“Ah…no, we don’t.”
“Well, I guess I could have one scoop in a dish.”Camille’s forehead creased.“But, Delbert, why you’d take me to ageneral storeto get food is…well,strange, at best.”
“Best ice cream I’ve ever had.”Delbert led Camille over to the malt counter and Donna trailed along, hoping to provide some moral support if Camille said something not so nice to Olivia.
“Good afternoon, Del. How are you today?”Olivia greeted them with a wide smile.
“Olivia, this is Camille.”
“Hey, Camille, great to meet you. Any friend of Del’s and all that.”Another wide smile.
Camille barely nodded at Olivia in acknowledgment.“So, where do we sit?”She looked around at the handful of small cafe tables like they were dirty or totally unacceptable.
“Right here at the counter.”Del climbed onto a stool.
“At the counter?”
“Best place to eat it.”Delbert nodded.
Camille let out a long sigh, grabbed a napkin to wipe off the already sparkling clean seat, and slowly climbed onto it, perched carefully at the very edge.
“I’m in for butter pecan today. Two scoops in a cone.”Del smiled at Olivia.
“I guess I’ll just have vanilla. In a dish. No cone.”Camille let out yet another sigh.
“Best vanilla ever,”Olivia said as she went to make their orders.
Camille’s eyebrows rose in frank disbelief.
“What brings you to town, Camille?”Donna asked in her friendliest tone. Well, as friendly as she could manage. She was still bristling at Camille’s weak acknowledgment when she was introduced to Olivia.
“Delbert wanted me to see The Cabot. The renovations.”
“Oh, it’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”Olivia said as she gave them their ice cream.
Camille frowned yet again.“Gorgeous?Ithink it looks…outdated. And it was dusty from construction and so noisy.”
“I think it looks…vintage and elegant, and I just love what Del has done with it,”Olivia said.
“I guess. If you like that type of thing. I much prefer the more classic Hamilton Hotels.”
A customer needed her attention and Donna reluctantly turned to help them and left Olivia to fend for herself. When she finally made it back to the counter, Del and Camille were just getting ready to leave and she recognized the fake smile on Olivia’s face and the tight set of her mouth.
She forced a cheerful tone.“So, did you enjoy the ice cream?”
“As always,”Delbert affirmed.
“It was justice cream.”Camille shrugged as she turned and swept her gaze around the shop.“The store is so…worn, I guess. Don’t you ever update it and make it more modern? And how does one ever find something in here?”
“There’s always someone to help a customer if they can’t find something.”
Camille looked doubtful.“Well…this was an…interesting trip to Moonbeam, but I’m ready to get back to Belle Island. Delbert, are you ready to leave?”
Del nodded, then turned to Olivia.“Thanks for the ice cream. Delicious as usual. See you soon.”
His tone was almost apologetic as if compensating for Camille’s rude remarks.
Camille kept a wide berth from any of the displays as they were leaving, then she paused for Del to open the door for her. They slipped outside and Donna turned to Olivia.“Camille is…something.”
