though he occasionally shot glances in the direction of the kitchen.
As expected, Tiffany slipped into the kitchen to report this exciting find to Arianne. “Hey, Ari? I think someone’s got the hots for you,” she began. “There’s a bunch of guys having dessert out there right now; I think they work in the office building opposite us. Anyway, this is the first time they’ve been here, and already they’re saying crap like how this shop is filled with beautiful girls, or how they’re here for them, blah blah. Oh, but that’s not all. One of the really good-looking ones seemed to be preeeeetty interested in you, ‘cause he just wouldn’t stop looking in this direction. He didn’t even look at any of us! God, if he knows you’re already married — he might need an ambulance!”
Arianne, however, was disinterested. “Wow, cool story,” she intoned. “Now, can you please spare me the idle chit-chat? I’m kinda busy here!”
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