New Chapter 2

"What are you doing in Minnesota?" she asked, since not saying what came into her brain was something that wasn't possible for her.

"I live here now, have for the past 5 years, actually. I just moved into one of the lofts over the weekend and couldn't resist the smells coming from your store. Jesus, it is amazing to see you", he said.

"Yeah, amazing". Just then she heard someone coughing behind Daniel, and remembered that it was 8 am and her morning rush hadn't quite finished yet. As much as she would love to talk to Daniel, to look at him and to smell his delicious cologne, she really had to get moving. "I'm sorry" she finally said, "this is probably the worst timing ever. I would love to catch up, but I really can't right now. Did you want to order something?".

'Lame' was all she could think. How was she expected to make conversation with someone that she hadn't seen in 7 years, yet thought about at least once a day, all while running a bakery? Really, it was too much.

"Yeah, of course, I am sorry. I was just so surprised.....well, yes, I would like a cappuccino, large, and one of those raspberry donuts. If it tastes as good as it looks on you, then I want it". He made a gesture towards her apron, where Mollie quickly wiped away a giant blob of raspberry.

Great. Raspberry filling on her too! Could this get any worse?

She filled his order, wondering what to say to him next. Luckily, he took the lead. "Listen, would you mind if I stopped by at another time and we caught up?".

"Of course not" she laughed, relieved, "I would love to! Well, um, you know where to find me." With that they gave an awkward wave and a big smile and Daniel was on his way. Now instead of obsessing about her eclairs, she could obsess about whether or not he would come back to see her.

Great.