Shirley's famous cakes

“Your eyes look gloomy, Jamie.” My boss, Mr. William, says to me, as I arrange the set of cakes on the cakes window view. “Did you have some sleep last night? Mr. Williams sure knows how to read my aura because he immediately knows I am not okay when he sees me. I try to come up with a line to say to him.

“Yes, sir,” I say, adjusting my apron well and enlarging my eyeballs to make it look less gloomy.

“You sure do look like you need some sleep.”

He is actually right. For the past two weeks since I came back from the palace, I spent too much time doing night assignments and studying for the upcoming assignments. Most of the works that took my time were works by final year students who I have to do their thesis for them. It is not a tasking thing to do, but with the constants' calls from them on reaching their deadline, it sure does put up a lot of pressure on me. Mr. William is right to see through me. I have never come to work gloomy like this. But I really need to make up for my rent with my landlady, I have owed her for too long. Mrs brings been a lot kind to me. She doesn't pester me too much on paying up my remaining fees.

“You sure need to take care of yourself, Jamie. You work really hard for a nineteen years old.”

“I will, “I say, trying to act a bit relaxed, even if I know I really want to sleep.

I have been working at Shirley’s since I gained Admission at Princeton College. The pay is not much, but it certainly does help me to pay some of my extra bills at school.

I am done arranging the set of cakes when my eyes settle at the pile of papers by the side of the counter. It’s a checklist of my schedule for the week. I pick it up and go through each and everyone, but then one of the lists catches my eyes. It’s an assignment that I have not started work on. The thought of not starting this work causes a flash of panic on my face. This causes Mr. William to speak to me again.

“Are you okay, Jamie? You really don’t look so good.”

I am about to answer him when the bell at the entrance of the door rings, meaning a customer is about to come in. I immediately drop the checklist paper and stare towards the door. But then who I see causes me to pick up the checklist paper one more time. It’s no other than Charlie. Oh yes, ever since Charlie found out that I worked in at Shirley’s, he always comes in checking on me, wanting to buy a cake as an excuse to see me.

“Hello, CSP,” he says, wanting to annoy me intentionally.

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s not how to answer a customer,” Mr. William says to me. For a second, I forget that Mr. William is still in the shop. This makes me change my method of approach.

“Hello, Charlie. What would you like to have?”

Charlie smiles at me before moving a bit close to the counter. “How about a piece of your handsome face. Is that possible?”

I look towards Mr. William, trying to tell him with my eyes why I answered Charlie the way I did earlier. But then my boss has a smile on his face as if intentionally playing along with Charlie’s game.

“What would you like to order?” I say a second time, ignoring what he had said earlier.

“Okay, I would like a piece of a strawberry cake.”

“And what drink would you like to take with it?”

“How about a vanilla milkshake?”

“Order coming through. In the main time, you can sit and wait for it.”

As I get Charlie’s order ready. Sofia walks right behind me. Sofia is the second sales staff working at Shirley's. she is a beautiful blonde-haired girl with green eyes. Sometimes I wonder how she got this job with Mr. Williams, considering she always comes to work late. This is the third time in a week in which she is coming in late for work. She always comes to work with one excuse or the order. But then it is not in my position to scold her for coming in late. It is the job of Mr. William. He decides on everyone and anyone who works here.

“I am so sorry I came in late today. My grandmother had caught a fever gain. I am so sorry,” Sofia says.

“Enough with the lame excuses Sofia, and get to work immediately. Jamie is kind enough to cover up for you. You should be more kind to him.”

“Oh sure, I do owe him one,” Sofia says, smiling at me.

I am still getting Charlie’s order ready when Mr. William walks up to me, whispering into my ears, enough to let me hear, but not loud enough for Sonia to hear since she is standing close by.

“He really likes you. You know that, right? You should go out with him.”

On hearing this, I stutter, almost dropping the strawberry cake I am holding. But then a flash of hot pink flashes across my face.

“You don’t need to be shy, Jamie. I can give you a break one of these days to go on a date with him. He seems like a good one.”

I am shocked by what I hear, Mr. William says. Did Charlie somehow talk to him behind my back without me knowing? I do not repeat anything. I pick up the tray heading towards Charlie to give him the cake and vanilla milkshake.

When I drop the plate on his table with the milkshake, the doorbell rings again, causing us both to stare towards the entrance of the door. Who I see next at the entrance almost causes me to drop the tray of her hands. My face flushes with a ton of surprise. The only question on my mind is, what the hell is he doing here?