Chapter Twenty-Nine
Daisy
One Week Later
“Hey, lady.” Zoe waves as she walks through the door between the bakery and the café. In one hand, she carries a white bag with pink lettering on the outside, and in the other, she has her backpack and cell phone.
“Hey, thank you for meeting me here.” I smile and escort her to the empty table we’re going to use for studying. The dinner crowd has left, so while the space still reeks of thigh-spreading goodness, most of the food is gone, and cleanup has commenced.
“You’re welcome.” She flops onto the bench seat and drops her gear on the table. “Like I would have resisted getting baked goods.Chloe’s Bakeryis always a treat, and the home-cooked meals her parents make are no different.”
“You’re not lying.” I brace my hands on my hips. “I need to stay away from all the fattening food more than you do.”
“You’re….” She studies me. “You look fantastic. I’ve never seen you look this happy.”
“I am.” I can’t contain the smile that covers my face, so I don’t try to resist the inevitable.
“I’m glad.” She rests her hands on the table and glances at the white sack. “Oh, fuck it.” She pulls out a white box with cupcakes on the sides andChloe’s Bakeryon top. “Calories don’t count during study time.”
“Right. Let me get us some drinks. Is water okay?”
“Water would be perfect.” She beams as she unwraps the sprinkle-topped cupcake. “That way, I can pretend I’m being healthy.” She waggles her eyebrows. “I got you one, also.”
“Ugg.” I pretend to groan, but like Zoe, I’m not passing up the opportunity to eat cake slathered in frosting.
Moments later, I return with our drinks, remove my apron, and slide inside to join her. “Thank you for the cupcake.”
We’re silent as we devour the baked goods and moan with happiness. This is so good. Almost as good as sex. I lick the tips of my fingers, sucking down every drop.
“So,” She leans forward. “Now that we’re not going to pass out from starvation. Tell me everything.”
“He’s amazing. He’s sexy yet sweet. He pampers me. He picks me up after work at the shelter even though they’ve installed the new lighting and surveillance systems. He’s just too good to be true. He even turned down Heather.”
“The bitch.” Zoe’s eyes flash with anger. “It doesn’t matter what you have. She’s always after it. First, it was your sister, and now….” She glances around to make sure no one is listening. But the only people remaining are the owners and the dishwashers. The rest of the building is quiet. “I can’t believe she’d do that.”
“It’s not like she knows we’re together. She just manages to….” I pause a second as I try to think of a way to describe Heather’s annoying habit of stealing my happiness. “Suck all the joy out of my life.”
Zoe laughs until tears fill her eyes. “Yes, she does. I’m happy he’s not falling for her slutty ways.”
“He’s not.” I pull the calculus book out of my backpack.
“So, tell me about the sex.” She waggles her eyebrows and opens her book to the chapter we’re studying for the quiz tomorrow. I refuse to ask Alexander to help me study. I’m not mixing our relationship with school any more than I already have. It’s the only way I can keep seeing him.
I’m not a cheat, and if I pass this class, it’s because I gave it everything I have, and he’s a better professor than the one who would fail me.
“The sex is phenomenal, but that’s just half of it.”
I tell her about the presents and the flowers. The movie nights. The late-night smut reading sessions. By the time I’ve told her everything, she’s glaring. “That’s ridiculous. No man should be that awesome. Does he have a brother?”
“No. Just cousins. And one of them is married to my sister.” A loud crashing sound comes from the kitchen as one of the dishwashers tosses a tray of dirty silverware onto the washing surface.
“Right.” She rests her elbow on the table and lays her index finger on her lips. “The other cousin? The one with the ruptured appendix that required Alexander to come back to town early to be in the wedding, is he still recuperating?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug.
“If he is, get me his phone number. He can’t run, and he’s probably bored to tears from lying on the sofa. I’ll catch him in a weak moment.”
“Alexander doesn’t see him much, so I’ll mention it to Julia and see how well she knows Wyatt’s brother. I’ve seen him around but never talked to him much.”