"Not much, when you put it that way," Drew replied. As Bunz went back to her latest concoction, Drew peered over her shoulder. "What exactly have you got there?"
"Mini apple pies," Bunz replied, pressing pie crust into cupcake tins. She began spooning some fresh apple pie mixture into the tins and Drew inhaled appreciatively, taking in the wonderful aroma of cooked diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and….
"Is that bacon?" she demanded, pointing to the filling. It looked like crisp, cooked bacon had been diced and mixed into the filling.
"Yes," Bunz admitted. "Taste it."
Drew grabbed a clean spoon and dunked it into the filling, bringing it to her lips. Her eyes flew open at the flavor. The apple pie was thick, sweet and spicy, like she was used to, but the crunch of the diced pieces of bacon added a savory element that made her mouth water.
"That's delicious," she announced. "Bunz the Baking Genius strikes again."
"Thanks!" she said. "There's also cheddar cheese in the crust."
"Wow," Drew said, her mouth watering again. "I'll have a dozen."
"You can have one," Bunz replied with a smile. "You give it to your new boyfriend."
"What is it with you guys?" Drew demanded. "He's not my boyfriend, already."
"Yet," Bunz replied, applying the tops of the pie crusts now. "You've already crossed over the 'friend' boundary."
"That doesn't mean we're 'going out' now," Drew said wryly, referencing a term from her middle school days when she and her peer group wanted to play at adult relationships. "We're just, you know, friends or whatever."
Bunz smirked. "Sure. Whatever you say, Drusilla."
Drew growled in annoyance at her friend and shoved away from the counter. "All right. I'm going to remove myself from your abuse now. Hater."
"Hardly!" Bunz replied. "I just want you two to cut the shit and get on with things already."
"Good-bye, Ms. Williams," Drew called, leaving the kitchen. The dining portion was empty for now; it was just after the lunch rush. Drew knew it would fill back up in another hour or so, when people came in for their mid-afternoon caffeine and snack fixes.
Later that evening when they were finishing up with closing duties, Bunz leaned over the front counter and placed a small brown paper sack in front of Drew. The top was folded down neatly. Drew glanced up from where she was finishing counting the drawer and placing the day's deposit into the cash bag.
"What's that?" she asked.
"A pie."
"Ooh, yum," Drew said, snatching at the sack eagerly.
"Not for you. For Heath. I was serious. You should go take it to him before you go to the Y."
"I'm not sure I want to share," Drew said.
"Too bad. Do it."
Drew pondered the small sack on her way home from making a quick run to the bank. She needed to change her clothes and feed Rocky and then get to the Y to work on her dance. She'd finally narrowed it down to a great song and had the first two minutes of choreography down. The showcase was still a few weeks away but she wanted to make sure it was perfect.
She supposed she could make a special delivery on her way there. Her lips curved up at the thought of seeing him. She wondered if things would be awkward. She wondered if he regretted what had happened.
Stop it, she told herself sternly. What are you, twelve?
She decided not to announce her visit; she wanted to surprise him. She changed out of the jeans and off-shoulder sweater she'd worn for work and slipped into her favorite cranberry-colored leotard, black yoga pants and a lightweight cream-colored wrap sweater. It was drizzly outside, so she stepped into a pair of shiny black rain boots and made sure her dance "footies" as well as her pointe shoes were tucked safely into her purse. She wasn't sure yet which type of footwear she wanted for her performance and made a point to rehearse in both to see which ones looked and felt better to maintain the integrity of the dance. She grabbed a hooded black windbreaker and pulled the hood over her head and slipped out into the night.
Luckily, she timed her exit just right and waited only a few minutes for the bus to pull up. As she rode toward the gym nervousness began to gnaw at her guts at the idea of facing him. He had generally been reliable in terms of staying consistent with his moods, at least around her, but then again they had never crossed this line before. She just didn't know what to expect and not knowing what to expect sent her nerves ablaze.
When the bus reached its stop, she hopped off and looked across and down the street to where the gym was. She hesitated and glanced over her shoulder. One block up and two blocks over would take her to the Y; she could go there now and completely bypass any potential discomfort and anxiety. Instead, she looked both ways and jogged across the street, her boots landing lightly in the puddles on the ground and splashing up onto her pants. She reached the other side and walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the light mist on her warm face as she went.