My Neighbor's Wife

Chapter 18

Mrs. Lovett is whistling a happy tune while preparing the pies for the breakfast rush. She wakes up in a merry mood today, feeling energized and very much alive. While she is rolling the dough, a movement from outside catches her attention, causing her to whip hear head up and look out. Her cheerful face turns into a frown as she sees Lucy leaving the apartment upstairs, Ben in tow of her while he waves her good bye. She does not fail to notice Mrs. Barker's cold demeanor towards his husband.

A feeling of guilt washes over her, for she knows that she is partly the reason why they are in bad terms right now. But, not wanting to spoil her morning she brushes the feeling off. What's done is done, and there's nothing she can do to undo what happened- though if she has the chance, she probably will do again what she and Ben did. She may be guilty, but she does not feel an ounce of regret.

Continuing with her chores, she is startled when the door to her shop opens. Expecting that Ben is the one who enters, she is ready to scold him for scaring her, but she stops when she looks up and sees that it is not her neighbor. It is Mr. Harris; he is smiling up at her, making him look even more handsome than he already is. He has his hands behind his back, seeming like he's hiding something.

"Good morning, Mr. Harris. What brings you here this early?" she asks, pausing at what she is doing and brushing the flour off her dress, trying to make herself as presentable as possible.

David walks towards the baker, stopping just a few good inches away from her. He reveals to her what he is hiding and Mrs. Lovett gasps as he hands her a bouquet of flowers- daisies, to be exact. Blushing, she takes it, marveling at how beautiful the flowers are.

"Thank you, Mr. Harris. They are lovely." She gives the man a peck on the cheek, feeling a little daring today. She is delighted to see Mr. Harris's face looking red as a tomato. She slightly pats his cheek, and winks before she takes a step back to put distance between them.

"You're welcome, Madame." David bows and tips off his imaginary hat, making the baker giggle.

Mrs. Lovett grabs Mr. Harris by the elbow, dragging him along with her. She stops at one of the tables of her shop, the one nearest at the counter, and slightly pushes David to make him sit. She then goes back to the counter, winking at him. "You stay there for a while Mr. Harris. I just have to finish this."

From the counter, Mrs. Lovett eyes her visitor. He is currently finding the table interesting, focusing his attention on it. So she takes advantage of this moment to take a good look closer at him. She must admit that he is really handsome, even matching Ben's good looks and charm. In fact, he is very much like Mr. Barker, yet they are very different.

As she wonders on their differences, a sound of the bell ringing echoes throughout the shop. She looks up to see who the new incomer is, and sees the ever so cheerful face of Benjamin, but it quickly morphs into one of contempt when his gaze lands on David, who is equally looking back at him with a smirk on his face.

"What is he doing here?" Ben asks the baker, his voice is cold and his face is stern. He approaches Mrs. Lovett, stopping in front of her, with the counter being the only thing that's separating them. He crosses his arms and glares at her in question.

Mrs. Lovett's brows furrow in confusion. She cannot help but notice that Ben's good mood turns sour whenever he sees David. She does not know what the man has done to deserve such treatment form the barber. It is very unlikely for him to act this way, he has always been so friendly.

"Nothing love, he's just visiting me." The baker answers; grabbing the rolling pin; she sprinkles a pinch of flour on the dough and pounds it, causing the flour to fly everywhere like smoke. Ben takes a step back to avoid being covered with flour, scrunching his nose at the mess Mrs. Lovett made.