Donuts and Handcuffs

“Good morning, Bailey,” he said. “You’ll never believe what we need over at the station today.”

“Salsa dancing lessons?” I asked quickly.

“No.”

I cocked my head, dramatically thinking out loud. “A new swimming pool?”

His nose crinkled a bit when he laughed. “Not quite.”

I snapped my fingers. “I bet it’s a dozen mixed donuts with at least four dark chocolate.”

He threw up his hands as if in shock. “I didn’t know that our local baker had psychic powers.”

Pulling out a box, I arranged the donuts inside. “Do you need something non-sugary for your manager?”

He seemed impressed that I remembered. “Not today, thanks.”

Two mothers with toddlers in strollers came in as Daniel paid for his order, but he set it aside as if he had no intention of leaving for a while. Then a couple of teenagers came in, either skipping school, or making the most of a free period.

I couldn’t help grinning, since there was a favorite game I liked to play whenever there were more than seven people in the shop.

Deep down, I was a shy, quiet person. But I forced myself to play the part of the kooky baker lady since everyone seemed entertained by my wacky little oddities.

“Hey everyone,” I asked, “Should we have Officer Daniel ring the bell?”

It seemed like only one of the teenagers and one of the mothers knew what I was talking about. Daniel’s eyes followed my pointing finger to the big old-fashioned brass bell hanging from the ceiling with a long red cord dangling down. It looked like the kind of thing that would be used for last call at an old fashioned pub.

“Ring it,” one of the teenagers said excitedly. Daniel raised an eyebrow, then easily reached up to pull the rope.

As the bell rang through the shop, a recorded fifties game show announcer voice declared, “Freeeee cookie time!”

Pulling out a hidden tray from beneath the counter, I handed Daniel a chunky chocolate caramel mint cookie. Then I gave one to the rest of the customers in the store.

Everyone was absolutely delighted, and I knew it was the sort of amusement that people often mentioned on social media. For the price of a few free cookies, I had free promotion.

After the shop cleared again, Daniel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’m not a cookie expert by any means, but good grief - I think that was the best cookie I’ve ever had in my life.”

A bell went off in the back, making me jump slightly, but I tried to hide it. I should be used to the timers by now, yet I nearly always twitched. “Hey, can I get your help with something for a minute?” I asked.

“Sure.”

I rushed to the back to take something out of the oven. “I’m testing two different new kinds of cookies and need a second opinion,” I called out to the front.

He laughed, following me back to the kitchen. “I thought maybe you needed a hand lifting something heavy.”

I laughed. “I don’t have time for the gym, so hauling some of the flour bags and running eighty-seven thousand laps of the shop and kitchen every day has to keep me in shape.”

I quickly transferred two of each cookie to a plate. “We just have to wait a minute for them to set.”

“Do you ever take a break?” Daniel asked.

I shrugged, touched at his concern. “I take two nights completely off per week.”

“What do you do in your free time?”

“I garden a little. I live in the apartment upstairs, so I have roof access. I grow my own lemongrass, mint, herbs – a lot of the fresh little extras.”

“You seem to be a very detailed oriented person.” He nodded as if that were a good thing. I saw his eyes dart to my white-board. “Wow. It looks like you’re planning global domination back here.”