“About us?” She asks. Does her voice sound a little hopeful? It sounds a little hopeful. Even though I’m devastated at the time we’ve lost, and there’s a huge part of me that wants to claim her as my own, I’m not certain we can just pick up where we left off. Can we? If we had some sort of time machine and could go back and erase the last five years, I’d be all in. I’d be so damn ready for that.
Right now? Well, I just think we need to see where our cards fall. Maybe there’s a chance for us. Maybe we can start things up again…or maybe it’s just not going to happen. I don’t know. I’m not sure.
Oh, but I want to know.
I sip my own coffee and shake my head. Then I set down my mug, place my hands on either side of my plate, and look at her.
“About the tiger,” I explain.
“Oh.” She seems disappointed. She doesn’t want to talk about her relationship with another guy. I don’t care that she’s been with other people. We aren’t together, and we haven’t been for a long time. I do, however, want to know what exactly this guy was after. Why would he go after Foxy? Out of all of the women in the world, why her? It doesn’t make any sense. She’s a kind, gentle woman with a heart of gold. She’s a damn teacher, for dragon’s sake.
“We need to get your phone,” I tell her. “We need to check the app and see what other information we can dig up. If we can get more data, we might be able to talk with someone about what happened. Maybe we can get the guy’s name or…” My voice trails off. I don’t finish that sentence. I don’t need to.
She raises an eyebrow, looking at me head-on.
“You want to kill him.”
“Me?” I point to my chest innocently.
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
“We might be broken up, but I’ll never forget that look. That’s the look you gave me when Jared Broker tried to kiss me in the 10th grade.”
“He didn’t deserve you.”
“He was a nice guy.”
“He talked shit about every girl he dated,” I point out. “I wasn’t about to let him talk shit about you.”
“Really?”
“You didn’t know?” Now it’s my turn to be surprised again.
“That seems to be the theme of the day,” she sighs. Then she shakes her head. Her hair bounces a little when she does. “I feel like a total idiot.”
“You and me both.”
We were fooled by a little old woman. Not that my mother is old, but she’s got an old soul, some would say. She has an idea of how the world should work and how it should look, and she’s willing to do anything to get what she wants. In this case, it’s me being single, pursuing a “real” career, and apparently, dating the people she selects for me. Ridiculous. Then again, it worked. I’m not married or in a wild and high-paying career field, but I’m not with Foxy. I guess my mother got her wish after all.
“Hey,” Felicity suddenly glances at the clock above the stove. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“Fair question,” I shrug. “But Henry can open without me today.” He’s a good man, and well-trained in the art of baking. We’ve worked side-by-side for so long that it’s not a problem for him to handle things on his own once in awhile.
“Your assistant?” She asks, reaching for a piece of bacon. “This is good, by the way,” she holds up a piece. “I like how you make it crispy, but you also don’t burn the slices.”
“Yes, he’s my assistant,” I answer her first question before smiling at her bacon compliment. “And I’m glad you like the food. I tried to make it good today.”
“Well, you definitely succeeded,” she sips her coffee again and finishes her food. It’s a good feeling to know that she’s enjoying herself. I’ve always liked feeding people and cooking for them. Sometimes I wonder if I should have become a chef instead of a baker, but I like my little shop. I like making cupcakes and cakes and pastries and creating things that make people feel happy when they’re having a bad day.
She looks at me for a minute before she speaks again.
“You know, I’ve never been inside of your shop.”
“Oh, I know,” I tell her. I finish my own coffee. “Trust me, I know.”
It’s been a point of contention between Henry and I for years. I’ve always wanted her to visit, and I’ve always begged him to tell me if she ever comes in. Henry has always thought my obsession with Foxy has been stupid. Anytime someone in the shop mentions her, my inner-lion goes crazy. Can anyone really blame him, though?
Foxy’s incredible.