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I didn’t need to specify. The car crash that took Logan Hendricks’s life, severely injured Aiden O’Malley and Cal, and led to Theo Makris’s felony conviction sent shock waves throughPeace Falls. For many locals, the pain still rippled a decade later. “I thought there was alcohol involved. Was Theo texting too?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Poppy does.”
“Why would Poppy know?”
Lauren shrugged and licked her fingers.
“Lauren?”
“See,” she said, snapping the lid on the container. “I can keep a secret.”
“Lauren Arnaud. Tell me what you know right now, or I’ll never bake you another treat as long as I live.”
“Fine,” she said, smiling. “Poppy and Theo recently became friends. She claims that’s all, but I’m not convinced. The man has taken a serious liking to espressos.”
“Huh. He doesn’t seem like her type. She usually goes for punk guys. Tattoos. Piercings. The more the better.”
“Have you seen Theo Makris recently?”
I shook my head.
“Well,” she said. “Let’s just say Poppy definitely has a type. Speaking of which, I better get back up front. I left her with all those girls, and you know how much Poppy hates chit chat.”
I opened my laptop again and sighed.
“Hey,” Lauren said, standing. “Just because the first session was awkward doesn’t mean the second has to be. Good luck with your search, but don’t hate me for hoping it takes you a while to find the perfect job.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re impossible to hate.”
She smiled and headed toward the front with her cinnamon rolls.
I wanted a job that made me as happy as Lauren’s made her or helped people half as much. Lauren brought joy with every coffee and book she sold. Not to mention the good she did for the community. I thought of Cammie and how grateful she sounded when she spoke of Lauren. Sure, my work lifted the company’sbottom line and added a few dollars to the shareholders’ accounts, but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t know the people who benefited from my work, and they didn’t know me. I reminded myself I wasn’t good with people like Lauren was. I couldn’t land a job like hers, even if I knew where to look.
Chapter seven
Cal
The lights were oninside the practice as I approached the glass door. I paused in the hallway and braced for another round with my boss. Adam only stopped yelling at me yesterday because his patient arrived. I left as soon as my last session ended while he was treating someone else. He had every right to be angry, but there’s only so much I could take before I snapped back. I straightened my back and pushed through the door.
“Morning, Cal,” Cammie said. She appeared to be halfway through the June invoicing, and it wasn’t even seven thirty.
“Why are you here so early?” I asked leaning against the reception desk.
She gave me a weak smile and went back to work.
I blew out a breath and rubbed my forehead. “I’m sorry, Cam. I shouldn’t have left early. How long did he yell at you?”
Cammie waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. He’s harmless.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It does matter. He shouldn’t yell at either of us, but you did nothing wrong.”
Cammie shrugged. “I’m late sometimes. But like I said, I can handle him. Personally, I like to do the billing after the month ends. It’s more efficient. But he loves when I do it on a rolling basis. He should be in a much better mood today.”
She smiled, but it looked forced.
“When he finally retires, and I buy the practice, I’m giving you the biggest raise.”
Her smile looked more genuine as she reached for another invoice.
