“I’ve never had anything like it.”
Her grin widened as she started to shape the waffle into a cone. “Is it too weird?”
I shook my head. “It’s delicious.”
“I think the key is canned peaches.” Her hands flew over the waffle cone, shaping it this way and that while she spoke. “I tried fresh peaches last year, but it wasn’t peachy enough, and since peach season isn’t for a couple more months and I had some canned peaches left over from last year, I figured I’d give those a shot.”
“Definitely peachy,” I said. “In a good way. And the sage is a really nice touch.”
“Thanks! If I asked my regulars what they wanted they’d just say vanilla or chocolate, but that gets so boring. I’d go crazy if that was all I made.”
I surveyed the barrels of ice cream — at least twenty flavors — in the freezer case. “You make all of this yourself?”
She beamed. “Yep!”
“That’s amazing,” I said, finishing off my sample.
“I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.” She laughed. “I guess I was a weird kid.”
“It doesn’t sound weird at all,” I said. “It’s really cool.”
She wiped her hands on a rag and stood in front of the case. “Is this your first time at Sugar Pine?”
I nodded. “Beck sent me from next door.”
“You’re working at the Crumb?”
“Kind of.” I hesitated, wondering how much to say. “It belonged to my Aunt Evelyn.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “You’re Avery!”
I laughed. “Guilty as charged.”
“I thought you’d be… older?”
I smiled. “Sorry to disappoint?”
“Not atall!We could use more young people in town. And I don’t mean thirties-young, I mean like our-age-young. And yeah, there’s Malcolm and Beck and the other guys who work for Evelyn — I guess you’ve already met them — but other than that almost everyone is in their thirties or older. I’m Lena Kim by the way.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Considering how much sugar everyone in this town eats, I’m guessing you’ll be seeing a lot of me.”
She laughed, then froze, like something had just occurred to her. “Oh my gosh… you’re the one who found Harold!”
“Also guilty as charged.” I hurried to clarify. “Not of murdering Harold! Of finding the body.”
She nodded. “That must have been so scary.”
I thought about it. “Not really, although maybe I was just in shock.”
“I bet.” She gestured at the freezer case. “Want me to start dishing your order while we talk?”
“Sure.” I hadn’t realized how much I missed talking to women my own age. Most of my coworkers at Livable Cities were in their twenties.
“Strawberry shortcake sundae for Malcolm, double-fudge brownie for Beck?” I nodded and opened my mouth to give her the rest of Beck’s order but she was way ahead of me. “Extra sprinkles for Beck?”
“Creatures of habit huh?”
“With the ice cream anyway.” Her grin held a hint of innuendo that made my face feel hot. “What can I get for you?”