Page 18 of A Room By the Sea

Audrey had come back from her date with Evan and told Elaine about a contest that the county held called the Up-and-Coming Business Sponsorship Contest. She had agreed with Audrey and Michelle that the three of them should enter The Birchwood House into the contest, and she’d decided that it was time for her to reach out to Shep about a business partnership between the hotel and the bakery. She figured that a business partnership would be a great way to boost their chances in the contest by catching the judges’ attention.

It was a short walk between The Birchwood House and Townsend’s Bakery, and she arrived after walking for only a few minutes. She stepped into the pleasantly air-conditioned bakery and smiled when she was greeted by the scent of sweet treats and the sound of numerous customers chatting and exclaiming over how delicious the baked goods looked.

Iris was standing behind the counter, tucking a variety of cookies into a white paper box at lightning speed while chatting amiably with the three customers who were standing in front of the display case, peering inside it.

She’s the perfect worker for Shep, Elaine thought with a chuckle. She makes up for how little he talks, and with bells on.

She grinned as she observed the way Iris seemed to be some kind of wind-up fairy, whizzing about the shop with cheerful ease, never missing a beat and appearing perfectly unfrazzled. Elaine felt genuinely impressed by the way the other woman was handling the rush without batting an eyelash or appearing flustered in any way. Iris kept up a steady stream of conversation with the guests as she worked, talking as casually as if she were chatting at the beach or the hair salon instead of whizzing about wrapping up baked goods and taking payments at lightning speed.

Elaine looked around the front room for Shep, wondering if he might be out there helping Iris, since it was so busy. There was no sign of him, however, and she chuckled, guessing that he had remained sequestered in the back of the shop as usual.

Elaine waited quietly in the corner until the rush had died down and she was the last customer left in the bakery—for a few moments, at least. She stepped up to the counter with a smile and was greeted warmly by Iris.

“Hey, Elaine!” Iris said, stepping forward as if she would have hugged Elaine if there hadn’t been a counter between them. “Great to see you. It’s been a minute.”

“I know.” Elaine smiled. “Audrey usually comes and gets the baked goods for us now, and the last time I was here myself I ended up seeing Shep instead of you.”

“Wow, you glimpsed the unicorn himself, huh?” Iris chuckled. “You’re lucky. That’s a rare sighting. Honestly, we should give out prizes.”

Elaine shook her head, laughing. She wanted to urge Iris to shush, since it was more than possible that Shep could hear her from the kitchen, but she figured that Iris knew what she was doing when it came to Shep. Besides, despite his gruff exterior, Shep wasn’t a cold-hearted man. Elaine guessed that he wouldn’t mind being called a unicorn by his imaginative employee.

“What can I get for you?” Iris continued. She seemed to be suspended in motion, like a spinning top whirring in one place while it waited to keep traveling across the room.

“I’ll take a drip coffee and an apple butter scone, please,” Elaine said. “And I’d like to speak with Shep, if he’s back there. It’s about something important.”

Iris froze, blinking. “Um, well, Shep doesn’t usually take time for personal meetings.” She brightened. “Whatever it is, I’m sure I can answer your question. What can I do to help you?”

“I appreciate your offer, but I do actually need to speak with Shep directly. I’m sure he won’t mind too much.”

Iris glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip and looking hesitant. For a second, she seemed to be considering what Elaine was asking for, and then she shook her head. “I don’t think so, I’m sorry Elaine. I really don’t think Shep would be open to an unscheduled visit.”

She’s a great employee for that man, that’s for sure, Elaine thought with a chuckle. She’s guarding him like a mother bear, making sure he doesn’t have to come out of his anti-social cave. I don’t think he minds me too much though. I’m not going to take no for an answer, not after I walked all the way down here.

“I’m afraid he’s just going to have to be okay with it,” Elaine said, giving Iris a mischievous look. She stepped over to the door that led from behind the counter into the kitchen, and, feeling incredibly audacious, stepped through it.

“Shep,” she said cheerfully, marching into the kitchen. “I need to speak to you straight away about a business proposition that has the potential to exponentially increase the income of your bakery.”

Shep, who was standing at his counter wearing a flour-covered yellow apron, gaped at her. He looked as shocked as if she’d been a ghost, rising from the floorboards. She felt a twinge of amusement as she reflected that she was probably the first customer to ever barge her way into Shep’s kitchen.

“What on—” Shep shook his head. He dropped the bread dough he’d been kneading and it landed on the counter with a splat. “Elaine. I am very busy.”

“I know you’re not used to being interrupted like this, Shep⁠—”

“I most certainly am not.” He appeared incredulous. “Who do you think you are, coming in here like this without warning?”

“I’m sorry I startled you,” Elaine said kindly, unphased by the way his demeanor was starting to resemble that of a bear that had been rudely woken from hibernation. She stood her ground, determined not to leave the kitchen even though Iris was shuffling from foot to foot in the doorway behind her, clearly hoping to usher her out at any moment. “You’re going to want to listen to what I have to say, Shep. I’ve got a good offer for you, truly.”

Shep grunted. Iris stopped shuffling her feet and looked intrigued.

“Shep, Elaine does seem to have something very important to say right now—sounds like she’s got something to offer you. You should listen to her. You’re all caught up on baking, aren’t you? I think she came at a perfect time for you two to be able to chat.”

Almost petulantly, Shep gestured to the bread dough that was lying on the counter in front of him.

“Yeah, and guess what you’re going to do with that in about two seconds?” Iris pointed out in a teasing tone. “Put it in the proving drawer to rise. So you won’t have anything to do for a while. Besides, right now our shop is empty of customers.”

Shep grunted again, but Elaine noticed that his grunt sounded less grumpy this time. She smiled at him.

“Come on, you want to meet with me. I promise you’ll be interested in what I have to say.”