Chateau de Dough
The way to a man’s heart, is through his dog’s stomach.
- Up to 1,000 words
- Romance
- Location = Pastry Shop
- Object = Oscillating fan
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Alisha stood at the island, rolling the dough methodically to the sound of the fan, clicking each time it rotated. It didn’t do much to cool the place down, with four ovens running most of the day, but at least it created a cooler breeze. The oscillating fan was a nice find as she drove to the shop, placed by the trash bins for Friday pickup. Nothing wrong with it and free, exactly what she needed. Ever since Alisha opened her pastry shop, Chateau de Dough, money had been tight.
Movement from the large display window caught her eye. It was him. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday she saw him walk his dog across the street. He was intriguing to her, simply because of how he looked at his dog. The walk was all about him (or her, she couldn’t tell yet). Wherever the dog wanted to stop and sniff, they stopped. If the dog turned around, he turned around. Most people walk their dogs with the demeanor it’s a chore to be done, something they need to get over and done with so they can go about their lives. But this man, he let the dog do the walking and seemed to be along for the ride.
As she watched, the dog lifted its nose towards her pastry shop, sniffing. She ducked, then blushed to herself, thinking how foolish it must look if he saw her. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, looking out her window. She wasn’t following them, for goodness sakes. She rummaged under the island, grabbing a sheet pan to bring up with her, in case he was watching. As she sat it down, she glanced up, but he was gone. Her heart sunk a little even as she chided herself for being foolish enough to think he would be watching her too.
The weekend passed with the usual small trickle of Saturday treats for kids and Sunday morning church goers, buying pastries for their Sunday school classes. A woman picked up the preordered baby shower cupcakes (blue and pink as she had excitedly shared her sister was having twins!).
Monday morning came and once again, the man and his dog passed along the other side of the street and once again, the dog stopped to sniff in the direction of the shop. Suddenly, Alisha had a brilliant or terrible idea, she couldn’t decide which. She pulled out her laptop and began researching dog treats.
All day Tuesday Alisha worked on the recipe. It was basic and simple, all natural ingredients like pumpkin, flour, and peanut butter. Wednesday morning came and with it a big colorful posterboard in the shop window announcing the new dog treats. Soon her shop was busier than ever! She had no idea how many of her regulars were willing to pay a little extra for dog treats not full of processed ingredients. She rushed back and forth, pulling trays from the oven, moving things to cooling racks and refilling the water bowls she’d set up in the corner for dogs to enjoy.
The shop was so busy in fact, she nearly missed him. “$12.42 please”, she read as she looked up and found herself face to face with Mr. Dog Walker himself. He smiled as he handed her his credit card, Damien Skylos. Her hand faltered as she reached for it. Clearing her throat, she smiled and glanced back down at the machine as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.
She handed him the receipt, he smiled as he took the bag and he and his dog walked out of the shop. For the rest of the day, she found it hard to focus, remembering the slight dimple in his cheek, the smile on his face, and the slight stubble on his face. But most of all, was the kindness in his eyes.
Night came and Alisha settled in her routine, cleaning countertops, rinsing baking trays and prepping for the next day. She hummed silently to herself as she worked, content with the repetition the tasks provided. So caught up was she, it took a moment to realize her phone was ringing. “Chateau de Dough, Alisha Pistor speaking,” she rambled off, still stacking trays of cooling dog treats in the rack.
“Good evening,” a velvety voice rumbled back to her, “my name is Damien Skylos, I was in your shop earlier and purchased some of your new dog treats. I was wondering if you had a moment?”
Alisha’s heart raced, as she stammered a “sure” in response, and immediately jumped to the worst conclusions. Had there been a fraudulent charge on his card after he used it at her shop? Had his dog gotten sick?
“I work at the local dog shelter, the no-kill one on 5th and Main. My dog thinks your treats are absolutely the best and well, I was wondering if you would be willing to do a larger order and allow us to partner with you by selling at the shelter.” Alisha stood staring at her own reflection in the window seeing, as much as feeling, the smile spread across her face. This was her chance. “Mr. Skylos,”
“Please,” he interrupted, “please, call me Damien.”
“Very well, Damien, I would love to discuss, but my days are long, and I haven’t had a lick to eat today. Could we perhaps meet for a quick bite and discuss in person?” Her heart pounded, so far out of her comfort zone to ask a man out on a date. “I’d love to” his smile coming through in his reply.
One meal led to another, and another, and soon Alisha Pistor was Alisha Skylos. They bonded over a love of pastries and dogs. Her life and her business thrived, the dog treats becoming one of the most popular items she sold. And she learned along the way the old saying was wrong; the way to a man’s heart, was through his dog’s stomach.
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