AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fortunately, it was a downtime for the restaurant, and there was only a smattering of customers who didn’t pay much attention to the crying girl who’d just walked in.
“I have to quit,” I told her as she cradled me in her arms.
“It’s okay. I had a feeling this would happen. It’s all good,” she told me, as I rested my head on her shoulder.
She smelled like cinnamon and spice and of course, she was everything nice, and I loved her for it.
“Really?” I asked. “You’re not mad?”
“I could never be mad at you. Besides, from what I hear, it’s all fabulous.”
“What… what did you hear?” I asked, pulling away.
Her makeup was flawless, and her dark-crimson hair was pulled off her face but hung down her back in billowing waves. She wore jeans and a lacy shirt, and even though she’d only recently given birth to twins, her figure was almost completely back. The woman was a super-mom-entrepreneur, and my total role model.
“That you and those three guys who more or less took up residency in Sweetie Pies last Sunday morning have formed a band, and Jade’s assistant whispered something about you finally accepting everything that Dusty left you in his will. Plus, your band is booked for the grand opening of Dirty Coyote over in Sweet Whiskey? He wasn’t too sure about that one, but he’d heard a rumor.”
“It’s all true,” I told her. “Every word, and I’m scared to death. Way too many big changes in just a few days.”
“Don’t be scared. You’re going to shine, I’m sure of it. This is a fabulous opportunity for you, Connie,” she said, grinning and looking positively radiant. “I’m, of course, sorry to see you go. You’ve been with me almost from the start, but life is about change, and we’ve all had our fair share, including Cricket itself. When’s the big night? I want to be sure and plan for it. We’ll want to be there to cheer you on. I bet most of Cricket will be there cheering you on!”
As soon as she said how she wanted to be there, and how the townsfolk would probably be there, my instinct was to run and hide, but I knew that was my performance anxiety talking.
“It’s in less than three weeks. I’ll be sure to drop off some flyers. I hope this doesn’t leave you short staffed for the weekend.”
“Ironically, I just had an applicant stop by yesterday, and I had to tell her that we didn’t need anyone. She seemed very qualified and very sad when I gave her the news. I’m hoping she’s still available. So, no worries there. But the customers are going to miss you, along with the girls.”
The girls she was referring to were Olivia, her daughter, and Goldie, her best friend’s Tara’s daughter. Both girls were well under ten years old and spent a lot of time in the restaurant, playing with their dragons and learning how to make pies. I loved playing with them and imagining all sorts of stories where their dragons lived.
“I’m not giving up my apartment just yet, so I’ll still be around,” I told her, finally able to shore up my tears.
“I heard you’re leaving us?” Jen asked, as she walked up. “I’m so bummed!”
We hugged, and in the next few moments, more of the staff came out to say goodbye and to congratulate me on my band and opening Dirty Coyote. Then they all assured me that they’d be there for the grand opening. While I loved the fact that they were excited for me, it also made me incredibly nervous. So much so that I wanted to vomit, right there in front of the pie display.
Maybe Luke was right. I should’ve just quit with a phone call. It would’ve beensomuch easier, but as hard as this was, I knew it had to be done in person.
I ordered up a whole mess of savory pockets, an entire feta and spinach quiche, and two pies, one fresh strawberries and cream, and a lemon meringue.
All I had to do now was talk to the guys about how our relationship would go. After all, now that we were committed to our band, maybe it would be smarter if we didn’t mix sex in with it? Maybe we should just stop having sex, altogether? At least with each other.
Seemed logical.
Seemed like the right thing to do as we embarked on this new adventure.
What could possibly go wrong with that idea?
Connie 13
“You’re kidding, right?” Luke asked right before he knocked off his third savory pocket.
We were sitting around my small table in my kitchen. Fortunately, I had four chairs, so we all fit. If there was one more of us, that person would be standing, leaning on a counter.
Now that I had all three of the guys in my apartment at once, I realized just how tiny it was. I mean I’d had three other people in here at once, but it had always been one other girl and two guys, not three guys, and not one as big and bulky as Rascal. He took up enough space for two guys, at least.
The ranch was looking better and better.
“Well, it’s something we should consider,” I said, then took a big bite of my slice of lemon meringue pie. The meringue was like a sweet cloud hovering over the tart lemon. And the crust, as delicious as ever. We, or rather, Lexi made the best pie crust I’d ever tasted.
