The Gruffs and the Ice Cream Princess

Part Eight

That evening Lance practiced his pitch to Felicity's mom. He gave it to himself in the mirror, he gave it to Mason, who gave him an awkward thumbs up, and to Sam who pretended to barf. The next morning, he forced his concrete legs over to "Sprinkles." As always, there was a line. When his turn was up Mrs. Sprinkle's smile drooped. "What can I get you?" she asked tersely.

He smiled widely, "I was hoping I might have a word with you, Mrs. Sprinkle?"

"I'm working right now."

"I've got it Mom!" Felicity flew up to the register. "You go! I'll take this." Her mom gave her a withering look, but stepped out from the counter and motioned toward an empty table.

Lance opened with a compliment, "I love this shoppe. You make it so inviting and warm. Which is something because ice cream is... well, cold."

She looked pointedly at the line of people. "How can I help you, Lance?"

Lance launched into his heartfelt speech. He pointed out that he never shied away from hard work. He and his brothers were self-sufficient, their business was thriving, he cared for Felicity. He was certain he put himself in a good light, but managed to sound humble at the same time. "Please," he ended, "give me a chance."

Mrs. Sprinkle stared at him. "I'm afraid not."

Lance gripped the table beside him.

"I just have no way of knowing you aren't after Felicity's fortune. My number one job in this world is protecting my daughter, Mr. Gruff. I'm sorry to be harsh, but two successful months does not make a successful business. There is just no way of knowing you aren't trying to get your hands on Felicity's money."

Lance had no words. She stood up and he sputtered desperately, finally blurting, "My parents raised me better than that!" The woman eyed him. "Their number one job was parenting too. I would never... I love Felicity."

She regarded him for an uncomfortable amount of time. Then, "Wait here. I have something for you." When she returned, Mrs. Sprinkle shoved an ice cream cone into his hand. "Here." It was four scoops high, all different flavors.

Lance looked at her. She was giving him ice cream as a consolation prize? Part of him wanted to stuff it in her face. The other, stronger part was clinging to the hope that she'd still change her mind. "Eat," she demanded. "Go on," she ordered again, "eat!" So, he lifted the ice cream to his mouth and gave it a lick.

Lance recoiled. He must be really lovesick. The delicious ice cream that had become his favorite food, tasted like... "Um," he didn't want to be rude, "I think there's something wrong with this."

"Oh?" Mrs. Sprinkle asked, a small smile nascent on her face.

"Yes, it tastes like... green peas?"

Felicity had abandoned her station and joined them. She burst into a fit of laughter and to Lance's shock, her mom joined. "Ice cream for everyone! Free ice cream! We're celebrating!" The store erupted into cheers. The mom and daughter hugged, and Felicity threw her arms around Lance. He'd never turn down a hug from Felicity, but he was very, very confused.

Mrs. Sprinkle took the cone from Lance and dumped the ice cream in the garbage. She thrust a finger into the bottom of the cone and wiggled out a tiny green pea. "Oh!" Lance exclaimed, "I knew I tasted peas!"

"You passed the test! Only the most polished, the most noble of men would taste the pea beneath the ice cream!" This was a completely different woman than the one who had accused him of being after Felicity's money. She was animated, joyful, bubbly. She looked just like Felicity. "Please," she took Lance and Felicity's hands and joined them, "accept my apologies. You two most definitely have my blessing."

Lance still wasn't totally clear on what was happening, but that last sentence was all he needed to hear. He picked Felicity up and spun her around, her colorful hair flying like ribbons through the air.

**

Three months later, Mason and Sam stood outside the Sprinkle residence by Lance's side. They watched Mrs. Sprinkle walk Felicity down the aisle. Her wedding dress appeared whiter than white in contrast to her rainbow hair. The two married, and of course, ice cream was served to all the guests.

The End.

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#rewindtheclassics22

Thank you for reading my fairytale mashup! I wrote a series of these for my daughters the first several weeks of our quarantine in 2020. They are meant to be fun and light and kid-friendly. I hope you enjoyed this one!