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“If you say so. Anyway, I have to go to get ready for work but I wanted to see your ugly face today. I really miss you.”
“I really miss you too. But everything here is fine except my boyfriend having annoying spies following him everywhere.”
“Boyfriend. Wow. I’m so happy for you, Sis. If I knew all it took was me leaving the nest to get you to open up to someone I would have left sooner.”
“Hey now, you know that’s not true.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, you deserve to be happy Lex.” I don’t say anything, staring at my sister as she smiles at me with glassy eyes. “Okay, now I really have to go. Love you!”
“Love you too.”
She hangs up in a hurry, but I continue looking at the black screen like some secret will pop up any second. I slam the phone face down, knowing I’m not going to get answers without going directly to the source.
Then it happens. My phone rings. Caller unknown.
There is no doubt in my mind who is calling. She always finds my number. She always finds some way to let me know she’s watching from afar. I feel sick.
I let the phone ring, not ready to face my impending doom just yet. She works fast, I’ll give her that.
When the ringing stops, my anger starts to rise. Why didn’t Grant talk to me about this? He’d said back when we began seeing each other that eventually we’d have to go public, but this was too soon. And too out of the blue.
I can’t think about this right now. I have a shift at the bakery and a business proposal to present. I would let my anger simmer and explode on Grant later. That was the healthy route, right?
As I go about my day, my phone continually rings and vibrates with messages from the same unknown caller, but I ignore them all. Belinda gives me some strange looks at the beginning of my shift, probably because she can hear my phone every time it goes off, but she doesn’t say anything. Her eyes light up when she sees me walk in the front door, which leads me to believe she’s seen the picture of Grant and me.
Lost in my own world, the morning passes quickly and before I know it, we’re closing for the day. Belinda and Harrison have the front covered, taking care of last minute customers while I focus on kitchen clean up. I’ve always found loading the dishwasher a soothing activity. It’s like adult Tetris. Fitting the last bowl in the rack, I close the door and press start. My shoulders dance in glee as the water starts to fill.
Grabbing the cloth that I’ve tucked into my back pocket, I make a move to the far counter when there is a knock on the back door. Confused, I slowly make my way over. The back door is only ever locked when the bakery is closed. When I open the heavy door, it’s to Grant’s annoyed face.
“What the hell, Lexi.”
“What the hellme? What the hell you.”
“I’ve been calling you all damn day.”
“Then I guess you didn’t get the hint that I didn’t want to talk to you.”
Not wanting to have this conversation where anyone could hear, I push Grant back out the door, closing it behind me. Not stopping, I march around the corner so we’re in the alley. I am fired up.
“I was calling to give you a heads up about the picture and the statement my publicist made. I wanted to explain.”
My hand comes up to brush at my brow only to encounter the hair net I’m wearing. Ripping it off, I fling it away in annoyance. “Look, I’m not really mad about the picture or the statement. You’d warned me that this day would come. I was just hoping I had a little more time.”
“Why? What would more time get you?”
Okay. Here goes nothing. He would either want to stick with me or run for the hills.
“My parents were never in the picture, not really anyways. I only have a handful of bad memories of my dad. And my mom…well, she stuck around but wasn’t present. Finding her next fix was the only thing she truly cared about. The day Luna was born, she placed her in my arms and told me she was my problem. A few years later when I turned eighteen, she just left.”
“Pixie,” Grant murmurs, taking a step towards me so he can grab my hand.
“It was fine. We were better off and it was easier to pay the bills, honestly.” Taking a deep breath, I look up at Grant, needing to watch his reaction for the next part. “But she makes appearances every now and then. Mostly when she needs money.”
“And you would give it to her?” There’s no condemnation in his voice, but he’s frustrated by my actions.
I nod. “I had to. She would threaten to take Luna away from me. Or call child protective services. If anyone found out our mom was gone, and I wasn’t a legal guardian, they would have taken her from me. I couldn’t let that happen. Luna’s been abandoned too many times. I wasn’t going to be another person that let her go without a fight.”
Arms close around me, caging me in comforting warmth. My hands clutch his shirt, needing the physical anchor as waves of emotion crash over me. It had been years since I’d felt that kind of bone chilling fear. The thought of Luna being taken away from me…it was unfathomable.
