Little Red

TWO

"Morning, Dani!" Mr.B greeted his goddaughter back with a smile that she'd happily returned.

Mr.B had always treated Greta and Dani like the daughters he'd never had and had gladly offered them both a waitressing job during their senior year of high school. His real name was Benjamin, but because he'd found it old-fashioned, he allowed everyone to just call him B instead. To Dani, it was quite ironic how everyone called him "Mr.B," and he lived in a house made of bricks...she often wondered if anyone had ever really thought about the fact.

Heading back out to the front after washing her hands, Dani walked in just in time to see their regular customer as he strolled in and walked straight towards his usual booth. Though she had already known what he would want, Dani grabbed her pen and notepad and headed over to him anyway.

"Good morning Papa Bear!" she greeted the male with a smile.

Papa Bear smiled back as he said, "Morning, Dani! How's the coffee looking today?"

"Just got it started, Papa B, but it should be ready soon. Let me guess. You're here for raspberry scones?" she questioned and smiled as he laughed while handing her the menu.

He hadn't even needed to use it. Papa Bear had been a regular ever since Mama Bear had opened up her floral shop a couple of years back. He worked with David down at the Lumberyard, so he had been a close family friend of theirs for years.

A ding from the back snapped Dani out of her thoughts as she gave the male Bear a warm smile and walked away to retrieve his order.

"Just give me a few minutes, and I'll have his coffee out for him, Dani," Mr.B informed her.

Dani gave him a nod and turned around to face the counter.

"Ooo, look who just walked in," Greta sang, which caused her to frown.

Dani then looked up to see Mikey Darling as he walked in, and though she hadn't wanted it to, her breath immediately caught in her throat at the sight of him. His brown hair was just long enough to hang slightly over his forehead as he wore a dark green sweater that perfectly matched his eye color. His lips curved up into a smile as he caught Dani's gaze while walking over to the counter, which caused the girl's eyes to slightly widen as she realized what had happened and turned around to busy herself with wiping down the counter.

Greta snorted at the girl's actions as Mikey's smile turned into a small frown.

"Hey, G," the Darling boy greeted his blonde best friend, who smiled at the sight of him.

And butterflies had immediately erupted in Dani's stomach at the sound of his voice.

"Hey, M! What can I get you today?" Greta asked him-- a little too happily, in Dani's opinion.

"Oh, I'm just here for a quick bite before heading off to class," Mikey said. "Are there any blueberry muffins available yet?"

"You know what?" Greta said. "I think there's some fresh ones in the back. Why don't I go get them for you!"

The feeling of someone's hand smacking her butt caused Dani to jump before turning her head to glare at her best friend.

"Bitch," she mumbled.

Greta tilted her head back and winked before disappearing into the kitchen.

Mikey shook his head with furrowed brows as he watched the two before smiling at his other best friend as he said, "Hi, Dans."

The butterflies returned as Dani turned around to meet his gaze and smiled softly. "Hi, Mikey," she said in a quiet tone that caused his smile to grow.

"You um...You look...really pretty today," he said, which caused heat to form in Dani's cheeks as she hopped on her feet out of nervousness.