The Sweet Shop Next Door
pass the broccolini
Author's Note: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews!
Chapter Six:
When Eliza woke up, she noticed that for the first time in a very long time, she felt completely calm. It was a Saturday, so she didn't have to get out of bed for work. The cool, satin sheets were gentle against her skin. Everything seemed perfect until she realized that she was not in her one-room apartment. The sheets were not cotton and the smell of leftover Ramen noodles was not the first thing she smelled. She jolted upright and looked around her. Was this…Count D's bedroom? Had she done anything with him last night? She couldn't remember….
"Ok. Think, Eliza! Think!"
She closed her eyes and tried to remember the events of last night. A detective…Count D left the shop…she met his foster children…they ate food…
She let out a deep breathe and relaxed. He had probably just not known what to do with her and had carried her here. Pushing the covers aside, she stepped out of bed and exited the room. She could hear noises coming from a room down the hall. It sounded like yelling. Barefoot, she walked down the hall towards the open door at the end. Eliza glanced at the other doors curiously. There were so many! The shop looked so small on the outside, too. For some reason she couldn't explain, one door caught her interest. She paused in front of it and felt her heart thump loudly in her chest. There was something behind this door. She could feel it. For some reason, she thought a beautiful man was waiting for her there. Her hand rested on the doorknob, but she let go. It would be wrong to trespass in the shop of a man who had been kind (at least, sometimes) to her. Besides, it was probably just all the romance novels she had been reading. Tall, dark, and handsome men didn't just hang around in pet shops all day, did they?
A small sigh escaped her lips and she headed into the lit room. A strange, peculiar sight awaited her.
Count D was…cooking? Or at least, he was trying to. T-Chan, the boy she had met yesterday, was trying to grab the bowl with the pancake batter out of D's hand. The entire kitchen was a wreck. Abandoned flour and distorted, unedible pancake remains were all over the counter.
"Eliza! Eliza!"
The adorable girl with brown ringlets ran towards Eliza and hugged her leg.
"We made pancakes for you!"
Count D turned around and saw that the sleeping beauty had indeed awoken. How awkward. He had planned to just cook the pancakes and leave them by her bed so that she could wake up, eat, and leave without requiring any interaction. However, he hadn't expected pancake making to be a fine and complicated art best reserved for virtuosos and masters.
"Hello, Miss Eliza. I trust you slept well."
Eliza smiled and gave a slight nod. "I did, thanks. How did the thing with the police go?"
"It went…alright. Thank you for taking care of my pets for me while I was away. It was quite kind of you."
Eliza blushed. The way D was smiling at her wasn't creepy, it was…nice, friendly, and…normal. She smiled and picked up the giggling Pon-Chan and held her on her hip.
"Not a problem at all. I didn't know you were a foster parent. You've got nice kids."
Pon-Chan and D shared a knowing look and resisted smiling. T-Chan was busy slurping down pancake batter. D and Eliza were staring into each others eyes for a moment before the silence became too awkward and Eliza sheepishly broke it off.
"I'm sorry about breakfast. Apparently I'm not quite the cook you are."
"That's alright. The thought that counts."
Count D looked confused. "It counts what?"
"It's an expression. 'It's the thought that counts'. It means that even though something might not have turned out the way it was supposed to, it's the intent of it that matters."
"Oh."
Eliza's arms were beginning to strain under Pon-Chan's weight. She sat the raccoon-girl on the ground. Pon-Chan barely noticed. She was too busy watching D's interaction with the human girl. Better than television!
"Miss Eliza?"
Count D looked slightly uncomfortable. His hands, lightly dusted in flour, were intertwined behind him. This 'Eliza' was actually rather decent for a human. He had longed for some fresh, intelligent conversation lately.
"Yes?"
"Would…would you care to join me for some afternoon tea? It is almost tea time and I know a nice little place down the street."
If she wasn't a tea-drinker, he'd call it off right now. She was nice, but he couldn't deal with an hour of "I hate tea. It tastes like boiled grass". He could only take an hour of tea-whining a day, and that hour was reserved for Detective Orcot.
"I'd love to."
Moments later, the two exited the shop, leaving a giggling Pon-Chan and a gluttonous T-Chan behind.
Well, what did you think? It's not the end! There is still more to come! No growing relationship would be complete without surviving at least a few pitfalls, squabbles, treachery, or deceit! Review, please!