Folding her arms, Suzette looks toward the ceiling before muttering, “But how do we do that? Especially if we’re letting Conner off the hook.”
“No idea.” Sophie shrugs.
“I’m not sure I want to give him one final push,” I admit, defeated. “If he hasn’t made the leap in almost two decades, what the hell is going to make him jump now? I’m a little hurt by the crap he said too. Maybe it would be best if I just….”
“If you just…what?” Indie asks, begging me to finish my sentence.
Leaning my elbows against the glass counter, I weave my fingers into my hair and hold my head in my hands. “If I just let him go.”
The bell on the front door of Get Baked chimes, all of our heads snapping in its direction before the devil himself walks over the threshold, and the women scatter like ants. Hell, even Suzette, who definitely doesn’t work here, snatches the dishrag from Indie’s hand and begins wiping down the counters like a seasoned pro.
Tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of my half-ass ponytail, I clear my throat then turn on my heel to hide behind the register. My movements are shaky as my hands fidget with the sample tray filled with bite-sized pieces of pumpkin bread. An awkwardness fills the room until I’m sure we’re all suffocating from it. Eyes darting to the side, I find Indie and Sophie whispering to each other and want to smack them upside the head.
Subtle ladies. Really subtle.
“Hey,” a gruff voice murmurs. The sound does weird things to my insides as I lick my lips and peek up at him.
“Hi.”
“
How’s your day going?”
Ugh. Small talk? Really?
“It’s fine.”
I don’t bother to ask him how his day is going because I’m too peeved at him.
“Can I get that brioche bread you’re always raving about?” he asks, sliding his hands into his front pockets. The action reminds me of when we were little. It tugs on a loose thread in the protective security blanket I’d woven around my brittle heart.
“Sure,” I mumble under my breath. After boxing up his order, I set it on the counter. “Anything else?”
“And an eclair?”
“Yup.” I grab an eclair and put it beside the brioche bun in the pink cardboard box. “Anything else?”
The shop is so quiet, I’m positive you could hear a pin drop. Glancing over his shoulder to find three sets of eyes staring holes into the side of his face, he drops his voice low. “Any chance you could take a break for a few minutes? Maybe go on a quick walk with me or something?”
“I’m working, Levi.”
“She can go!” Sophie interjects while rubbing her swollen, pregnant belly with an innocent smile.
If she wasn’t ready to pop, I’d smack her.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my voice shaky with desperation. “You weren’t scheduled to work today, remember? In fact, don’t you have a doctor’s appointment to get to?”
There is no doctor’s appointment. But it was the only excuse I could think of that would get me out of a conversation with Levi.
“Nope.” She grins. “Not ‘til next week. Go have fun. We’ll see you in a bit.”
Gritting my teeth, I untie my apron and hang it on a hook near my meddling friend.
“Traitor,” I mumble under my breath.
“Coward,” she returns just as quietly.
“Go have fun,” Indie encourages. “We’ll be here when you get back.”