Carefully, I put the lid on the stick and wrapped it up with tissue, plopped it into a plastic bag and placed it in my handbag. I splashed my face with cold water and tried to pull myself together and deal with the world.
“Hey, are you okay?” my mom asked, as I left the restroom.
“I’m fine, just terrible cramps. I needed a minute,” I lied to her.
“Honey, you don’t look okay. You’re pale as a ghost. Why don’t you go home and rest?”
“We’re too busy today. It’s only a couple more hours,” I said, giving her a weak smile and getting set behind the counter.
“Okay, sit on this stool, just take money, don't move. After your shift, you're going straight home to lie down.”
I wouldn’t fight her on that. I needed a good cry and a long nap.
As if to cosmically kick me in the butt when I was down, Regina, Tristan, and Shiloh walked into the bakery, looking like the perfect, happy family. How dare he bring them here right now? He knew this would hurt me.
And apparently, I had extra hormones running amok that made it even worse.
I wanted to yell and scream, but instead, I smiled.
“Hi, y’all. Fancy seeing you here,” I said with my fakest, brightest smile. From the way Tristan looked at me, he could tell how fake I was being.
“Shiloh is addicted to the donuts here. She won’t shut up about them, so I had to come and try them for myself,” Regina said, with a warm and friendly smile.
Shit, why did she have to be nice? Of course, Tristan would fall back in love with her. I was falling a little bit in love with her myself. She was beautiful, clearly super smart as she ran her own successful surgical clinic. How could I even compete? Pull it together, girl.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place.”
“Can we see where they’re made?” Shiloh asked.
“Oh, honey, I’m sure Arya doesn’t have time for that right now. It looks busy,” Tristan said.
My mom had walked out and chuckled.
“I’d be happy to show you,” Mom told Shiloh.
“Yay!” Her eyes were sparkling.
“That sounds great,” Regina said. “Shiloh and I will tour the kitchen while you and Tristan catch up?”
I was confused as to why she’d give up her man so easily. She was probably giving him a chance to let me down easily. You know, do it in public so I didn’t cause a scene.
“Sure,” I murmured. I called someone over to cover for me and walked away from the counter.
Tristan and I sat at one of the few tables. He helped me into my chair, like a true gentleman.
“Hi,” he said, smiling cautiously at me. God, I missed when his smile met his eyes and they crinkled a little bit. This guarded smile was not that.
“Hi,” I responded.
I didn’t even know what to talk about right now. I wanted him to take the lead. Tell me why he was here.
“How have you been? We haven’t talked in a few days.” His brown eyes were piercing me and burrowing their way into my soul.
“I’ve just been busy.”
“You've been avoiding me.” He was right about that.
“I could say the same thing about you. I’ve been showing up at your grandparents’ and you haven't been there.”