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“Oh, that reminds me. I brought you cinnamon rolls.” I put down my mug and rummaged in my bag until I found the Tupperware container. Spending time kneading dough with Chris this morning had been the highlight of my month so far.
Lauren squealed. As soon as I handed her the container, she opened the lid, grabbed a roll, and shoved half in her mouth.
“This is so much better than the pastries we sell,” she said, pulling apart the rest of the roll as she talked.
I looked around to check if anyone had heard her. “Perhaps not the best thing to say as the owner.”
Lauren giggled. “It’s true. We order all the baked goods from Bob’s Bakery in Jericho, but the quality has gone downhill since Bob sold the place to his nephew.”
“You could make your own.”
“Let me see,” Lauren said, tapping her lip and leaving a smudge of icing. “Should I do that before or after the twelve hours I work, every day, making coffee and selling books. Oh wait, I forgot about the other four hours that goes into ordering, cleaning, and managing the finances. I’m already running on six hours of sleep a night.”
“Hire someone.”
“Great idea,” she said, clapping her hands. “You’re hired. Take your pick. Finances, coffee, or baking. Or a mix of everything. Whatever you want.”
I shook my head. “You know I love you, but I’m just here long enough to heal my back and find my next financial firm.”
“Boo. So, you’re just using me for the free Wi-Fi.”
“And the coffee,” I said, taking another sip. “Don’t forget the coffee.”
“How are you feeling?” Lauren asked, licking the icing from her lip. “I heard you started PT yesterday. Did it help?”
“Not really, but I’m told it takes time.” I didn’t bother asking how she knew I was in physical therapy. Chances were she’d heard about it from more than one person.
“It sucks that you’re hurt, but if I ever needed PT, I wouldn’t mind Cal putting his hands on me. He came in earlier, and I had to turn the thermostat down after.”
We laughed and it brought me back to those high school days when we giggled about boys for hours. I hadn’t stood a chance with anyone I liked, but I lived vicariously through Lauren and all the boys she agreed to go on a date with. Singular. They always asked for a second. She always turned them down. She would have flashed those dimples at Cal after he lifted his shirt and showed his insanely toned abs. And she’d be his, assuming she hadn’t already gone on a date with him. I’d just satthere doing an impression of a largemouth bass. Forget the air conditioner, I needed a cold shower after I went inside.
Lauren smirked like she was somehow reading my mind. “Were you able to talk to him? Or did you stare at his hotness and go mute like usual?”
“Oh, I talked alright. But it was mortifying all the same. First, he didn’t recognize me at all.”
“Ouch.”
“Then I told him I hurt my back when I collided with a vehicle while texting.”
“Is that how it happened?”
“Sort of. I walked into the path of a tourist on a Segway and got pinned against a tree.”
“Oh, my word, Rowan. I hope you weren’t texting me when it happened.”
“I wasn’t texting. But I figured it was better than telling him I was crying so hard I couldn’t see after I walked in on my boss sucking my husband’s dick at her desk.”
“Ew, in the middle of the day?”
I nodded.
“You’re right, texting sounds better.”
“I thought so. But Cal scolded me for it. He was downright frigid. It was super awkward.”
Lauren nodded and all the mirth drained from her eyes, leaving them haunted. “No, I imagine that would have been hard for him to hear.”
And that’s when I remembered. Not when I fudged the story of how I hurt my back. Not when Cal reacted with anger. “The accident,” I whispered.
