Tricky Treats

16. Sex Talk!

CHAPTER 16 

"I'll have a dozen black forest cream puffs, please." The mechanic smiled with kind eyes at Serena. He was her eleventh customer for the day and it was before noon.

"That will be twenty pennies." She said politely, reaching out her hand for collection. "I put a special spice in the cream. And here's five herbal tea bags. You can take it with your puffs once a day." She packed it into the brown cardboard box neatly beside the creamy puffs, topped with glossy dark chocolate. The mechanic mentioned he had frail and sore hands and Serena suspected it to be the start of arthritis. "The drink will help with the aches and stiffness in your hands."

The mechanic smiled with appreciation.

An old woman entered the shop. Serena recognized her. Tilly said once the town called her the spinster — for the old woman never married and had no children. Mrs. Turner was her name, and she had lingering eyes on a certain elderly military man.

Peter Jones.

He came bouncing in this morning without his walking stick, purchasing more ginger cookies — his hounds happily trotting behind.

"You like him, huh?" Serena whispered secretly on the right side of the spinster. But Mrs. Turner didn't say a word and rushed out of the shop. Serena smirked. She'll get to the old woman soon enough.

Customers entered in and out Tricky Treats. Her candied apples, hazel nut truffles and coconut snowballs were sold out! Her grandmother would've been proud. It was a tough start in Finchdale. It took longer than the last town she was in, but business picked up pleasantly.

Two ladies — One short and plump and the other tall and drab, dallied behind, browsing the shelves filled with treats, and picking some in their baskets as the shop waned down with customers, until it was empty. Serena returned with a hot tray of fresh snowballs coated in toasted coconut and arranged them behind a glass shelf.

The two ladies watched Serena secretly and muttered to each other. They slowly stepped forward. Nervous and bashful.

"Hello." Serena welcomed. "See anything you eye desires?" but she sensed they were here for other reasons. "... Or can I help with anything else?"

The short, plump woman, wearing a scarf over her head, nodded, but the tall one spoke up. "There is something you could help us with." She whispered and the two ladies crept closer with their bags clutched to their chests — stepping like tweedle dee and tweedle dum.

"Yes." Serena whispered back, raising her eyebrows. They were alone in the shop, yet the two ladies were afraid residents on the street would overhear.

"Uh-uhm," the tall one cleared her throat. "We heard that you've helped Mrs. Greene."

"And a few other women in the town." The short one added.

Serena smiled and prompted them to be specific. "Helped in what way, may I ask?"

The ladies giggled like little schoolgirls. "You know..." The tall one chewed her bottom lip. "In the bedroom."

"Oh, you mean sex?" Serena asked.

The ladies gasped out in delight. Like the damn word was taboo. But nodded their heads eagerly.

Serena walked to the teapot and ushered them close. "What erotic talk you want to discuss, ladies?"

The two women glanced at each other and smiled. "You must know, it's not right to discuss such topics with strangers." The short one turned a rosy pink.