Page 82 of Yours To Take
“Well, I’ll be. You finally came to see us, Blake!”
Mrs. Reynolds rushes over to us in a flurry of bangles and oversized shawls.
“Umm, hi?” Blake has no idea who this is.
“Blake, this is Mrs. Reynolds. She’s one of the piemakers here in town.”
“One of? Gemma, have I taught you nothing? I’m the best piemaker in town. I’ll show you.”
She walks back to her table, grabbing a slice of her famous blueberry pie. She shoves it into Blake’s hands. “The first slice is on the house. So you know what good pie is when Mrs. Phillips tries to convince you what’s good.”
“Oh! She brought pie over to me when I got here.”
“Of course the ol’ bat did,” Mrs. Reynolds grumbles.
Blake takes a bite of pie, moans of happiness emanating from him. “I don’t know, this pie might take number one.”
“You hear that, Phyllis?” Mrs. Reynolds shouts across the field. “Man knows his pie!”
“Only because you shoved it in his face the minute they got here!” Mrs. Phillips shouts back. “He knows my pie I dropped off a few weeks back is even better.”
Green eyes are bouncing back and forth between the two women like it’s the most entertaining thing he’s ever witnessed. And he keeps shoveling bites of pie into his face.
“When you’re done, Blakey, come on over here, and I’ll remind you why myrealpie is the best in town.”
“Blakey?” the man being fought over says, swallowing the bite in his mouth.
“Told you you’d be a hot commodity.” It’s too tempting not to give him a peck on the cheek.
“Aren’t you two just the cutest.” Mrs. Reynolds is grinning like a fool at the two of us. “Blake, how long did you say you’d be in town?”
A quick look washes over his face, gone just as fast as it came. It’s like he knows his time here is limited too.
“A few weeks. Plenty of time to come back and get some more pie.”
Mrs. Reynolds waves him off. “What a schmoozer you are. I’m sending you two home with a pie to enjoy tonight. My treat.”
“Oh, no.” Blake sets his empty plate down. “I insist on paying for it.”
“You’ll break my heart if you don’t take my pie.”
“We can’t have that, can we?”
Blake takes the pie being pressed into his hands.
“Now, go meet Dick.” She shoos him off, but grabs my hand. “Gemma, dear.”
“Yes, Mrs. Reynolds?”
“I hope you’re taking advantage of that young man.” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
“Mrs. Reynolds!” My mouth hangs open. I shouldn’t expect anything less from her.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that. My husband may have passed, but I still have eyes. And that young man is a tall drink of water you need to be drinking out of.”
I have no doubt my cheeks are fire-engine red. “I will…take that under advisement.”
“You do that, sweetheart. You do that.” She winks and sends me on my way.
