Sweet as Pie (Layla)

[Chuck Miller]

Layla's flirtatious nature had immediately drawn Chuck to her, perhaps in part due to his current desperation to not be single. She was several years younger than he was, but not so much that most people would side eye him for it given that they were both adults.

They had met at a bookstore, which had been encouraging; Chuck loved to read, and he couldn't imagine dating someone who didn't share that love of books. And, somehow, she had agreed to a date so they could get to know one another better.

Given the trend of his dates over the past year he prayed extra hard to the powers that be that this one not end terribly.

Since the weather was gradually warming up he had ditched his sweaters in favor of a white dress shirt with tiny black polka dots and tailored jeans. Casual, but not slovenly.

And so after Sunday lunch he had driven into town to meet her at Harper's Sweet Shoppe. After all, nothing said date like baked goods, or so he hoped.

He took a fortifying breath before pushing open the doors to the bakery, scanning the room to see if she had made it yet.

[Layla Montgomery]

Layla loved desserts. Her grandmother used to say it was the reason why Layla was so sweet. So when Chuck had proposed a date at the sweet shop, she just could not resist. Desserts and baked goods really were the way to her heart.

They’d met at the book store. Layla was browsing the newly released section for herself this summer, as well as checking out the young adult section to see if there was anything her students would enjoy next semester. She really could (and had) just spend hours in the bookstore, just wandering around.

And when Chuck approached she’d recognized him easily. He was in her brother’s grade, which did make him quite a bit older than herself. She doubted that he’d remember her; both he and Elliot had graduated when Layla was only twelve. But he was sweet and funny, so obviously she had agreed to get to know him better. She never remembered Elliot ever saying anything bad about him, so she wasn’t worried about the fact that he’d basically been a complete stranger.

As she waited in Harper’s Sweet Shoppe, Layla was almost tempted to dig into the desserts on her own. But that would be rude, and even though the temptation was great, she would never eat before the entire party had arrived. Even if it was just a party of two.

She glanced up when she heard the door ding as someone pushed it open, and she grinned when she saw that her date had finally arrived. “Over here.” She said, waving him over to the table she’d secured for the two of them.

[Chuck Miller]

Wow, Layla was dressed so....adorably. Chuck beamed at her as he made his way over to the table she was occupying, weaving between the few tables scattered around the bakery.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long!" He greeted her, pulling up a chair. He'd had to contend with the usual Sunday traffic, but frankly Pilot Ridge traffic had nothing on Philadelphia. A lane closure or construction or accident in Pilot Ridge might mean an additional few minutes, rather than thirty minutes or (heaven forbid) an hour stuck in traffic unable to even get past whatever was causing the slow down.

So although after Church traffic was somewhat busier than what he experienced during the week, it also hadn't held him up more than maybe five minutes; he didn't think he was too late. But it was possible she had arrived early, and thus five minutes late could have meant more than that spent waiting.

"Have you looked over the menu yet? Anything catch your eye?"

[Layla Montgomery]

Layla returned Chuck’s bright smile when he spotted and made his way over to her table. “Only a few minutes.” Layla teased, before taking a sip of the water that had been brought over only minutes before. She had only walked in a little more than five minutes ago, so she really hadn’t been waiting very long at all. Besides, Layla always gave people a fifteen minute grace period to account for traffic, etc. Some things couldn’t be helped, and Layla knew that it could sometimes take longer than expected to get through the center of town on Sunday afternoons.

“I did take a quick peek at it while I was waiting.” Layla admitted, moving the dainty laminated menu it between them so he could read too. “The cannolis look really good, but I know from experience that their macarons are to die for.” They had several flavors to choose from, and Layla really had a sweet tooth for the colorful French cookies. She’d probably eaten her weight in them throughout the course of her time in Paris.

“How was church?” Layla asked. She wouldn’t know, since no one in her family really attended mass except for Easter and Christmas, but she remembered him mentioning that he was going to be there before coming here on the day they’d met in the bookstore. Personally, she’d always thought the whole experience was incredibly boring, but she admired other people’s commitment to going every week.