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As I shut the cabinet door, my mom appears in the doorway, wearing a long skirt and top. “You don’t have to scream the house down, Penny. I’m heading out to the store now.”
“Why do you wait till everything is gone before restocking?”
She gives me a hard stare. “Penelope Miller. The last time I checked, this is my house. I can do whatever I like. You are more than welcome to go home and eat the food in your cabinets, or you can head out and pick something up for yourself.”
My stomach growls again in protest. “But you’re my mother, and it’s your responsibility to feed me.”
My mom rolls her eyes and turns away from me. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
I sigh, “Bye, Mom.”
I’m sitting on the couch, passing the time by watching a show, but my stomach won’t stop grumbling. I’m starving, and there’s no way I can wait until my mother gets back. Bake My Day is only a few minutes away. I can quickly run over there, grab something to eat, and hurry back home. That can hold me over until Mom gets home, and we cook dinner.
I shower and change out of my dress, pulling on a pair of shorts and a black tee. My mouth starts to water at the thought of eating something from Bake My Day. In a few minutes, I’m hurrying down the sidewalk and halfway to the bakery.
When I arrive, the bakery is, as usual, busy for this time of the evening. I get in line and pray Evie’s employees hurry so I don’t have to wait long. I ate a light breakfast and an even lighter lunch, and now it’s like my stomach is eating itself because it’s so empty.
What feels like an eternity, but is really only about ten minutes later, it’s my turn. My eyes roam the display case, studying the available snacks for what I want to buy.
“Have you made a decision?” The employee asks me with a smile.
“Can I get the chocolate cupcakes,” I point. “And some glazed donuts. Six pieces each, please.”
“Coming right up.”
I move to stand in front of the register, where she places my order, and I pay.
“Thank you.” I step out of the line, almost running into Evie and Jessica, who are both coming out of her office.
“Hi, Evie.” I smile at her, leaning into her hug. “Hello, Jessica.”
“Hello.” Jessica nods at me and continues to walk toward the exit. I’ve heard that Jessica can be sweet, but I’ve only ever seen her with a disinterested frown. I just don’t get how Jessica and Evie can be best friends when they are as different as night and day.
“Penny.” Evie grabs my arm and leads me into her office. “Can we talk for a moment?”
“Sure.” I sit on the chair while she walks to her chair on the other side of the table. “I don’t mean to be rude,” I tell her, opening the box of doughnuts. “But I’m starving.”
“Please,” she laughs. “Eat. Eat.”
I bite into the doughnut and immediately feel better. “What did you want to talk about?”
Evie and I have always been good friends. Her being older never mattered. Even when we were younger, she has always been one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. When things ended with Liam, I thought she wouldn’t talk to me again, but that wasn’t the case. She really is someone whose friendship I value.
“I just want to catch up with you and see how you’re doing,” she says with a smile. “It’s been a few weeks since we last saw each other.”
“Yeah, I’ve been laying low after everything,” I laugh, and she nods her understanding. “I really didn’t feel like answering any questions. I’ll be back to work in the next few days, and won’t be able to avoid people much longer. The library gets more activity than people realize.”
Evie nods. “I totally understand. You were the talk of the town for a while there. Are you doing okay?”
“Yes, Thank you for checking in with me.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“How is Liam?” I blurt out, silently chastising myself for not being able to keep the question to myself.
Evie doesn’t look surprised at all. Instead, she nods and leans into her chair. “He’s good. Settling in more every day.”
“And his new job?”
