Mitchell's Power Play

Friendship and Dinner

SAMMY

When I arrived to work on Monday the light was already on inside. All the neighboring stores, and most of the apartments above them, were dark. There were a few cars on the streets, and I had seen one jogger but then it wasn't even 4 am yet.

I unlocked the door to the bakery and stepped inside, making sure to lock it again after me. We didn't open to customers for another couple of hours.

The hum from the dough machine told me Sylvia had already started. She looked up when I walked into the back room where all the baking took place.

"Good morning," she said and pointed to an envelope on the counter behind her, next to the coffee pot.

"What's that?" I asked and reached for it.

"I don't know. A man dropped it off for you on Saturday."

"Really? Who?"

She gave me a tired look that said I was being stupid.

"Did he say his name?" I asked instead since she clearly didn't know who he was.

"Sammy," she groaned, "you could just read the note."

I giggled because that was true. Clearly, I needed another cup of coffee.

After I put away my bag and coat I ripped open the envelope and was surprised to find an actual letter. From Keith. It was two full pages, front and back, so I skimmed it. He apologized, which was nice, but I didn't really care that he regretted what he'd done. And I had absolutely no interest in getting back with him. Keith's actions had hurt at the time, but I had since moved on to bigger and better things, literally. Mitchell was both of those.

But at least it explained who the flowers were from. Kennedy had been right.

"Is he the one?" Sylvia asked over her shoulder.

"No. He's the cheating, lying ex."

"Oh. Well..." She didn't say anything else and I didn't bother explaining. I turned the faucet on and began to wash my hands. The dough was about ready to be worked. 

******

My phone rang later in the morning when I was up to my elbows in flour. I normally wouldn't even bother looking at my phone while I was in the middle of baking but since Kennedy was nearing delivery time, I walked over to check who was calling. When I saw that it in fact was her I had a bit of a heart attack.

"Kennedy?"

"Hey Sammy," she chirped in her normal happy voice, not the miserable one she'd been using lately. "I'm sorry to bother you at work but I just wanted to know if you can come for dinner tonight?"

What?

I almost had a heart attack and my phone was now covered in whole wheat flour, and all she wanted to know was if I could come to dinner?

"Eh, sure." I took a slow breath and let my heart rate calm down. "What's the occasion?"

"There isn't any other than Nash is home and we're going to the doctor. And we're stopping at the store on the way home, and I'm just so excited to get out of the house. And since I'm going to the store I want to cook and I want to see my friends. So can you? I want to know how many people I'm cooking for." She spoke so fast she almost tripped over the words.

"Ken, did you have real coffee this morning?"

"What, no," she laughed. "I'm just happy that I'm allowed to do something."

That I could understand. "Just don't overdo it," I warned.

"Sammy," she groaned, "I already have Nash telling me all that."