Serviced with a Smile by Kris P. Kreme
Dylan runs a diner and couldn’t be more nervous with a ruthless reviewer, Maverick Mills, stopping by. If Mr. Mills has less than the best cup of coffee and exceptional service, Dylan could be ruined. So after talking on the phone with his therapist, finding his confident and assertive tones Dylan is giving his waitress, Penny, a pep talk.
As he tries to find absolute confidence in every word, he tells her to do anything and everything possible to make sure Mr. Mills is satisfied and gets what he wants. But how powerful is Dylan’s confidence?
Penny may find herself doing things and offering things she never imagined, and a ruthless restaurant reviewer may find himself Serviced with a Smile.
Another Coverswap Shorty is getting served, readers… and this time it’s Serviced with a Smile, a brand new twisted small-town diner tale inspired by the cover of the original Tale from the Kreme, Mental Quakes. Pick up both and see which tale did the cover better!
Dylan couldn’t be more unnerved about the man coming by his diner on an otherwise normal morning. Maverick Mills is a ruthless reviewer of restaurants and bars, having singlehandedly shut down places with critical reviews, but whose reputation is enough that a good review of Dylan’s diner could put him on the map.
It’s so unnerving in fact, that Dylan is quickly pulling out his phone and calling his therapist, the one man he knows he can count on to talk him through the anxiety. His doctor has helped him find the confidence and assertive tones within himself, the breathing exercises, even some herbal tea and calming relaxation methods, but Dylan honestly isn’t sure anything will have him relaxed about Maverick Mills showing up shortly for supposedly the best cup of coffee in town, along with his choice of pies, desserts… anything he wants.
On the phone, Dylan’s therapist is reassuring, helping him through his breathing exercises and reminding him that confidence is key. Dylan needs to believe it so others believe it… and he is also encouraging Dylan to be assertive in directing his one employee, a ditzy blonde waitress named Penny who is already late showing up.
Penny isn’t a bad waitress, but Dylan knows there is no way she could understand how ruthless a reviewer Maverick Mills can be, any flaw in her service potentially the end of Dylan’s diner dreams for good. So when she arrives, Dylan is having a pep talk with her that exudes as much confidence as he absolutely can muster.
As he puts it, he can’t afford to hire extra staffing to help make things easier for either of them, can’t offer her a raise or health benefits… unless Maverick Mills has the best experience possible. So Dylan is encouraging Penny to do anything and everything she possibly can for Mr. Mills.
But could Dylan’s therapy have done too good a job with his confidence and assertions? Could Dylan’s instructions to Penny be taken much further than even he intended?
After Maverick Mills arrives, critical and focused as always, he wants a coffee with cream. But after reacting badly to the lacking quality of not using fresh milk or cream, will Penny do the unthinkable and what shouldn’t have been possible… giving him her own fresh milk right there at the table?
And after Maverick Mills tastes the deliciously flavored coffee, will Penny offer him a pie that isn’t on the menu… but definitely goes that extra length to make sure his review is anything but critical?
Just who is Dylan’s doctor who inspired such potent confidence and assertive tones that even he didn’t know the success it would bring? And will notorious review Maverick Mills give his diner quite the stimulating positive feedback it needs to make sure Dylan and Penny have no worries for the future… other than maternity benefits in nine months?
Up next… It’s just a doodle…. right?
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