I pull Penny in even closer and give her shoulder a squeeze. “She is special. Her name is Penny. I’ve known her for a bit now, and she decided to spend my birthday with me.”
“It’s your birthday?” Robert asks. “Well, hot dog. I have just the thing for you.”
He walks to the back of the bakery, disappearing for a few moments.
“I take it you come here a lot from how familiar you are with the owner?” Penny asks.
“I come here probably far too much. He makes these chocolate croissants that are so fucking good that I once wept while eating one.”
“You did not,” she says while poking me and laughing.
“Close to crying. If I was able to tap into my emotions on a deeper level, there would have been tears for sure.”
Just then, Robert comes back to the front holding a cake box. He taps the top of it and slides it across the counter. “French silk pie. It’s my last one.”
“What?” I ask, excited. “You never have any left.”
“Today is your lucky day. Happy Birthday, Eli.” Robert lends out his hand, and I take it, giving it a solid shake.
“Thank you so much,” I say. “How much do I owe you, Robert?” I take out my wallet, and Robert holds up his hand.
“It’s on me. Consider it a birthday present.”
“You know I can’t do that,” I say.
He shakes his hand at me. “With the amount of business you’ve brought me just by talking about my shop, I do owe you this gift. Now take the pie and don’t argue with me.”
I’d never argue with Robert, so instead, I take a fifty out of my wallet and stick it in the tip jar. With a wink to an annoyed older man, I grab the pie. “Thank you, Robert.”
“Anytime.” He glances at Penny. “Be nice to this guy. If he brought you here, you must mean something to him. We think the world of him, and I sure hope you do as well.”
Looking slightly uncomfortable, Penny says, “He’s really great.”
Satisfied, Robert offers us a wave, and I head toward the front door. When I open it for Penny, she says, “Where are we eating this pie?”
“Well, since Robert is closing up, we can eat it out here. He always includes forks so we can dig in.” When she shivers, I secretly smile to myself. “Or we can take it up to my place, which is just across the street.” I point at the modern-looking apartment building directly in front of us.
Her eyes narrow, and she says, “Well, how convenient.”
“For me. Not sure about you. I don’t know where you live, but like I said, after dessert, we part ways. So we can scarf this down right here, and then I’ll be more than happy to find you a taxi to get you home.”
“You want me to eat a pie while freezing right outside your place?”
“I mean . . . if you want to warm up, you are more than welcome to come to my place and do so. I have a fireplace we can sit next to.”
“Ohhhhh, I’m sure you do,” she says with a giant roll of her eyes before walking away.
“Where are you going?” I ask her.
“To your place. There is no way I’m staying out in the cold any longer. I can barely feel my feet.”
Smiling brightly, I jog up next to her, pie in hand, and wrap my arm around her. “That’s a great idea. Glad you thought of it. And of course, after dessert, I’ll help you get back home.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” she says with a feigned annoyed tone that only makes me smile even larger.
“You know, I thought your place was going to be more sterile than this,” Penny says while glancing around my apartment.
“Sterile?” I ask as I flip the switch to my fireplace. It roars to life in a second, offering a faint orange hue to the dim-lit room.
“Well, you know, like a bachelor pad. Neon signs, beer posters, no texture to your design at all, bland. But look, you have candles and a throw pillow and curtains. And look at that.” She points at a picture on the wall. “That’s actual art.”
I laugh. “I grew up living in the attic of a barn. I told myself when I got older, I’d have a place that felt like a home, so I spent time making this place just that, a home.”
She turns around to face me as I rest a blanket along the floor. “You grew up in a barn?”
“Long story,” I say, not wanting to get into any aspects of my childhood. Not many know about my childhood, especially the fans and organization, and that’s how I want it to stay. No pity party for me, especially on my birthday. I set the pie down on the blanket along with two forks. “What can I get you to drink? I have hot chocolate, and I can add a splash of Baileys to it.”