Chapter Eight

Bryn

Walking down the main street in town, I held Cullen’s hand firmly in mine. Tory had taken the car to job-hunt today while I was home, and I had picked Cullen up from school. I glanced down at the ice cream that was dripping down his hand. He couldn’t eat it fast enough to beat the heat from the sun. The smile on his face said he didn’t mind at all.

Things like ice cream delighted him. It had once been a treat he never got to have. Now, I could buy him an ice cream every day if he wanted it. I didn’t, of course, because it wasn’t healthy for him, but I loved days like today when I could stop and let him pick whatever he wanted from the ice cream stand.

The Help Wanted sign on the store up ahead caught my eye, and I turned to walk closer to the window. I could see books lining the walls and tables sitting inside along with sofas and comfy chairs. There was a bakery and coffee. Lifting my gaze, I read Signed Sips displayed on the building.

This was walking distance from our apartment. I wondered if Tory had checked here. It was maybe a quarter of a mile away from where we lived, and she could get here quickly. I couldn’t imagine a bakery and coffee shop stayed open late. She would have early hours.

“Let’s go in here,” I told Cullen, then remembered he was dripping with melted ice cream.

I stepped in front of him and bent down to wipe him up with the napkins. Once he was no longer a walking mess, I took his hand again, and we headed inside the shop.

“Cupcakes!” Cullen said gleefully as we walked toward the counter.

There were several artfully decorated cupcakes displayed. I noticed many of the items in the case were marked dairy-free, gluten-free, and even nut-free. That was rare. Every one of the cupcakes had an allergy-free sign in front of it. How something that looked so delicious with all that icing and bits of candy could be free of all those things, I had no idea.

“Welcome to Signed Sips. Can I help you?” a female voice asked.

I looked up to see an attractive brunette wearing a black apron on the other side of the counter. She had a friendly smile that put me at ease.

“Hello. Uh, yes. Could we have the pink unicorn cupcake and the …” I paused and looked down at Cullen. “Which one?” I asked him.

“The chocolate bar one!” he replied gleefully.

I glanced up at the menu hanging on the wall to see what drinks they had available. “And a caramel cappuccino, please.”

“Regular milk?” she asked me.

I had never had any other kind of milk. I nodded my head.

She walked over to the coffee machine behind her and began working on my order. I glanced down at Cullen to see his ice cream was once again beginning to drip. I quickly scanned the place for napkins, then walked him over to the counter to clean him up before he got ice cream on the floor.

“Do I get to eat a cupcake too?” he asked me.

“Yes, but not until after dinner,” I replied.

When he was no longer a mess, we walked back to the counter just as the girl was putting my coffee down along with a bag.

She glanced down at Cullen and smiled. “That looks good,” she said.

He turned and buried his face in my thigh.

“Sorry, he’s shy,” I explained.

“No worries. Can I get you anything else?” she asked.

I paused for a moment, not sure if my asking for a job application for Tory would look bad or not. The girl was very friendly though, and I doubted my sister had stopped here.

“Well, I noticed your Help Wanted sign,” I began. “Could I have an application? For my sister? She’s out on the hunt for a job today, and this is very close to our apartment.”

The girl’s eyes brightened, and her smile widened. “I don’t have any applications but we have two positions open. We need someone out here, doing what I am doing right now, and then we need someone in the back, helping with the early morning baking.”

Tory was not a baker. That was out, but this front-of-the-store job she could do. “Great. I’ll let her know.”

I could tell the girl wanted to ask me something more, but she didn’t. I figured she would wait and hold the questions for Tory.

Instead, she nodded her head and smiled. “I’m Henley Warren. I’m one of the owners. Have her ask for me when she comes back.”

“Thank you so much,” I replied.

Cullen slipped a sticky hand into mine. I looked down at him to see he had finished his ice cream, although a good deal of it was on his face.

Turning my attention back to Henley, I added, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Bryn Wallace. My sister’s name is Tory.”

The smile on her face grew wider. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Bryn.”

“I want to go home and color,” Cullen said beside me.

I smiled down at him. “This is Cullen,” I told her.

“Well, hello, Cullen. I like that name,” she said. “I read a book series once, and the guy in it had that as his last name.”

He watched her closely but said nothing. His hand still in mine.

“His mother watched the movies about that book when she was pregnant with him. She doesn’t read books,” I explained. “I doubt she knows there is a book series about it. But she did get his name from the Cullens you’re referring to.”

Henley let out a small laugh. “That’s a great name.”

“Can we go now?” Cullen asked me again.

“Just send Tory here and have her ask for me,” Henley told me.

I nodded. “Perfect. I appreciate it. Well, we’d better be going.”

The door opened behind us, and I glanced back to see a group of teenagers dressed like they had walked over from the beach coming inside. I waved good-bye to Henley, and then Cullen and I headed out the door to go back home.

If Tory didn’t mess this up, she could have a great job close to the apartment. I was torn between being excited and worried. She never held on to a job long, so the common denominator was obviously her. I liked Henley Warren, and I wanted Tory to make it work there.

“Aunt Bryn?” Cullen asked me.

“Yes?”

“Do you have to work tonight?” he asked.

“Nope,” I replied.

His hand squeezed mine. “Good. I like it best when you put me to bed. Mama doesn’t tuck me in. She just tells me to go get in bed.”