Best Served Cold

I still had ice cream to make, and it would be a long few weeks until I was able to stockpile properly, but I was thankful.

I was so glad for everything that had happened.

We’d finished the renovations on time. We’d managed to paint and prime and put everything where it’d needed to be. Mom had been a lifesaver with painting the tables, and we’d even been able to add the protective layer it needed for easy cleaning without ruining the paint.

I had no idea how we’d done it. I had no idea how we’d managed to cope with the onslaught of people who’d come in to not only see Best Served Cold’s new look but just for the unicorn ice cream.

Apparently, Sophie’s insistence on using social media to market had worked. Marnie had already sent me photos I could upload to my account, and I was sure as hell making her the girl in charge of taking photos.

I’d tried. I’d also failed.

“Hey.” Chase came up behind me, wrapping his arm around me. “You good?”

“I’m exhausted,” I admitted, standing up and falling into him. “I think I made more sundaes today than I have in weeks.”

He circled my body with his arms and held me tight. “I’m not surprised. It was insane in here.”

“I think I have blisters on my hands from holding the scoop.”

“Yeah? Is that why you’re grinning?”

I buried my face in his chest, because yes, I was grinning. And I swore I had blisters. They hurt so bad, but in a weirdly good way. They were the marks of a wonderfully busy day. I knew the days wouldn’t always be like this, so even though I felt as though I was dead on my feet and totally shattered, I was happy, too.

“You wanna get something to eat before you make the ice cream?” Chase asked, looking down at me. “You didn’t get lunch, and you were too nervous to eat breakfast.”

“I don’t know. I’m—”

“If you tell me you’re too tired to eat anything, I’m going to drag you and make you eat.”

I sighed and rested my cheek against him. “Okay, I’ll eat. Pizza?”

“Whatever you want, babe.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll go grab some and bring it back.”

I nodded and smiled sleepily. He left, and I headed back to the kitchen to make a start. It was sparkling clean, and my lips curved as I looked around.

For a guy who’d nearly accidentally ruined my business, he wasn’t all that bad.

I took a deep breath and started making the next batch of ice cream. I went through the motions on auto-pilot. Making the fairytale ice creams was now so natural to me that I could probably do it with my eyes closed.

I was almost done with it by the time Chase got back with the pizza. My stomach rumbled the second he stepped through the door. The rich smell of the food reminded me that I was, in fact, hungry.

It was easy to forget to eat when you were so busy.

“Rae? Are you done?” He walked into the kitchen as I was pouring the ingredients for the mermaid ice cream into their containers. “That’s a no.” He set the boxes on the counter and came over. “Let’s do this together.”

“You sure?”

“Are you going to sit and eat right now?”

“Well, no. I have to get them done and in the freezer.” I shrugged, reaching for the skewer to mix the colors together.

Chase grabbed one of his own. “You pour, I’ll mix.”

I slid a tub over to him. “Do it thoroughly.”

“Yes, boss.” He smirked and got to work.

I watched him for a second before putting together the rest of the tubs. We worked in silence, both of us mixing the colored mixtures together. Within ten minutes, we were done, and I put the lids on each tub and put them away.

We took the pizza back through to the store and sat down.

“This stupid skirt is itchy,” I muttered, grabbing a piece of pizza.

“Your grandma did tell you the tutu would annoy you after a while.”

“It’s not a tutu; it’s a tulle skirt.”

“How is that different?”

“One is for a ballerina, and do you see me doing a fucking pirouette?”

He laughed. “No, but I think I’d like to. Just for my own amusement when you inevitably fall over.”

I stuck my finger up at him because I had a mouthful full of food. It only made him laugh more, but I didn’t care, because I was so hungry, all I wanted to do was maul my way through this entire pizza by myself.

So that was what I did.

Finally full, we both shut our boxes and folded them in two so they’d fit in the trash can outside. While Chase took them out, I proceeded to clean up the kitchen to get rid of the mess I’d made from the final batch of ice cream.