Crust & Crumb - Bruce / Iris
There was really no need to have a bell in the bakery - it wasn't that large of a place to begin with, and its open plan guaranteed that no one would wander in while Iris was "in back". To be honest, there was very little "back" to speak of. But the bell had been there when she'd arrived, and after several years, she still hadn't taken it down. So it hit the door as it was pushed open, sound and the fresh cut of air that had taken on the chill of winter. It was only a brief draft as the door let in its customer, closing again and letting the yeast and sugarspice scent of the air settle again.
It was getting to be later in the afternoon, a few hours from close, and Iris was beginning to think about marking down the price of things for any customers that wandered their way in. Sometimes she got school kids stopping through in the afternoon once school let out, sneaking a cookie or a muffin on their way home. Or she'd get someone on their day off, slipping in for a "real" loaf of bread instead of the squared-off enriched loaf from the plastic bags lined up on the grocery store's shelves. Either way, the town was small enough that she knew most of the faces by now, and to see an unknown man lingering just inside the door surprised her. She couldn't help staring for a bit, trying to figure out if she'd ever seen him before, but while something about him seemed familiar, she couldn't place him.
Finally shaking her thoughts loose again, she cleared her throat. "Hello."