All those little Things ✔

Day 12 - Rainbow Bright Cupcake

"Good morning, Aidan."

He looked up from his current task - drawing a face into the milk froth of his coffee - and smiled at his Granny.

"Morning, Granny." He hugged her once she had come around the counter. "You didn't have to come that early."

"I wanted to. What's there to do for an old lady on a Saturday morning anyways?" she questioned with a shrug and disappeared into the hallway to stow away her jacket and bag. He watched her with a fond smile and licked the milk froth off the spoon before he took a cautious sip of his coffee.

It was seven o'clock, the time April usually came in on Saturdays, however she was probably somewhere on the road between here and Yale at the moment so Granny had volunteered to help out at The Sugar Stop and he had accepted it reluctantly although he could really use a second pair of hands.

"Gosh, Aidan, they look beautiful!" Granny gushed and held up one of the cupcakes he hadn't dared to put in the display yet. He shrugged awkwardly and scratched his neck.

"The colours could be a little more brighter, I guess," he mumbled and Granny gave him a flat look.

"The customers will go blind if the colours would be any brighter," she huffed and carefully unwrapped the pastry to examine it without the paper. "Do you plan offering Keith one of those? How are they called?"

"Rainbow Bright Cupcakes and, no, I won't because I don't intend to sell them. I just tried around." He took a big gulp of his coffee - nearly choked on the froth - so he wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

"It would be a unique way to come out," Granny commented nonchalantly and plucked off a piece of the colourful dough to taste it. He had used vanilla and the topping was a simple buttercream frosting, a white cloud on top of the brightly coloured cake. She nodded appreciatively and he smiled proudly. 

The chime of the bell made him whirl around and his smile widened when he saw Miss P shake off the rain on his doormat. She carefully sat Henry down in front of her feet and the little dog curiously sniffed before he let out a bark and trotted to the counter, his tongue lolling out of his muzzle.

"Good morning, Miss P!" Aidan greeted her and she gave him a beaming smile. "I see, Henry's doing better."

"Yes, I'm so relieved! I can't stand watching my little baby suffer." She bent down to scratch the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel behind the hanging ears. "We have to be careful during the winter, don't we? We don't want you catching a cold again. No, we don't."

Aidan chuckled at her antics and began to prepare her coffee while Henry explored the café with his nose pressed to the floor, the long, wavy hair on his ears dragging over the wooden boards.

"I'll take one of the Chocolate Cupcakes," she announced a few moments later and he put one of the chosen pastries in a box and placed it along with the paper cup on the countertop.

"That would be four dollar sixty, please," he said and she handed him five dollar, waving her hand as he went to give her back the change. She patted her thigh and Henry lifted his head, blinking at her with his big, dark eyes before his tongue rolled out to lick his black button nose and he sauntered over to Miss P, his tail wagging lazily.

"Goodbye Miss P, bye Henry."

The dog barked and squirmed in his owner's hold who chided him like one would chide a small child. She waved at Aidan and Granny with a smile and left the café to hurry back home through the drizzle.

Granny chuckled while she washed her hands, having finished the Rainbow Bright Cupcake. "That dog is spoiled rotten."

"Well, without him she would be lonely." Aidan shrugged and rearranged the cupcakes in the display. It was too early for a big morning rush though there would come enough people to pick up pastries for breakfast in due time.