I pulled off my apron and took a deep breath, sighing in tired, but happy relief. Another busy day. In the six months since the opening, the business had grown by leaps and bounds and I had just signed a lease on a new space that would be adequate to house us until the new building was completed. Helene and I had hired on four new workers and I tossed my dirty apron in the laundry hamper, watching Christina expertly apply a loop that would tell customers that this piece of chocolate had a cream center while Jackie placed more molded centers onto the enrober's metal conveyor belt and Rhonda waited at the end of the cooling tunnel to ferry the finished chocolates away.
In the corner, Ilene was creating a sugar sculpture to include in the upcoming Christmas display and my dear friend, Helene was out front, doing the night's paperwork. Jackie and Christina elbowed each other as they conspiratorially smiled at me. Ilene giggled and Rhonda just grinned.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Christina murmured, laughing as she squeezed tempered semi-sweet out of the decorator's bag and looped the rows that she'd missed. "Nothing at all."
"Tonight's the big night, isn't it?"
I hid my smile as I went to grab my purse. "Maybe."
"Don't lie to us." Jackie put her arm around Christina, both girls grinning. "You've been going out with him for six months now."
"You finally gonna give him some?"
Jackie poked Rhonda. "He's a nice man, Rhon. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was her father."
I gave them all a mischievous smile. "Now, now, ladies, there's no reason to be jealous."
Christina turned to refill her cuff. "Why not? He's handsome, he's nice ... "